REVIEW: SheaMoisture African Black Soap...

Yay for Spring hey lovelies! And you know what that means - time to begin peeling away multiple layers of clothing, and ultimately revealing a bit more skin as the weather warms up. And if your Winter skin is anything like mine, you might need a bit of help preparing for the big reveal, well legs and arms anyway. So here is what's been helping me transform my cold weather scaly bits - the SheaMoisture African Black Soap range. I'd never heard of this brand until I was recently invited to trial their Jamaican Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Hair suite of products for beautyheaven, and I was so impressed with the quality, natural ingredients, moisturising properties AND the cruelty-free philosophy, I ordered this "body pack" from their website and it's still on special ♥...

This range is particularly for troubled skin - acne, psoriasis & eczema, none of which I'm dealing with (fortunately) but I figure if it's designed to comfort, balance and soothe any of those icky troubles, it could only be of benefit to my flaky old skin, and I figured right. Here's what's NOT in the products:

No Parabens

No Phthalates

No Paraffin

No Mineral Oil

No DEA

No Petroleum

No Formaldehyde

No Propylene

No Sulfates

It's a four generation-owned family business, they only test on themselves, and the shea butter they use is Certified Organic and Fair Trade. So let's get on with the goodies, and what else IS in them ♥...

African Black Soap Premium Large Bar Soap  (230g, $13.95)

Oh wow, I wasn't prepared for this to be so good! It smells fantastic, and it's such a massive size that will last forever because you only need a couple of rubs on your flannel for a complete head to toe cleansing experience. The bubbles literally go on forever, and my skin is left feeling soothed, nourished and hydrated. The fragrance reminds me of those white milk bottle lollies, so I guess that puts it in the category of sweetened vanilla - it's a subtle scent, but ever so delicious, and I love this so much I've already bought another cake for the hand basin ♥...

African Black Soap Body Wash (384ml, $24.95)

Well now, pretty much the same goes for this Body Wash - one squirt from the pivot cap and you've enough softening and intensely moisturising suds to last all the way down to your toes. The bubbles are amazing - so creamy and rich, and yet the shower floor isn't the slightest bit slippery. The fragrance is distinct and yet very delicate - like vanilla baby powder, but sweeter. The liquid is darkest brown with little black speckles, which I reckon are Cocoa Pod Ash, but that's a guess. The ingredients list goes on for a bit, but the number one position goes to aloe vera. There's also coconut, shea butter, Vitamin E, oat bran extract and palm. My skin feels SO soft after showering and I'm officially declaring this to be my new favourite body wash! ♥♥♥...

African Black Soap Soothing Body Mask (340g)

This mask was the last one I tried from the bundle, only because it requires quite a bit of skin exposure for 20 minutes, and I've been waiting for a warmer day so I could partake of its goodness. Well, the day came and I slathered this on my chest and upper arms, and what a difference there was after I rinsed off - instantly soft, smooth, becalmed and refined skin! Ok so we have bentonite, kaolin, shea butter, charcoal powder, cocoa pod ash, tea tree oil, colloidal oatmeal, jojoba oil, allantoin, tamarind extract, calendula extract and rice bran oil in the mix - with all that, how could my skin be anything but sensational? Again this light grey creamy paste has the delicate fragrance of milk bottle lollies. Divine! It's not listed separately on their website as yet, but I'm guessing that it will eventually be available to buy on its own ♥♥♥...

African Black Soap Bamboo Charcoal Body Scrub W/Tea Tree Oil (170g)

You know I love all of these products, but this Body Scrub just might be my pick of the bunch - it's one of the best body scrubs I've ever had the pleasure to use. A thick pale pearly grey concoction primarily of mango seed oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, bamboo charcoal and tea tree oil, you can see the teeny black charcoal grains that gently slough all the rough bits off your bod, and leave your skin as smooth as silk. It has a very faint vanilla charcoal scent which I doubt would bother anyone, and while twice weekly use is recommended, it's so gentle I've been scrubbing all over every second day because it's that darn good, and an absolute delight to use. It's in short supply at the moment so this one isn't listed separately on their website either, but fingers crossed that will change soon ♥♥♥... 

As always I am IMPELLED to share the love when I find something that really rings my chimes, so I'm giving away a couple of the delicioso products from their range...

There's a jar of their Balancing Moisturiser, which I haven't tried, but it was sent to me by mistake as part of the body pack. I contacted the company, and they sent me the missing body wash, and then very kindly said I could keep the cream or give it to someone who might need it. Nice one! As I have enough moisturisers to last me till 2025 (I'm joking, but it sure looks that way on my bench), I'm passing it onto one of your lovelies, plus one of the regular sized soap bars, which incidentally is safe to use on your face. If you would like to try these, let me know in the comments section below and I'll put all the names in a hat and pick a winner at random ♥...

At this stage, the SheaMoisture product range is only available from their website (HERE) or Priceline.

Take care of you,
kats xxx

P.S. Editing this post because I'm excited to say I now have a discount code for you for SheaMoisture purchases from their website - enter KATS at the checkout and receive 30% off! ♥♥♥

P.P.S. Editing again to announce that the name I pulled out of the hat for the giveaway was...FREAKY

Hi Freaky, please email your address to katshepsutt(at)gmail.com so I can send you the goodies ♥