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
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 ♥
Oh Kats yes please include me in the draw.
ReplyDeleteI tried the SheaMoisture face mask last night and it was amazing. I love the scent also. I was lucky enough to get a 15ml sachet of the face mask in a US beauty box and I have a 30ml tube of the body scrub that I cant wait to try. I do tend to have eczema on occasion and it will be awesome to have a range of products to help me through those times and products that still smell and feel wonderful rather then just plain and boring products with no scent and no luxury feel. Im very impressed with this range so far.
Will do Fawn! I've bought the face mask - haven't tried it yet, but if it's anything like the body mask, I'll be blissing out ha ha ♥
DeleteThese sound great especially for my eczema covered skin, but I am worried that they contain fragrance which is known to irritate me. Loved the reviews.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne, glad you enjoyed the post. All packs except the soap list fragrance as "essential oil blend", whereas the soap says "parfum". What a bummer that may give you some grief, a real shame as the formulations are so good otherwise xxx
DeleteThese sound devine Kats. I'm loving how there's many brands going more natural with no added nasties and effective Freaky :) xo
ReplyDeleteMe too Freaky - it's quite scary reading about what chemical additives can do to our bodies through our skin, and the long-term effects are still unknown for a large number of them ♥
DeleteI was on the SheaMoisture shampoo/conditioner trial for dry damaged hair and loved it. This will be a must in my bathroom. I didn’t realise they made facial products also. I’m going to sit on my hands I think, to stop myself from buying anything.
ReplyDeleteIt's all so tempting hey - at least this discount is forever, well as far as I know anyway, so whenever you actually NEED to buy something, it will come in handy xxx
DeleteThanks Kats. I ordered and received this pack yesterday ( using your KATS discount code) and a shampoo. Used the big soap bar this morning - love it!
ReplyDeleteDon’t enter me in the draw!
Great news Karen - the soap is amazing hey, I reckon it will last for years lol! Appreciate you letting me know the code worked, and ok I won't include you ♥♥♥
DeleteHi Kats, Ive tried the moisturiser and am loving it! Ive been getting breakouts on my chin area, so have been applying it there. The moisturiser is thick in consistency but spreads well and absorbs super fast. I love that I can use it on problem areas to keep the area nourished, without aggravating it. Im so appreciatve for the prize and am enjoying it thoroughly. I haven't yet tried the soap, but Ill come back and report when I have :D Freaky xo
ReplyDeleteThat's terrific news Freaky! I'm so thrilled it's working for you, and what a sweetheart you are to come back and let me know, the info is helpful to other gals too ♥♥♥
Delete