During my pursuit to use natural, biodegradable, animal-friendly beauty products, I’d picked up, fumbled and smelt the
It cost £5.95 for a 100g tub and finally, I decided to purchase it, much to the delight of the Gareth, the shop assistant, whose brain I’d picked about it for months!
I was getting on well with my tea tree vegetable soap, but felt the skin on my face needed something a little different than my body.
As a minimalist-in-training and someone who once owned about £3,000 of cosmetics, toiletries and make-up, (my excuse was I owned a beauty salon) I’m now living with a limited amount of toiletries that fit into a small toiletry bag.
Since minimising my skincare regime, my skin is clearer and I have much more time in the morning and evening not applying all the lotions and potions.
1. Water (Aqua)
2. Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)
3. Coconut Oil (Copra)
4. Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii)
5. Cacao Pod Ash (Theobroma Cacao Pod) : produced from traditional natural process
The product is biodegradable, not tested on animals, ethically sourced and contains no synthetic colours or preservatives. This ticks all the right boxes for me and is great for the environment.
I have an oily complexion which can be prone to breakouts so I often opt for oil-free products, thinking the extra oil will make my skin spotty. However the packaging informed me that this was good for “sensitive skin” and “is effective in supporting the treatment of eczema, acne, dark spots and freckles.”
I have since learnt that coconut oil is antibacterial because it contains lauric acid which makes it excellent for breakout-prone skin. (You may like this article about Coconut Oil and Acne).
As always, I get excited about trying a new product. Once home, I delved into the brown-black goo and separated a pea-sized amount onto wet hands. I lathered the product up and was surprised how much foam it produced. It felt great on my skin and was not greasy at all despite having coconut oil in. I washed my face twice to make sure my skin was doubly clean and was impressed with the results; my skin squeaked it was so clean.
6 months in and I’m on my second pot. My best friend is also using it and getting good results. My skin feels soft, clean and is enjoying the simplicity of only 5 ingredients. Sometimes I apply a thin layer to a dry face and let it soak in for a few minutes before washing it off, this seems to work well for deep cleansing.
I do not wear as much make up as I used to, but on the days I do, the soap removes it well. Admittedly, it does sting my eyes a bit (I probably shouldn’t use it on my eyes) but washing with lots of water soon stops that.
I would recommend Shealife Black Soap for both the face and body. A little goes a very long way and it’s solid plastic tub means it travels well too.