African Black Soap, Castor Oil, Cocoa Butter - In Review by Tiffony Richards
I was about to begin with a intrepid disclaimer then I decided that would be a rather boring start and opted to jump right into the review instead.
100% Raw Organic African Black Soap 1lb
This has quite a weird earthy smell in comparison to the Shea Moisture brand African Black Soap which smells artificially fragrant. The texture of this soap is quite thick versus some others that I have tried that are smoother. I prefer this one as it seems to be authentic African Black Soap that is made from the ash of locally harvested plants and barks like plantain, cocoa pods, palm tree leaves and shea tree bark. It also contains various oils like palm oil, coconut oil and sustainably sourced palm kernel oil.
I cut almost half of it off and put it in a bottle then added hot water to make a liquid soap. I was surprised at how easy it was to get the soap in the bottle because it had a soft texture and crumbled as I cut into it.
I cut another small piece to use in the shower for bathing and washing my face as the pieces I put in the bottle hadn't melted readily but took quite some time to liquefy.
It was amazing to see that I still had a huge piece left.
I really like this soap because it cleanses my skin thoroughly without the dry stiff feeling and it leaves my complexion looking brighter and smoother.
I cannot say I had the same results with the Shea Moisture brand African Black Soap. I also felt as if dyes and fragrances were added to the Shea Moisture brand African Black Soap.
100% Organic and Unrefined Raw Cocoa Butter 1lb
This butter is everything. I didn't think I would love another oil as much as my coconut oil as far as my skin is concerned with the exception of Emu Oil which has holy grail status but this is some good butter.
I love the feel of it on my skin when it is applied to wet or damp skin.
I scrape a tiny bit into the palm of my hands and rub my hands together to warm it up and it has an awesome cooling effect.
I love how rich and decadent it is. It smells like a 1lb tub of chocolate...😋 It leaves the skin moisturized but not greasy and I like that a lot because Shea Butter tends to make my skin feel greasy and that is why I prefer coconut oil or cocoa butter.
I must say that I don't appreciate this as much for my face as I do my body because it's slightly thicker and heavier on my face than coconut oil no matter how little I use.
It doesn't seem to wear off the body as quickly as coconut oil does though so in that regard I prefer this to coconut oil.
100% Pure Castor Oil
I love how rich this is. It's so thick it feels almost sticky. I use this on my hair and I love the healthy sheen it gives.
You only need a small amount to massage into hair and scalp.
I don't think I would ever use this on my skin just because it's so thick I feel it would be too heavy on my skin.
The castor oils that I have used and am familiar with are very different. This particular one is colourless / transparent. It has a bit of an herbal smell and is thicker than all the other castor oils that I have used.
Overall I am pretty impressed by these product offerings and I do like the products I received to try out and review. These opinions are my own. I cannot be bought. With that said I think the prices are pretty good for the amount of product you get. I think you should check out their line which is available on Amazon as well as through their website.