Shea Moisture Organic African Black Soap Bar

In my experience, black soap is usually a good thing. I've tried my fair share of dark soaps made from various ashes or mineral muds. They generally help tighten skin almost instantly and continued use results in clearer, smoother skin.

So, during a routine Target run, this velvetty black bar immediately caught my eye. Its formula includes palm ash, plaintain peel, tamarind extract, shea butter, aloe, oats, and Vitamin E. I was little wary of using a black soap that throws a large amount of shea butter in the mix. I worried that it might be too hydrating and cut back on the skin tightening effect of the palm ash. But, to my delight, upon using the soap it became clear that the shea butter does not overpower the other ingredients. It seems to be the perfect balance!

This soap has a pleasant, somewhat strong (but not overpowering) scent. It lathers lightly and leaves skin feeling clean. There are random bits of oats throughout the bar, giving it a nice exfoliating texture.

I am a big fan of quick fixes. I love when you can see (or feel) results after just one use of a product. This is definitely the case with the Shea Moisture Organic African Black Soap Bar. After your first use, your skin will feel tight and clean and your pores may look smaller. Blemishes might also appear smaller. Regular use of this soap can help tame problem skin, reduce redness, and clear up breakouts.

As with any ash or mud soap, it is very important to apply moisturizer after using this bar. If you use this stuff without following up with a decent moisturizer, your skin WILL dry out. Because this soap tightens skin, excessive use will most likely have a drying effect. It's probably not a good idea to use it both morning and night. Once daily in the shower should be plenty. If you are prone to dry skin, you might want to start out using it every other day.

I personally use it when I'm in the shower. I use it on both my face and my body. It has helped clear up the breakouts on my back and it has almost completely cleared up the mild keratosis pilaris (chronic skin bumpies/redness) on my upper arms. It's good stuff--but don't forget to follow with a good moisturizer!

Shea Moisture Organic African Black Soap Bar is available in stores at Target and Walgreens, but for some reason they don't sell the soap bar online. If I recall correctly, it costs about 5 or 6 dollars. That might sound pricey for a bar of soap, but this is a BIG 8oz bar that should last a while and it does some pretty great things. Oh, and it's formulated with awesome organic ingredients and it's free of yucky chemicals and synthetic fragrance. Definitely worth it!

<3 Bee

A Fresh Face in Seconds

A Fabulously lazy way to remove your make-up AND wash your face in one easy, convenient step.

After a long night on the town, taking off all my make up and washing my face is the last thing I feel like doing before I crawl into bed.

To avoid the temptation to pass out wearing a full face of make-up, I keep facial cleansing towelettes on hand.

They're also great to keep around for when I plan on spending a night or a weekend away. I just toss them in my overnight bag and use them to clean and prep my face. I always keep a pack in my car in case of emergencies.

But I won't settle for just any old make up remover wipes. Most of the towelettes I've tried are just too harsh to use regularly (or even at all in some cases). I've scaled drug stores, department stores, Sephora, Ulta, and Timbuktu, trying just about every version of the make-up remover towelette on the market. Most just don't cut it. I require a disposable towelette that does double duty: it has to gently and quickly remove all my make-up (including eye make-up), and it has to leave my skin feeling clean and refreshed.

Most make up remover towelettes irritate my eyes and/or my skin. Even the supposedly "gentle" ones recommended for sensitive skin are often too harsh. Throughout my years of trial and error, I always go back to my clear favorite--but I have found a few others worth trying along the way... 

Boots Expert Sensitive Cleansing and Toning Wipes

$4.69, 30 count at Target 

• dermatologist tested  

• hypoallergenic

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Target now carries products by Boots, an affordable U.K. skincare line formerly only available overseas. These cleansing and toning wipes were so affordable I couldn't resist giving them a try. While these towelettes are not the thickest or softest I've tried, they do remove make up relatively well and they leave my skin feeling great. They don't tingle or sting my skin or eyes in the slightest. Sometimes, I use these them to freshen up or tone my skin even when I'm not wearing make up. These are amongst the gentlest make up remover wipes I've tried and I definitely recommend them for those who have sensitive skin. However, their cleansing power is somewhat weak compared to other brands I've tried. I have to work them pretty hard to effectively remove my eye makeup. I do not recommend these for anyone with oily skin. 

 Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

$4.99 at Target, 25 count

• dermatologist/opthamologist tested  

• noncomedogenic/hypoallergenic

These wipes are very similar to the aforementioned Boots Cleansing/Toning wipes. They are as gentle as can be on my sensitive skin and eyes. These cloths are also somewhat thin and not all that soft. They cleanse effectively and remove make up pretty well. They aren't the strongest I have tried and they don't always remove eye make up as quickly as I would like, but I would say that they are a bit more powerful than Boots' version.

Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towelette

$5.99, 30 count at Target, most drugstores   

• dermatologist/opthamologist tested  

• FSC Certified 

These wipes are affordable and relatively easy to find at your local drug store. They effectively remove make up and leave my skin feeling fresh and clean. While these wipes are gentler than most of the others I've tried, they still slightly (but somewhat tolerably) irritate the skin surrounding my eyes. Prolonged use of this product tends to leave my skin a pretty dry. I featured these wipes because they are better than most make-up remover towelettes that I've tried, but of the five products featured in this article, these are my least favorite. I think they would be best suited for those with oily skin who could use a bit of astringent in their cleansing wipes.

Yes to Blueberries Facial Towelette

$7.99, 30 count, Available at Target

• dermatologist/opthamologist tested
• Oil-free, noncomedogenic, hypoallergenic 
• Biodegradable & FSC Certified  

 These towelettes are gentle enough and they remove pretty much all of my make up with ease, but they smell really strange. I featured the "Yes to Blueberries" towelettes over the "Yes to Cucumbers" towelettes because these odd-smelling wipes are much easier on the skin than their harsher (but fresh-scented) cucumber cousins. I've tried both. If you can get past the strange scent (and really it's not THAT bad), these towelettes are sufficiently gentle and they are highly convenient. You can find them at virtually every drug store.

Comodynes Make-Up Remover for Sensitive/Dry Skin w/ Oats

$6.25 from Comodynes, 20 count, also available at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods

• dermatologist tested
• hypoallergenic
• eco-friendly production and recyclable packaging

I'm pretty sure these soft, smooth towelettes are soaked in magic. They quickly and thoroughly remove even the toughest water-proof make-up without irritating my sensitive skin in the slightest. They leave my skin feeling so fresh and clean that I don't even need to follow up with cleanser. I have used this as my primary cleanser over long periods of time with great results. I've tried every make up removing wipe from Korres, to Mac, to Philosophy, etc...none of them hold a candle to these puppies.

The bottom line: The Boots and the Simple wipes are a great bargain and work well enough to use while traveling or on the go, but I don't think they cleanse thoroughly enough to replace a traditional cleanser over long periods of time. Don't buy the Burt's Bees wipes unless you're in a bind and they're all you can find. They are better than most make-up remover wipes out there, but they still aren't gentle enough. The Yes to Blueberries towelettes are less irritating, but not perfect. Oh, and they smell weird. The Comodynes towelettes are perfect! They cause no irritation whatsoever and they remove make-up with ease.

<3 Bee