Deciding to implement a more natural skincare routine can be beneficial not only to your skin but your overall health. I like the idea of being able to recognize all the ingredients I'm throwing on my skin every day. Making the change can be kinda scary, though! There are so many products out there claiming to be natural, how do you know what's good? And my #1 question: it's all good and nice for someone with nice skin to go natural--who cares, big change! But for someone that has trouble skin, making any skincare commitment can potentially end in disaster. I need something that at least maintains my skin as well as the chemical ridden products I'm used to. I found an affordable answer to this at my local Target. They now carry a brand called Shea Moisture and their African Black Soap blemish fighting line is available in a nice set including a face scrub, lotion, mask, and cleansing bar for a jaw dropping $16! If you've looked into natural organic skincare at all, you know that stuff does NOT come cheap. Here's what the brand claims:
1)No Parabens 2)No Mineral Oil 3)No Phthalates 4)No Formaldehyde 5)No Propylene Glycol 6)No Synthetic Fragrance 7)No Paraffin 8)No Synthetic Color 9)No PABA 10)No DEA 10)No Animal Testing 11)No Animal Ingredients 12)Ethically Traded 13)Sustainably Produced
Product Breakdown:
Bar Soap
Attributes: Really leaves you feeling squeaky clean and removes make up completely, even full coverage foundation. When stored away from the shower, a bar can last months. Has a slight licorice like scent to it.
Attributes: Really leaves you feeling squeaky clean and removes make up completely, even full coverage foundation. When stored away from the shower, a bar can last months. Has a slight licorice like scent to it.
Ingredients: African Black Soap Base , African Shea Butter , Oats , Aloe , Plantain Extract , Vitamin E , Essential Oil Blend , Vegetable Glycerin , Palm Ash , Rosemary Extract , Iron Oxides
Face Scrub
Attributes: Creamy scrub with tiny beads, exfoliates very gently without irritation. Creamy formulation leaves skin feeling moisturized after.
Ingredients : Deionized Water, African Black Soap, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Glycerine, Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Stearic Acid, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Oil, Myristic Acid, Coconut Fatty Acid, DecylGlucoside (Sugar Beets), Salicylic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii (She Butter)*, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5), Willow Bark Extract, Jojoba Beads, Bisabolol (Chamomile), Nigella Sativa (Black) Seed Oil, Aloe Baradensis Leaf Juice*, Tamarindus Indica(Tamarind)Extract, Olea Europea (Olive) Oil*, Moroccan Camomile Sauvage Oil, Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry) Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Sugar Maple Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Extract, Tea Tree Oil
Balancing Moisturizer
Attributes: Daily moisturizer that is suitable even for oily skin. Moisturizes very well, but absorbs completely within minutes without any oily residue. Doesn't clog pores and creates a great base for make up. It has an unpleasant smell that reminds me of Subway & herbs, but it's not anything that would keep me from using it.
Ingredients : Deionized Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (She Butter)*, Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Simmondia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil*, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Oil, Taraktogenos Kurzii (Chaulmooga) Seed Oil, Nigella Sativa (Black) Seed Oil, Leptospermum Scoparium Branch (Manuka) Leaf Oil, Potassium Lauroyl Wheat Amino Acids, Palm Glycerides, Capryloyl Glycine, Magnolia Grandiflora Bark Extract, Glycerine, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Stearate, Sodium Behenoyl Lactylate, Salycylic Acid, Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5), Vitamin E, Azadirachta Indica (Neem) Seed Oil, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Willow Bark Extract, Bisabolol (Chamomile), Aloe Baradensis Leaf Juice*, African Black Soap Extract, Moroccan Camomile Sauvage Oil, Tea Tree Oil
Cream Mask
Attributes: Smooth, creamy mask that does not dry after application. After applied, I typically leave it on for 5-10 minutes. Some slight stinging occurs occasionally if I leave it on too long. Skin feels tighter and cleaner after. Great for any time you need an extra deep clean, I usually use this 1-2 a week. Smells a bit like play-doh.
Ingredients : Deionized Water, Kaolin Clay, Bentonite Clay, African Black Soap, Simmondia Chinesis (Jojoba) Oil*, Sulfur, Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Butyrospermum Parkii (She Butter)*, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Butyl Avocadate (Avocado), Willow Bark Extract, Glycerine, Benzyl PCA, Salicylic Acid, Phytosterols, Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Bisabolol (Chamomile), Tea Tree Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Allantoin (Comfrey Root Extract), Tamarindus Indica (Tamarind) Extract, Olea Europea (Olive) Oil*, Spearmint Oil, Peppermint Oil, Eucalyptus Oil
It's been 2 1/2 months since I began using this brand, and I've nearly hit pan on my mask/lotion and used up 1 soap bar. With the set being so cheap I've stocked up. Curious to see if it still works as well for me after a few more months!
It's been 2 1/2 months since I began using this brand, and I've nearly hit pan on my mask/lotion and used up 1 soap bar. With the set being so cheap I've stocked up. Curious to see if it still works as well for me after a few more months!
Shea butter is an ivory colored natural fat extracted from seed of the Karite Nut tree, also called the Mangifolia tree, found in the semi-arid savannahs of West and Central Africa. This tree begins to bear fruit after about 15 years, and can take up to 30 years to bear a quality crop of nuts with a high content of irremovable fatty acid. It is this irremovable fatty acid that gives Shea Butter its unique healing properties and makes it far superior to cocoa butter and other vegetable butters.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.shea-natural.com