PRODUCT REVIEW : Elènatural’s Black soap

As a Nigerian, the probability of you coming in contact with a black soap is 70/30. This is because it’s made in Africa.

Even if you don’t use it, you’d definitely have a friend /relative or even neighbor who does.

I can’t remember using black soap as a child but I’ve always known what it was and what it was used for. In fact, one of the reasons I probably didn’t use it was because I felt it had a terrible smell + it wasn’t posh enough compared to other soaps like imperial leather, tetmosol, Eva, Joy soap, dettol and the rest (I’m sure alot of children /people thought the same ).

I do remember that after a while, black soaps began to gain more attention in the beauty industry. Different variations of the soap were produced, it could now be melted into liquid forms and packaged in beautiful attractive bottles. Still, I wasn’t impressed enough to try them out. I figured I should play safe and stick to the soaps I know. (I did go organic at some point but it wasn’t black soaps)

It wasn’t until Elenaturals reached out to me that I had my first personal experience with black soaps (or body polish as she likes to call them).

I’ve used this body polish for a week now and will be sharing my first impressions of it.

ELE NATURALS BODY POLISH

Ele naturals is a Nigerian skincare brand that produces skincare products like black soaps, essential oils and turmeric.

PACKAGING

The body polish came in a 250ml transparent container with a white cover.

TEXTURE AND SMELL

It is in a semi solid state (it’s neither solid nor liquid, rather it has a thick texture). It has a pleasant, natural smell that is totally not offensive to the nose.

INGREDIENTS

Raw black soap, palm kernel oil, sweet orange extract, papaya oil, jojoba oil, honey, lavender oil, Shea and a blend of herbs.

DIRECTIONS FOR USE

Scoop the desired quantity onto your palms, bathing sponge or hair depending on the usage.

Like every other soap, it forms lather when used.

GENERAL BENEFITS OF USING BLACK SOAPS

• It helps to soothe irritated skin
• It’s a good natural moisturizer for the skin. It does this by locking in moisture which in turn leaves the skin pumped and hydrated.
• It serves as an excellent exfoliator by cleansing the skin of dirt, dead cells and germs.
• It reduces blemishes and dark spots caused by acne and sun damage.
• It can be used in the hair to fight dandruff and other hair diseases.

PROS AND CONS

Despite the fact that it has a lot of pros (Check the benefits above) , one con of using black soaps is that it can stain any surface it comes in contact with so be careful when in use. (Thankfully, the stain is not usually permanent, so a little water can clean it off).

I haven’t had any adverse reactions since I started using it even though I’ve heard that sometimes, black soaps can cause skin irritation (I think it’s probably people with sensitive skins that might experience this) p.s—– This rarely happens.

Incase you’d like to try out a black soap, you can order from Elenaturals

Have you used a black soap before? How was your experience?