Should You Try African Black Soap for Your Oily, Acne-Prone Skin

Fun fact about me: I'm a bit of a product junkie. I love to experiment with new ingredients and formulas for hair, skin, make-up, you name it. Recently, I've been on the hunt for a facial cleanser that is both acne and budget-friendly and stumbled across African Black Soap.

Now, apparently, I'm super behind because this product has been a trend for some time now, but (as always) I had to do my research before trying it for myself. 

What is African Black Soap? 

According to Healthline, African Black Soap is an all-natural product that is handmade from plant-based ingredients in Africa. It's not your average soap in that it doesn't smell, or look like other soap bars that you may have seen. In fact, it looks for like a rock (in my opinion). 

It's antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties make it the perfect, one-size-fits-all product to address issues like acne, hyperpigmentation, and stretch marks (among many other things). The soap is made from ingredients like plantain leaves, cocoa pods, shea butter, palm kernel oil, and often, coconut oil. 

How Does it Work?

This soap can have a rougher texture than most soap bars, so it should not be applied directly to the face. Instead, the bar should be run under water and rubbed in the hands to create a lather, which is then applied to the skin and washed as normal. 

The soap is said to be gentle enough to be suitable for all skin types, with moisturizing properties that won't leave skin feeling dry. 

My Experience 

I chose to use the Shea Moisture version of this soap, rather than the one pictured above. I happened to see it in Target and wanted to try it out. It looks and feels completely different than what you see above. It's texture, appearance, and even scent are more "soap-like."

At first, I really liked it. Although I didn't get the moisture that many reviewers claimed to have experienced, I actually liked that it left my skin feeling a little tight. I figured it was drying out my breakouts, and that's always a win. 

BUT after a couple of weeks, the tightness turned to irritation and extreme oil production. (Remember: oily skin is thirsty skin. If you don't quench that thirst, it will produce what it needs and then some, for fear of starvation). I called my dermatologist and he informed me that while this product works wonders for many people, it just wasn't right for me. If you wash your face and your skin feels tight and rough afterwards (enough that you can't slide your finger across it easily) then your skin is too dry. Your face should feel comfortable after cleansing, not stiff! 

Should YOU Try it?

The reason that I'm such a product junkie is because you can read product reviews, watch YouTube videos, and compare notes with your friends, but the only way to know if something works for YOU is to try it yourself. I didn't have a good experience, but that doesn't mean that this isn't still a miracle product for the right skin type. Plus, I paid all of $4 for it, so it's a cheap experiment. 

**Side Note: After this didn't work, I decided to try a Sulfur Acne Bar...stay tuned for my thoughts!**