African black soap 100% pure raw 5 lbs., 5 Pound

First, why I like it:I don't have any special needs such as skin conditions. I love this soap because of its purity. No added scents or harshness. It leaves me feeling really clean and my skin does not feel dry. In my desire for full disclosure, I did experience about four or five days within the first or second week of use where the skin on my hands got dry, but that ended and never happened again. My wife had a similar experience, but did not wait it out and has not used black soap since. A soap maker I met at a crafts fair told me this was probably just a process of the soap cleaning out toxins and residues from my pores. I'd used Dial soap almost exclusively for years. She was a part time artisan soap maker and a full time professor of Chemistry at Virginia Tech. She also thought highly of Black Soap. I did some research and discovered that others had similar experiences and found like I did it was a one-time occurrence.I've been using Black Soap for over 4 years since December of 2010, when I purchased it for the first time from an artisan soap maker in Charleston, SC. As I said, he made soap, but he was raving about this soap which he had imported from Ghana. He had this huge 50Lb cube of soap on a table. It looked like a chunk of brown marble or a block of some exotic kind of wood. To demonstrate that it was soap he first rubbed his hand on it then he put a small amount of water on his palm and rubbed his hands together. I was intrigued, by the lather that formed. He explained to me that this was one of the gentlest and purest soaps he had ever encountered and that he personally used it. He said he even used it to wash his hair. He explained it should be used sparingly because that's all that was needed to make a great lather, as he had just demonstrated to me. So, I purchased a pound. It lasted me until July of 2012. I bought another pound. That lasted until February of 2013 when I purchased a 5 pound block. That lasted me until this month, April 2015, (2 years) when I purchased another 5 pound block. I made each purchase from a different vendor, but I intend to stick with Plant Guru through Amazon, they honor Prime members and I like their price and the quality of their product.My secret for making it last is that I do my best to let it dry in between uses. If it's allowed to sit in a wet dish it will melt away. I find setting it on a bumpy soap pad it allows it to dry out between uses. If you live in a very humid climate then even this may not be enough and it may remain very soft and melt somewhat between uses.The other thing is that I slice it into bars and wrap them with shrink wrap or vacuum seal the bars with a food saver until I need to begin using them. From this last 5 pound block I just purchased, I was able to get 18 bars. I cut them into a size approximately 3-1/2" x 2-1/2" x 1". I chose this size because it fits nicely into my travel soap container which I use when we RV and camp. See my pictures below.Some possible Negatives:Because of how it's made one will probably will occasionally notice very small bits of charred bark and fibers within the soap. They are miniscule and have never really bothered me. I never found any of my soap to be gritty, but I do find tiny bits of charred wood in it. This was explained to me, by a couple of soap makers, to be residue left over from the soap making process and because we’re buying it in its raw form it has not filtered out. Like I said it doesn’t bother me, it’s an infrequent nuisance, easily removed, by scratching it off while using the soap.I've never experienced it arriving dry and crumbly as some have according to their reviews, but I've had the bars I’m using dry out and get quite hard and brittle. All I had to do was wet them and stick them back together. The dry brittleness has not been a permanent condition in my case. Also, my advice is that if it's in a poor condition when it arrives either return it and a get a new block. If that’s not an option try sealing it in a plastic bag and then warm it up in warm water or with a heating pad. I find it gets very malleable at even in the low 70 degrees Fahrenheit. For instance it was only 72 degrees Fahrenheit when I was cutting mine up. It was soft and very easy to cut. I used some of the crumbles and thin slices to fill in missing areas on the block I was slicing to fill in gaps and uneven places to make my bars more evenly shaped. I find it almost like working with stiff clay, not difficult, in my experience.

This soap is remarkable. I had dark patches on my skin that has gone completely missing, dandruff gone, underarm odor gone, foot odor gone. At first it dries out your skin and almost feels leathery line but keep using it and it will balance out. The price of this stuff it’s definitely worth it. This 5lb bar will definitely last a year or more for one one person.

I love the black soap, it is cleansing, and I would recommend it

I'm a ginger with super sensitive skin- I can't tell you how many soaps, lotions and detergents I'm allergic to- and this soap was recommended to me by a very good friend. I bought the 5lb brick right away and have been lopping off chunks ever since. I've not yet graduated to using it on my hair, but reading other reviews and the option of making liquid soap with it is intriguing and may be something I'll be doing in the near future.I currently use it for body and face, and for my sensitive, aging skin, it has been wonderful! It helps keep my skin balanced and I can tell when I've strayed and tested another soap, because my skin flairs up- adult acne sucks. I've never had problems with crumbling, the soap is as soft as the day it arrived and I've simply kept it under my bathroom sink in the loose wrap and ziplock it arrived in 2 years ago. I do find the occasional scratchy bit that they warn about on their label, but plucking it out works perfectly and I keep my bars elevated on bumpy soap rests to maintain it's structure after use.

Here in Los Angeles near the beach, it ain't exactly easy to find this soap unlessyou go to the street vendors on Venice and they don't have enough for my needs.I didn't want to have to keep buying every month, and I needed some bulk.This was the perfect product and the perfect price. Its not the fake "black Africansoap" that is molded into a perfect bar that is literally tar black, but a soft, marbleddark and light brown soap that lathers beautifully and takes well to essential oils being added,and also easily melts in a bottle to make liquid black soap. This soap is the real deal. It has thosenatural chunky bits of plantain leaves and coco pods that seriously exfoliate your skin. IT doesn't leaveyour skin feeling tight and there isn't that icky residue feeling of something still being on yourskin after you shower. It helps keep your skin moisturized and helps tremendously with acne and scarringbecause of the natural emollients, vitamins, and minerals present.I stopped using shampoo and started to wash with black soap. Hair loves it!Hair is squeaky clean without being too dry (I have kinky afro textured hair) andsuper shiny. Would never dream of going to back to harsh shampoos with chemicals,plus, this lathers WAAAY better than any commercial shampoo I've used.I've got enough to give to family, which is just what I wanted and you can't beat the price.Save your money and time from shopping trips and order bulk from this vendor. You won't regret it.

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