Isn’t it awesome when you head out to a store looking for a specific product, and actually find it?!
Well, that’s what happened to me when I went to Walmart one day on a search for decent body bar soap. I came across the display for a company called Shea Moisture, looked at the ingredients – they were natural ingredients for the most part, looked at the price – liked what I saw, and was also impressed by the size of the bar of soap. The soap was also very mild and pleasant smelling.
So naturally, I had to try it. This is my review of SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Shea Butter Soap. Enjoy!
Oh Hey, if you don’t feel like reading through this article right now, give your brain a rest and check out my video here:
All About SheaMoisture
SheaMoisture definitely has an interesting origin story.
Sofi Tucker started selling Shea Nuts at the village market in Bonthe, Sierra Leone in 1912. By age 19, the widowed mother of four was selling Shea Butter, African Black Soap and her homemade hair and skin preparations all over the countryside. Sofi Tucker was our Grandmother and SheaMoisture is her legacy.
Presently, SheaMoisture promises safe and uncompromising beauty.
ETHICAL STANDARDS
We are natural, sustainably-produced goodness. Made with love for you and your body. Pioneering fair trade through Community Commerce at home and abroad. We strive to be sulfate free, paraben free and more, whenever possible. Tested on our family for four generations. Never on animals.
First Impressions
I was excited when I first saw this product at my local Walmart. I do not like buying traditional body wash that comes in plastic containers because they have a lot of ingredients, most of which I can’t pronounce, as well as the fact that I just don’t like having a bunch of plastic containers in my shower (or around the house) at all. I much prefer more natural, less waste products in general.
Even though Walmart has upped its natural product game over the years, I am still a little suspect about buying natural products from big box stores. Feelings aside, I decided to check out their selection of body washes and was pleasantly surprised to find SheaMoisture body wash bars there.
I immediately looked at the price, of course. They were $6.97 (Canadian) which I thought was a pretty great price because the bar was huge! I really don’t mind paying for products that are high in quality and going to last. I then looked at the ingredients list and was very happy with what I saw. I ended up purchasing SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Shea Butter Soap simply based on the fact that I liked the mild scent. Needless to say, my first impression of SheaMoisture was very positive.
On the Label
SheaMoisture Soap Bars do NOT contain:
- Parabens
- Pthalates
- Mineral oil
- Petroleum
- Formaldehyde
Ingredients
Sodium Palmate, Sodium Cocoate (Or/Ou) Sodium Palm Kernelate, Aqua, Glycerin, Parfum (Essential Oil Blend / Mélange d’huiles essentielles), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Sodium Chloride, Papain, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Powder, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Shell Powder, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tricholoma Matsutake Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Talc
*Certified Organic Ingredient *Fair Trade Ingredient
Let’s take a deep dive into these ingredients, shall we?
Sodium Palmate: A core ingredient in many types of soap and is made from palm oil. Acts as a surfactant and emulsifying agent and is a key ingredient in soap.
Sodium Cocoate: Sodium cocoate is sodium salt, which is naturally derived from the fatty acids in coconut oil. It is a surfactant meant to help cleanse the skin, and it’s a very common ingredient in making soap.
Aqua: Water.
Glycerin: A colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic. This kind of soap is used by people with sensitive, easily irritated skin because it prevents skin dryness with its moisturizing properties. It draws moisture up through skin layers and slows or prevents excessive drying and evaporation.
Parfum (essential oil blend): Fragrance.
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*: Shea butter is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. It is an excellent emollient for dry skin. No evidence shows it is a cure, but it alleviates the pain associated with tightness and itching.
Sodium Chloride: Salt, used as a thickening agent.
Papain: A fruit enzyme that acts as a natural exfoliator. Application of papain cleans and rejuvenates skin by dissolving fats, purging, and softening the epidermis.
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Powder: Naturally colors soap pink/red, and provides skin-soothing properties to the soap.
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Shell Powder: A gentle, natural exfoliant in facial and body scrubs, cleansers and soaps.
Tetrasodium Etidronate: A chelating agent. Chelating agents can sequester (grab onto) free metal ions or minerals. Tetrasodium etidronate is added to oils and caustic soda during saponification to prevent soaps from becoming moldy and producing scum.
Pentasodium Pentetate: Chelating agent. Pentasodium Pentetate is chemically similar to EDTA (ethylenediamino tetraacetic acid), a chemical widely used as a chelating agent. The addition of chelating agent, Pentasodium Pentetate, to hard water causes metals such as calcium and magnesium to form a complex with the chelating agent. This binding is beneficial for better foaming and cleaning performance of personal care products. Metal ions can cause a haze in clear liquids. Pentasodium Pentetate dissolves these metals, preventing them from being deposited onto the hair, scalp and skin.
Tricholoma Matsutake Extract: Good for overall skincare (brightening, highlighting, antiinflammatory, antiaging) although more research is needed to understand the full functions of mushroom extract.
Tocopheryl Acetate: A synthetic form of vitamin E, used for its beneficial antioxidant effects.
Titanium Dioxide: Used as a pigment, sunscreen and a thickener.
Iron Oxides: Are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen, used as a pigment.
Talc: Is a clay mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate. Provide creamier lather, improve foaming, and impart a soft and silky skin feel. It is considered safe to use in soap.
Likes
I like the fact that this soap does not have a potent smell. In fact, it is very faint and quite nice, in my opinion.
The generous size of the bars is also great because they last a looooong time! I have been using the same bar for at least 6 months now. Although, I should note that I store the soap bar in a cupboard out of the shower when not in use, and only I use it.
SheaMoisture soap also lathers up really nicely, so you feel like you are actually getting clean.
This soap also does not dry out my skin as others do. My skin does not feel tight or dry after use. It actually feels and looks moisturized.
The price of this soap is also very reasonable given how long it lasts. I paid just $6.97 Canadian for it at Wal-mart.
It’s also very handy that you can purchase SheaMoisture at Wal-mart. As much as I may not care for that store as a whole, it is convenient and does not require a special trip to a health food store or forethought to order it online before you run out. I know that I often forget to order products ahead of time so I don’t run out before I receive them. It’s nice and easy to just be able to run out to Walmart and restock.
Dislikes
Honestly, I don’t dislike very much about this soap bar. If I had to come up with one complaint, it would be that the size of the bar is quite large (which is something I actually like about it) so in the beginning, I was dropping it like crazy in the shower. It slipped out of my hands very easily and hit the floor hard! However, over time as it shrunk, it became easier to hold and less droppage occurred. And now that I am on to my second SheaMoisture bar soap (review to follow!), I find that I am not dropping it at all, and it is still quite large!
One glaringly obvious bummer is that the package is not recyclable. There is no recycling symbol on it at all. However, when this bar is finished and I am no longer using the packaging to keep it in, I am going to try and recycle it with my plastic bags. Our municipality accepts plastic bags for recycling, so I am going to give it a try with the SheaMoisture packaging. I hope it works because otherwise, this soap is awesome!
I have an email out to them asking whether or not the packaging is recyclable just to be sure, so I will update this article when customer service gets back to me.
My Opinion
If you couldn’t already tell, I really like SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Shea Butter Soap bar. I like the price point, the fact that you can purchase it easily from Walmart, the smell is nice and not too strong, and it lasts a heck of a long time.
I’m all about more bang for your buck and this soap delivers! Not to mention that the majority of the ingredients are derived from plants and nature, although there is room for improvement on that aspect of this soap.
Overall though, I think it is an excellent choice for your body wash needs.
Alternatives
I honestly haven’t tried any bar soap purchased from a big box store to compare this soap to. I generally use locally sourced soaps. However, I have just purchased SheaMoisture African Black Soap with Shea Butter, so stay tuned for a review on that after I get through this bar!
Your questions answered
How well does it clean?
Very well. I have used this soap with a cloth and without and it cleans my skin well either way. I like to go running on trails and some are really sandy so my feet look like a dirty mess by the time I get home, so I put this soap through the wringer on a regular basis, and it hasn’t let me down yet!
Does it lather well?
Yes, it lathers very well, just like a block of traditional bar soap.
Will it leave a residue?
I have not experienced any residue left on my skin after using SheaMoisture soap bar.
Is it good for sensitive skin?
I have not experienced any skin irritations after using this soap. I suffer from dry skin, especially my shins for some reason, and since using this soap, my shins have been well moisturized and do not look or feel dry anymore.
Final thoughts
Give SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Shea Butter Soap a try. I was pretty impressed and even bought a second bar to try.
Please let me know in the comments if you have tried SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Shea Butter Soap or any other type of SheaMoisture soap and what your opinion of it was. I am very interested to know!
Cheers, and have an awesome day!
