I read this article the other day that quoted pregnant Victoria’s Secret model Marisa Miller as saying she’s been reliant on African Black Soap to keep her skin clear while pregnant. I don’t know about you, but when a gorgeous woman who makes a living off of her looks says she uses something, I tend to take that recommendation and write it down. Here’s what the luminous lady had to say in her Allure interview:

“When I found out I was pregnant, the first thing that had to go was the acne medicine and chemical-filled face washes and lotions. I made sure everything was natural and organic, and I started reading blogs by other pregnant women. Everyone was talking about African Black soap. It’s made out of plantain ash, vitamin E, and shea butter, and it worked really, really well. I felt so weird using soap because you think, Don’t use soap on your face. Use a cleanser, something fancy. But I haven’t had a breakout since my first trimester.”

After working for years in the spa industry, I’m drawn to organic and good-for-you products but at the same time I usually resort to products with chemicals to get results faster (tsk tsk, I know).  So, upon learning this model’s skin care stance (and happy she addressed the whole “bar soap? really? on your face?” issue), I immediately dug around online and found out that Dr. Oz even touted African Black Soap in his “Erase 5 Years From Your Face” segment, during which he recommends using the rich lather from the bar soap every few days and advises you can get it at vitamin and health stores for around $4 (yay!).  Side note: did you know that Dr. Oz has a site of beauty and wellness products called BeautySage.com? I discovered it when they started promoting one of my favorite brands, One Love Organics, and was happy when they began selling my favorite lip balm, the Lip Slip by Sara Happ — also featured in my stocking stuffer roundup.  Here are a few sources if you’d like to give this wunderbar (couldn’t help myself, sorry) African Black Soap a try:

clockwise:
1. Cleopatra’s Choice African Black Soap – Unscented via Cleopatra’s Choice ($4.99 for 4oz.)
2. Shea Moisture Organic African Black Soap via Target (prices vary for 3.5 oz.)
3. Shea Terra Authentic African Black Soap via Beauty Sage ($8 for 5oz.)
4. Dudu-Osun Black Soap via Amazon ($14.88 for 6 bars)

Have you tried African Black Soap or do you have any simple skin care secrets to share?

P.S. I also found the Dudu-Osun Black Soap on Soap.com (um, lifechanging site, right?) and there are lots of promo codes for discounts if you’re a first time shopper…check it out! (and try not to go crazy on dog food, toilet cleaners, and pretty much anything else you could ever need delivered right to your door. Because I did.)