The $3 Product that Cleared my Face!

Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I posted. I went away to Trinidad for two weeks, as well as being sick when I came back home, and now I am currently sick again! School starts tomorrow again and I am not looking forward to it! Thank God I'm almost done! But anyway, back to the task at hand. I wanted to share with you guys what I used on my face that helped to clear my acne. I wish I had read an article like this when I searched for answers, but most led to articles and posts using these super expensive products, or a skin care routine that had 435 different steps. Well, I am about to share what helped clear up my skin in a matter of give or take, 2-3 months. Even better? It's one product that is extremely affordable, and it is a natural product :)

Well for you to understand my acne journey, I have to explain my story. I had acne periods twice already in my life. I can't remember verbatim, but I believe I had acne from the ages of 13-16. My face was pretty clear from the ages of 16-18. When I started college, my acne came back again which really sucked because who wants to have acne when now beginning a new chapter of their life? Here is a picture of me from August 2013.

Since then, I've tried everything from peels to masks, to scrubs, to serums. Something that came close to helping my acne however was the Clinique 3 Step System that includes a face wash, a toner, and moisturizer. It really worked to clear my skin, it was just really expensive to continue repurchasing. My favorite product of the Clinique 3 Step system was the moisturizer (Dramatically Different), and I still continue to repurchase the moisturizer and use on a daily basis. It moisturizes without irritating the skin and without making my skin feel greasy.

This is what my face looks like now without makeup (December 2014).

My skin has only blackheads here and there, as well as whiteheads during my time of the month. My marks have faded although I still have a long way to go. The texture is much smoother, as well as my pores more refined. My skin tone is more even and overall lighter.

So let me not procrastinate any longer in sharing this product with you. The product that contributed the most towards the clearing of my skin is African Black Soap, or more particularly, Dudu Osun African Black Soap.

This product was recommended to me by a coworker who used it on her baby for her skin rashes. I purchase mine from my local beauty supply for $3.00, and Dudu Osun is the brand I've been using although there are many other brands that carry African Black Soap. 

A little background on African Black Soap?  It is made of the ash of locally harvest plants and barks such as cocoa pods, shea tree bark, and palm tree leaves. They are dried, then roasted and then combined with water and various oils to create the soap. It is often created by African women, typically from Ghana, and there are multiple variations of black soap from various secret recipes. Black soap has long been used for eczema, cuts, sores, rashes, acne, fine lines, wrinkles, hyper pigmentation, and troubled skin.

When you first use black soap, I recommend starting off by washing your face once a day with it, as it may be too harsh for some to wash twice a day. I personally am able to use it twice a day as I've been doing it for quite a while now, but there are some ingredients that may be too strong for sensitive skin. Of course you guys know I wear makeup frequently, but because of black soap I don't need to remove my makeup prior to washing my face because black soap is good enough on it's own to remove the makeup. 

When you wash your face with it, the suds will appear black or brown in color. This is completely normal, but I would be careful using it around cloths or things you mind staining. Black soap does stain (but not your skin). 

When I wash with black soap, my face feels so clean, almost like it could squeak. There is no residue from the soap, and all traces of makeup and dirt is gone. The soap does all the work for me. I would definitely be careful using it around your eyes though. I've burned my eyes with it, and boy can I tell you, that is no Johnson & Johnson! It really burns!

The Dudu Osun brand has lime juice in it which may irritate sensitive skin but because of the lime juice and shea butter, the soap has managed to fade the existing marks and even out my skin tone as well. 

I've heard that you can melt the soap, or buy the liquid version of it to use as a clarifying shampoo or body wash. It is an extremely versatile product that naturally cleans and purifies.

I would recommend this more for people with oily to combination skin, but if you have dry skin, this will probably dry out your skin more since it is a powerful cleanser. When I use this product, I always follow up with my facial oil or my Clinique moisturizer, or my face will end up feeling tight.

As you can see, the ingredients in Dudu Osun are natural ingredients, which makes me feel so much better to share this product with you guys! It really is a lifesaver and it is so cheap! I stopped buying mine from my Beauty Supply store, and I currently get mine from Amazon in the 6 pack. One bar lasts me around 3-4 months, so I really wouldn't need to buy any more soaps for another year! This soap is truly one of the greatest most affordable products I've used in a while, and I highly recommend it to anyone suffering from any type of skin problems. Even if it doesn't work for you like it did for me, at $3 a bar, it really doesn't hurt to try right? Click here to buy the exact pack I bought on Amazon!