I’ve used SkinFree products for a few weeks now, enough that I feel that I can talk about their use (at least on my skin) with a fair bit of authority. If you’re unfamiliar, Skin Free is a Virginia based company (as far as I can tell) dedicated to producing natural skin care products for those who suffer from atopic dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis and even just dry skin. I contacted skin free a while back, coincidentally while I was experiencing a heavy break out and was sent three products to review: Extra Moisturizing Soap & Shampoo Bar, Niaouli Scrub for Blemish Prone Skin and Lite Moisture for Blemish Prone Skin. I was excited to review them but was thrilled that the products fit into my routine, simply replacing other products I was using, rather than requiring me to completely alter my skin care routine.

SkinFree‘s Extra Moisturizing Soap & Shampoo Bar is a simple white bar soap which comes in a white box detailed with the colourful Skin Free logo. It’s a dual purpose soap which can also be used as a shampoo; although their is a warning on their site that hard water users may need to rinse with vinegar after. This soap is described as such:

We “superfat” our soap with extra virgin olive oil, which contains natural anti-inflammatory agents, anti-oxidants, and natural vitamins that aid in healing and soothing your skin. Naturally moisturizing shea and cocoa butters are added to reduce the tight, dry feeling normally experienced when using typical commercial soaps. The lack of chemical preservatives, fragrance, or colorants in this soap makes it ideal for individuals of any age, especially the very old and the very young, those with allergies, dermatitis, sensitive, or very dry skin… Need a really great fragrance-free shampoo? Just use our Soap & Shampoo Bar as you would any other shampoo. It will give you beautiful, silky, shiny hair with great body and you won’t have to use conditioner.If you have very “hard water”, you may need to use a vinegar rinse after shampooing.

I did give the Extra Moisturizing Soap a chance as a shampoo; it was my first – and last – time using a bar soap as shampoo. It left my hair feeling heavy with waxy, soap reside. It was quite lifeless and saggy and, by the end of the day, became oily. Most products which try to do more than one thing, wind up not being so awesome and I think this product is better suited as a skincare product.

I’ve been pretty happy with the bar soap as a daily facial soap, however. It lathers well and does feel creamy on the skin. After rinsing, my skin doesn’t feel tight like other products I’ve used and this seems like a positive from Skin Free’s description. I had just assumed this meant a product was working but perhaps it was simply hurting my skin more than helping. I consider my skin combination/normal; although sometimes products make me produce a lot more oil. This is not the case with Extra Moisturizing Soap and my skin stays comfortable all day. Like any bar soap, this will last longer if not stored on the shower. I do keep mine on a shelf on my shower wall which is out of the direct shot of the water flow and it seems no worse for the wear.

Extra Moisturizing Soap & Shampoo Bar as a facial wash and it seems like it will last me a while and I will continued to use it with the other Skin Free products I have because the overall results have been positive. Stay tuned for the final Skin Free products reviews.

This review is sponsored by Skin Free.