Face It: Soap Works!

Pure & Natural Cleansing Bars

Featured item: FEB 27, 2008

Washing with these bars really removes dirt, oil and sweat, yet leaves your skin smelling like, well, your skin, not some synthetic version of a spring in Ireland. Plus, there are three formulas for three different types of skin: Almond Oil & Cherry Blossom for dry skin, Rosemary & Mint for sluggish, breakout-prone skin, and Grapefruit & Pomegranate for dull skin. And you can buy these babies at any drugstore or food chain nationwide.

All of the three Pure & Natural Cleansing Bar varieties are made with a vegetable (as opposed to animal fat) base that's infused with botanical extracts like almond oil, rosemary, grapefruit and mint. The soaps also contain biodegradable ingredients and are paraben-free, but the best part is the packaging: The soap cartons are made of 100% post consumer paper that’s been embedded with flower seeds. Bury it in some soil, add water and watch a baby's breath plant bloom in 4 to 6 weeks.

There's a memorable scene in the beloved movie A Christmas Story when our hero Ralph, after repeating a forbidden phrase he's heard his father bellow a hundred times, is forced to wash his mouth out by sucking on a bar of soap. It's implied that this is a terrible form of punishment because of the horrible taste—that, and the off chance it could make you go blind, as Ralphy fears in a hilarious dream sequence. Thankfully, I never had to wash my mouth out with soap as a youngster (though I'm not saying I didn't deserve to on one or two occasions), but if had been ordered to, I would have reached for a Pure & Natural Cleansing Bar. Of course I'm not suggesting you try this yourself—though I was totally tempted, for the sake of research—but the soaps are made from 98% natural ingredients, many of which you've probably eaten before (like rosemary, mint, pomegranate and grapefruit). I do advise trying them out on your skin, though, as they're all enriched with pure glycerin, a natural humectant that helps skin absorb and retain moisture. Plus, instead of a one-soap-fits-all-skin-types approach, each Pure & Natural Cleansing Bar is made with specific skin concerns in mind: The Almond Oil & Cherry Blossom is rich in plant oils to hydrate dry skin; the Rosemary & Mint revives and refreshes both your skin and your senses with its invigorating ingredients, plus it contains French Clay, which is said to help remove impurities that can cause breakouts; and the Grapefruit & Pomegranate contains natural grapefruit peel that gently exfoliates rough, dull skin. It's benefits like these that make the bars much better for cleansing than consuming.—trust me—Megan O'Neill

Note: Pure & Natural Cleansing Bars ($3.99) are available at food, drug and mass stores nationwide.

Tags: pure and natural beauty face soap cleanser almond cherry pomegranate rosemary mint grapefruit acne skin