Shea Terra Organics Argan Oil & Acacia Honey Facial Wash

The Argan Oil & Acacia Honey Facial Wash is made by the lovely people at Shea Terra Organics, who source their ingredients from Africa and promise cruelty-free products with certified organic and natural ingredients in 100% recyclable packaging. Their products have no artificial fragrance, SLS, or parabens. I have also tried a whipped shea butter from them, reviewed here.

This cleanser is something a little bit different to the usual cleansers. It can either be used as a typical cleanser and massaged into the face to be removed with water, or it can be used as a mask to be left on the face for 5 to 10 minutes. I have mostly used it as a second cleanse to allow the natural ingredients to penetrate my skin, rather than just using it to remove makeup, and I leave it on for a couple of minutes as I am brushing my teeth in the evening. The only thing to be careful of is that this can sting the eyes a bit, so be careful to avoid that area (another reason I would use it as a second cleanse)!

Original texture

This cleanser smells delightful, a rich, raw honey scent. It also looks like honey and was very liquid for the first couple of weeks of use. Once I was about halfway through the bottle, the product thickened up quite significantly and I found it much easier to use as it was not dripping off my face mid-use. I'm not sure if I needed to shake the bottle before use to mix the ingredients so that it was less liquid, or if it just started to thicken up as the weather became colder. You can tell I was a little confused about this one!

Thicker texture

Despite its changing properties, I actually quite enjoyed this cleanser. Once it became thicker, it was easy to leave this on for a couple of minutes whilst I was brushing my teeth and I was left with smooth, soft skin immediately after removal. There was no tightness in my skin and it did not feel dry either. However, removal was a bit of a process! When you leave it on for a little while and it sets, it forms a film on top of your skin which can not be removed with only water! So I found myself cleansing (again!) with a milk cleanser and a warm flannel to help remove the remnants. Yeesh! Otherwise you are left with a tacky film over your skin that is not the greatest feeling.

Ingredients are lovely, as you can imagine, comprising organic sunflower oil, acacia honey, organic argan oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic coconut cream oil, water, and salt. A beautiful mix of skin-loving ingredients. The cleanser comes housed in a gorgeous brown glass bottle with a pump, making it super easy to use. The glass bottle worries me slightly though, as I am so scared to drop it! But good to know that it can be recycled. Overall, a lovely and slightly luxurious multipurpose cleanser.

Shea Terra Organics also do a Rosehip Black Soap for deep cleansing and resurfacing, which is next on my list to try! (let's not mention the Moroccan Argan Oil or the Rosewater Spritz, eee!)

Price: $24.00 (Amorganica) [$0.17/mL]
Rate: ingredients, efficacy, multipurpose, pump packaging, organic, packaging, scent
Hate: texture, need to cleanse afterwards
Verdict: would repurchase purely for use as a mask rather than a cleanser

Shea Terra Organics Mango Whipped Shea Butter

This is such a delicious little hand and body treatment that I received from the lovely people at Amorganica. There are several scents available and I have the mango scent. Now, I'm not really a fan of artificial mango flavours in food and only like it fresh, so I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this cream. But oh my lord, is it an amazing scent! I can only describe it as mouth-watering! Fresh and juicy and sweet. Just like a mango.

Aside from smelling amazing and basically being in danger of being eaten, this cream actually does a pretty decent job at hydrating my skin! I like to keep it on my bedside table and apply as a hand and elbow cream at night before I go to sleep. It is quite thick and has an almost solid butter-like texture but once it has warmed up a little on your skin, it is very easy to spread and massage into your hands.

A little goes a long way! It absorbs quite quickly and doesn't leave a greasy residue - perfect for when I apply it and want to sit up and read for a little while (no oily pages for my books!). When I use it regularly, my hands are softer and my nails and cuticles are so much healthier, to the point where I've even braved painting them again after a six week break because of how much they were splitting and peeling.

These creams contain 30% organic shea butter (wow!) so they are quite long-lasting once applied as the shea butter forms a sort of water-proof barrier on your skin. Other ingredients include spring water, natural emulsifying wax, mango extract (mmm!), and natural preservatives. I love products with such minimal ingredients - I feel much safer using a product where I know what each ingredient is! The cute little jar packaging also looks great on my bedside table, and I'm not too bothered about hygiene from dipping in and out of the jar because the product is only going on my hands.

There are a few other scents available in the range, including pink guavas and pomegranates, white chocolate, gingered pumpkin, and rooiboos and berries. They all sound just as delicious, and I see myself purchasing a few more for handbag and office purposes.

Price: $8.00 (Amorganica) [$0.28/mL]
Rate: scent, efficacy, ingredients, ease of use, packaging
Hate: nothing!
Verdict: would repurchase (if I ever run out!)

* Product was gifted to me by Amorganica as an inclusion in an order I made, but this has not influenced my opinion on the product and I have given as truthful a review as possible