Uhm, yeah, I know. Even I, a seasoned and fearless skincare roadtester, audibly gulped at the sight of
Osmia's top selling Black Clay Facial Soap bar ($22 for 2.25 oz), recommended for normal, problem and combination skin. But there are very little things I wouldn't do in the name of blogging (that, and good skin), so I focused on the redeeming qualities - it's adorably small, it's funky-colored, it has clay and it smells great - and I decided to go for it.
If you haven't heard about
Osmia Organics (what kind of blogs do you read under that rock of yours?!), it's a small Colorado-based skincare line that blends luxury with simple, natural and deliciously-scented ingredients. They have a well-edited skincare line but also make great body and lip products; more on that in future posts. The basic principles of Osmia not only tick all of my boxes, but I'm also totally jelly of beautiful mountain scenery shots which Sarah, the brand's founder, posts on
her Instagram profile every day as I slowly wither here in the concrete jungle that is Midtown Manhattan. I may or may not be a bit of an Insta stalker.
But, back to the soap: as you can hopefully see, it comes beautifully packaged and a delicious scent of citrusy essential oils wafts even through the paper, and manages to scent up my whole medicine cabinet. The size of Osmia's Facial Soap is more or less half of a regular soap bar but so far, I've found it to be extremely efficient - I've been using mine for a couple weeks now and can't notice it having gotten smaller at all. I also received a clear rubbery soap saving dish to help dry the soap properly between uses and thus preserve it for longer.
In terms of use, I slightly dampen my face and hands with warm water, do a couple of passes with the soap on my hand and then lather it up on the face. It gives quite a generous, creamy white lather that feels lush on the skin and doesn't make it feel stripped or tight after rinsing; quite the opposite in fact, I find that while I'm rinsing, there's almost a slightly slippery barrier left behind. The soap does not transfer any of its color on the skin, a disappointment I'm still coming to terms with - I totally wanted to scare my husband with a black clay face one evening.
Compared to some other clay cleansers,
Osmia Black Clay Facial Soap is a lot less drying than the
Claymedix French Red Clay soap (I only dare to wash my hands with this one and even for that, I find it rather unpleasant) but quite similar in result to a non-foaming
REN ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser,
reviewed here. I would say it's a bit quicker to use because it lathers and rinses more easily than the REN, which has to be massaged into the skin and then rinsed/wiped rather thorougly.
In terms of overall results, I'm not quite convinced that this facial soap is more effective than my preferred method of cleansing with a non-foaming balm. I haven't found it to be particularly acne-reducing or shine-minimizing. I was however pleasantly surprised at how comfortable my skin feels after using it; not too tight, not too oily, calm and mostly without redness, which makes it a perfect choice for the mornings in my book. I will continue to use and enjoy my little black bar but I'm not sure if I'll repurchase; I guess I shall have to take more long-term results into account before adding it to my shopping cart in the future.
Have you tried any bar soaps for cleansing your face? What are your favorite Osmia products?
Disclaimer: The product featured is a press sample I received from Osmia Organics for review
consideration All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the
products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as a
free press sample. All links are non-affiliate and simply provided for
your convenience. Thank you for reading!
I'm glad to hear you got a soap dish with the raised bumps to keep it from staying wet all the time. Does that come with a regular order, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteBar soaps creep me out, though, to be honest. I got a little sample of a bar soap with my order and I can't bring myself to use it. Where will I store it? LOL.
I think the soap dish is available separately for purchase on the website; it's not very expensive though and could be used with any bar soap! For now, you could also use a small saucer or something of the kind for your soap sample; that's what I use for our bigger soaps :)
DeleteInteresting! I'd love to try her stuff! But I'm so into my Tata Harper right now. These new natural skincare lines are all so GOOD!
ReplyDeleteSo true! I've yet to try anything from Tata Harper but I'll have a good look at her line once my regular skincare stuff runs out! (Will it ever happen though?!) xxx
DeleteThis brand is really one I would like to try in the new year. So many interesting offerings I would love to try their lip balm. The bar soaps I like once in a while are Avène Cold Cream and... Dove! A super cheap one that my skin kind of likes. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll have a review of the Osmia lip balm in a couple weeks, hopefully! I used to use the Dove soap bar too but never tried Avene's... I actually used to have a pot of their Cold Cream but found it rather difficult to use.
DeleteI probably won't use bar soap just because my skin is on the dry side. But that aside, I'm surprised this has the same effect as the REN cleanser (which I've been using in semi-regular basis now as second cleanse). I've also been in search of clay cleanser, so far I've tired a few. Maybe worth writing sometimes..
ReplyDeleteI find the REN pretty similar on my skin, although theoretically a non-foaming cleanser should be less drying than a foaming one. I wouldn't say the Osmia soap is drying but it might be a bit more toning, if that makes sense?
Delete*sigh* I just love this brand. I have two mini soaps (the rose ones) to sample but I have SO many other products that I need to make a dent in first. Really excited now though after reading your review! I had been super curious about this particular soap. Though it's not particular effective at combating shine or acne, I like that. I usually like a very mild facial soap to start things out with because I know I'll be using much stronger treatments afterwards in the form of serums, exfoliants, masks, acne treatments,etc.
ReplyDeletewheeee all aboard the Osmia bandwagon! I have a teeny little sample slice of this stuff I've been using for months, and it does wonders for my t-zone. And LOL @ scaring your hubby with a face full of clay, I usually prefer to do that with green (think Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque alien face). Very effective ;)
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I don't think he even notices anymore... Recently I was spot treating with green clay, he came home, didn't say anything for at least half an hour, and then said 'What are you, a mud monster?':)
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