Not So Minty Fresh — New SheaMoisture African Water Mint & Ginger Collection Review

It’s been a while since I’ve covered SheaMoisture, and I’ve been missing trying out their products and sharing my thoughts with you readers. Those of you who are long-time fans (thank you!) know I’ve been singing the brand’s praises for years, touting the wonders of their Olive & Green Tea and their Superfruit Complex bath & body ranges, as well as their Coconut  & Hibiscus haircare collection (great for curly hair!). Needless to say, I was beyond excited to check out a couple of products from their latest collections – including the new African Water Mint & Ginger line. The collection is expansive, comprised of both hair care and bath and body products, but I only tried out two offerings: the SheaMoisture African Water Mint & Ginger Detox Bubble Bath & Body Wash ($9.99 at Target stores and  SheaMoisture.com) and the SheaMoisture African Water Mint & Ginger Detox Hand & Body Scrub ($9.99 at Target stores SheaMoisture.com). Sadly, while I wanted to love these two products, they were actually a devastating disappointment — particularly given how much I adore SheaMoisture.

Now, I’ll start with a disclaimer: I am among the rare people on this Earth who detests the smell of mint. I don’t find it revolting or anything, but I tend to associate mint with oral hygiene products, so it’s not a scent I associate with sensuality, femininity, youthfulness, romance, bliss, or relaxation. When I smell mint, I think of fresh breath — that’s about it. I’m not even particularly fond of the taste of mint — except, of course, when it’s mixed with chocolate because, well, chocolate makes everything better! In any case, these products have a distinctive spearmint aroma that I found off-putting, but I tried to push past any olfactory predilections in order to focus on how the cleanser and body scrub performed. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too pleased on that front either.

The SheaMoisture African Water Mint Bubble Bath & Body Wash seemed promising enough at first. The formula contains African water mint (mentha aquatica) extract, which is said to refresh the skin and boost circulation; ginger extract, which is packed with antioxidants that protect and nourish the skin; activated charcoal, a popular detoxifying ingredient that absorbs oil and impurities (hence why it’s often used for acne-fighting face masks and even in DIY teeth whitening recipes); peppermint leaf extract, which reduces the sebaceous glands oil secretion, helping to keep skin from appearing greasy; shea butter, a fatty-acid rich substance that hydrates, soothes, and softens the skin; glycerin, a natural humectant; calendula flower extract, which boasts antibacterial properties that make it a go-to for wound healing and which is known to stimulate collagen, thereby rendering it a powerful anti-aging ally; and prickly pear extract (a species of cactus known as Opuntia Ficus-Indica that’s native to Mexico), which has an extraordinarily high vitamin E and linoleic acid content, and which has been found to hydrate skin, stimulate cellular regeneration, calm inflammation, fend off free radicals, and bolster the skin’s own immune system. Sounds great, right?

Though it’s primarily billed as a detoxifying cleanser for congested and dull skin, the packaging on the body wash never specifically targets consumers with oily or acne-prone skin — instead, the product is touted as having benefits for all skin types. Here’s the problem: my skin actually felt less clean after using the body wash. For some reason, even after rinsing and removing all traces of the cleansing gel, it felt like my body was coated with an invisible film, a sticky residue of sorts. If I ran my fingers over my skin, I didn’t feel any gooey residue, but the sensation — even if entirely unfounded — was ever-present. Dumbfounded, I asked my husband his thoughts on the cleanser, which he had also been using. Right away, he mentioned that, every time he used it, he felt like he needed to grab another body wash in order to feel completely clean. His gripes were the same as mine: when he left the shower, he felt like he had been basted, and yet there was nothing on his skin to verify that feeling. The good news (for both of us!) was that the sensation was fleeting so that, within 30 minutes of toweling dry, we both found that we no longer had that sticky skin feeling.

There’s another sensation we both experienced — this one immediately after lathering up. See, the peppermint leaf extract and African water mint extract make the skin tingle a bit, which isn’t necessarily an unpleasant sensation but which can feel pretty unusual when cleaning areas where skin is thinner and more delicate (like one’s Netherland regions!).  I don’t personally love that tingling sensation, but my hubby was pretty into it, so I suppose this is a personal preference issue.

In terms of the product’s performance as a whole, however, I found this body wash to be a disappointment. As I mentioned, I didn’t feel particularly fresh or clean even after each long shower, and my skin felt drier and rougher than it did before I started using this product. Since my skin is on the dry side, I’m way more like to use the Olive & Green Tea body wash than this product.

Now, as far as the SheaMoisture African Water Mint & Ginger Detox Hand & Body Scrub, this product was a complete no-go for me. I often find that body scrubs are way too abrasive for my skin, which tends to be both dry and a bit sensitive, and this one proved way too harsh. The scrub has many of the same ingredients in the African Mint & Ginger Detox Bubble Bath & Body Wash — African water mint extract, activated charcoal, shea butter, prickly pear extract, and ginger extract — but it also features a ton of hydrating, softening, radiance-boosting natural oils and butters like olive oil, safflower seed oil, mango seed butter, cocoa seed butter, jojoba seed oil, and green tea leaf extract. The problem, then, is that the sugar particles that operate as the foundation of the scrub, actually polishing off any dead layers of skin, seem to be a bit too large and often have jagged edges that poke, scrape, and cut the skin. If those sugar grains were more finely milled, I’m pretty certain that I’d be swooning over this body scrub — particularly given that it’s enriched with so many antioxidant-rich, vitamin-packed, fatty acid-loaded botanical oils that hydrate, soften, and replenish the skin. That said, because I have dry and sensitive skin, I could barely get through one session with this scrub — no matter how gentle my circular motions as I massaged the product onto my skin, I found myself wincing in agony. My husband, meanwhile, is obsessed with this scrub — which makes perfect sense since men have naturally thicker and rougher skin.

Given that it’s a bit harsh, I’d suggest using this scrub only on really dry and rough areas — in my case, I’ve been using the exfoliant on my feet, focusing on the heels and any callus-prone areas along the ball of the foot or beneath the big toe. It may not get top marks from me as a full-body exfoliant, but it does get a gold star as a part of my pedicure routine!

In the end, I was left a bit disheartened by these SheaMoisture products but, as the adage goes, you can’t win ’em all.  Thankfully, I’ve been testing out some other SheaMoisture goodies, and they are spectacular, so do expect some rave reviews in the near future!