What is Papaya Soap?

Have you gone soap shopping lately?

It can be very overwhelming with all the options out there, but one that always gets my attention is Papaya Soap.

So what is Papaya Soap?

Papaya, a.k.a Paw Paw is a natural Skin brightener because it contains the enzyme Papain that has been known to exfoliate dead skin cells off the surface of the skin. Papaya soap is homemade or manufactured soap that contains one of three ingredients: papaya extract, papaya juice, or papaya pulp (you can see this in the soaps with chunks of paw-paw inside of it). Because of its exfoliating properties, Papaya Soap is often sold and marketed as a whitening/lightening soap, but the good thing about its lightening properties is that it is Natural!

Does Papaya Soap really Lighten?

Papaya soap exfoliates by shedding dead skin, which leads to a brighten more uniformed skintone. For asians and caucasians that can result in “lightening” but for black women it brightens and gives you a glow more so than lightening. Papaya Soap can greatly soften and smoothen the texture of skin.

How do I know which Soap to use?

Here at myHairmyBeautyNigeria, we always advise that you READ product ingredients before purchasing. Because of the popularity of Papaya soaps in Asian countries, different manufacturers have joined the bandwagon mass producing soaps with synthetic derivatives, making them unnatural and unsafe for the skin. We haven’t tried every papaya soap out there but here are a few reviews of the ones we’ve tried!

 

Likas Papaya Soap

– You can’t talk about Papaya soap without mentioning this super brand. A product of the Philippines, Likas Papaya Soap is made of 100% organic herbs enriched with Natural Papaya Enzyme and promises to make you fair, acne-free, as well as whiten your skin. Well when I bought this soap, I was not looking to whiten my skin, I was very curious about its “acne-free” promises, as well as its claim to fade dark marks. After a month of using it (always try a product for a month before concluding if it works or not), I was glad to put it away, simply because it was SOO DRYING to my skin. I don’t like soaps that leave you uncomfortably dry after washing because it usually means that it’s stripped you from your natural moisture. I only used this soap on my body and NOT my face, I would not advise using it on your face. So why is it on this list, simply because a lot of people have reviews claiming that it really helped exfoliate and brighten their skin.

GIVEAWAY: I really wanted to like this soap so I bought a set of 6. I currently have 4 bars of un-USED Likas Papaya Soap, if you are in Lagos and are interested in purchasing please send an email to myHairmyBeauty@yahoo.com

 

Diana Stalder Papaya Kojic Soap

– Also a philippines brand, I liked this Papaya soap with Kojic Acid. It has a nice scent to it and lathers easily making it fun to shower with, after a month of using it I’d say I noticed some areas of my skin looked lighter than the others. As much as I liked the soap, I wouldn’t use it to replace my regular black soap because of the Kojic Acid in it, which might be a bit irritating.

 

Nubian Heritage Coconut and Papaya Soap

– I really liked this soap as well, I found it to be more moisturizing than it was exfoliating. With ingredients like Coconut Oil and Shea butter, even if the soap contained Papain enzyme it was not enough to produce any significant brightening, however my skin felt soft and smooth afterwards.

 

If your skin is dull and lackluster and you’re looking to gently brighten it, we would recommend trying a Papaya Soap, but if you have sensitive or acne-prone skin, DO NOT use it on your face. Here’s what you should look for in the ingredient list: papain (papaya extract) as at least a 4th ingredient, if its listed LAST, the product does not contain that much papain enzyme.

However you can try MAKING YOUR OWN papaya soap/cleanser using the following ingredients:

1.  unscented, additive-free liquid soap

2. Papaya Juice or Extract

Simply add a spoonful of papaya juice or extract to the soap base. If you are using extracted Papaya Juice, Keep your SOAP refrigerated! Another option of making papaya soap involves adding papaya extract to your favorite brand of body wash or facial cleanser.

 

Tell Us!

– Have you tried Papaya Soap? Did it work for you?