Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews

Skincare guides & product reviews for hydration lovers & the moisture barrier obsessed

Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Menthe-Tea Vanilla Body Cleanse Review

[button link=”#” target=”_blank” color=”default” shape=”rounded” size=”small” align=”left”]Press Sample[/button]

Every Saturday morning for the past several months, I’ve made it part of my morning ritual to do some sort of clay-based facial mask. I find it to be an indulgent way to start the day, lounging around in my bathrobe with a mask on my face, drinking hot tea and catching up on my Internetting. I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m pretty sure I’ve discovered a way to take my Saturday morning session to the next, spa-like level: Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Body Cleanse in Menthe-tea Vanilla.

Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Menthe-Tea Vanilla Body Cleanse

What is it?

Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Body Cleanse ($18) is a Ghassoul clay-based, mask-style, body cleanser that promises to remove impurities, cleanse, heal skin, and dramatically decrease acne.

Ingredients:
Moroccan mud (Ghassoul), vanilla bean extract (vanilla plantifola), peppermint essential oil and leaf (menthe piperita)

I think the short, straightforward ingredient list will appeal to a lot of folks. I am personally a fan of it, primarily because no fillers translates to more of the “good stuff” in this instance. The “good stuff” in this product includes:

Moroccan mud – Also known as Ghassoul, Ghassool, Rhassoul, and Rhassool clay, this clay is high in silica content. Silica (not to be confused with silicone!) is a naturally occurring element that slows the degeneration of skin cells by helping collagen and elastin retain moisture. Additionally, Moroccan lave clay is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and extremely absorbent, which is why it’s often recommended as an acne treatment. It also possesses skin-softening properties, and has been used for centuries as a beauty treatment in Morocco.

Peppermint essential oil and leaf – In addition to being cooling and refreshing, topically applied mint is also anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. It’s a wonderful ingredient when used properly, but beware – applying straight, undiluted, mint essential oil, can be extremely irritating and even cause contact dermatitis. If you want to reap the benefits of mint oil, stick to a well-formulated product (like this one) that contains the ingredient.

There are so few ingredients in this list, I didn’t even have the option to save it in COSDNA. However, when I enter the ingredients for analysis, COSDNA shows no red flags in terms of potential acne triggers or irritants.

Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Menthe-Tea Vanilla Body Cleanse

Performance

Appearance
Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Menthe-Tea Vanilla Body Cleanse comes packages in an amber-colored plastic jar, with a label donning the stylish, signature Shea Terra stripes. The product comes in the form of a powder, which is a lovely shade of brown – it almost looks like cocoa powder to me.

Smell
Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Body Cleanse smells like mint – wonderful, fresh, invigorating mint. The smell is present in the product’s dry form, but the wet form is even more aromatic.

Application
The directions for Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Body Cleanse instruct that a few spoons of Mud-tox be mixed with spring water, milk, aloe juice, or floral water to create a spreadable paste. The paste should be applied to wet skin, allowed to dry, and then showered off, using hands to cleanse the skin.

Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Menthe-Tea Vanilla Body Cleanse

 

Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Menthe-Tea Vanilla Body Cleanse

The color of the clay is actually warmer and more brown-toned than this. I just have really awful kitchen lighting!

I find that 2 heaping tablespoons of Mud-tox mixed with about 7 tablespoons of spring water gives me a nice, smooth consistency and plenty of product to spread over my entire upper body, stomach, lower legs, and the front of my upper legs. I don’t apply any Mud-Tox to the back of my upper legs or my buttocks. I need those for sitting as I spend the next 15-20 minutes reading while the clay dries.

Waiting for the clay to dry is a pretty amazing experience. I would not advise trying this particular flavor of the Mud-tox in the winter if you don’t have central heat! Fortunately, my house is nice and warm. The mint is extremely cooling, and I could feel my sinuses clearing as I breathed it in. The feeling is spectacularly invigorating and refreshing, though toward the end, it bordered on being too cool, as if I were transforming into an ice breathing, X-men character. I liked it though.

Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Menthe-Tea Vanilla Body Cleanse

The clay came off just fine in the shower, though there were a few patches I had to rub off with a little more effort. I was delighted to find that the minty feeling stayed with me even after the Mud-tox was completely rinsed away. In fact, I felt minty for nearly an hour after my shower was over! I imagine this experience will be extra amazing in the hot, humid months of summer.

So far I’ve only tried the Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Body Cleanse with spring water, which is magnificent, but I really want to try this out with aloe juice!

Results
I’ve used Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Body Cleanse twice in two weeks, and each time, my skin felt extremely soft and smooth when I got out of the shower. I’m fortunate not to have any body acne, so I can’t speak to it’s effect on that, but I did have a couple of troublesome bug bites that stopped itching as soon as I applied the Mud-tox, an itch which never returned even after rinsing the clay away. Additionally, the bug bites appeared to be far less red and inflamed after using the Mud-tox. Once again, as much as I am enjoying this product in the wintertime, I’m really looking forward to using the Mud-tox in the summertime, when the number of mosquitos in my yard is straight-up biblical.

Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Menthe-Tea Vanilla Body Cleanse

Freshly applied – though this is layered on REALLY thick. I grossly misjudged how much I would need to mix up for my arm. I use a much thinner layer when I’m actually doing a body mask.

Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Menthe-Tea Vanilla Body Cleanse

20 minutes of drying. It’s usually dryer than this when I use it as a body mask – this happens to be an incredibly thick application of the clay. I misjudged how much I would need for just my arm!

I also enjoyed how clean I felt after using the Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Body Cleanse. That lasting mint feeling is a real treat, and has become something I daydream about during the week when I’m too busy to indulge myself in a body mask.

Overall, I’m extremely pleased with the Moroccan Mud-Tox Menthe-tea Vanilla Body Cleanse, and look forward to incorporating this as a lasting part of my Saturday morning ritual. In fact, I’m going to Mud-tox right now.

Pros:
• Invigorating and refreshing
• Softens and smooths skin
• Alleviates the itching and swelling of bug bites
• Cleansing
• Feels luxurious and relaxing

Cons:
• It might be too refreshing for those with very sensitive skin

Skin & Tonics Rating:

Performance: 5/5 – Refreshing, cleansing, and relieves minor skin troubles such as bug bites

Packaging: 5/5 – Sturdy, pretty to look at, and easy to spoon the product of the wide opening

Ingredients: 5/5 – Excellent ingredients with no fillers.

Overall: 5.0/5

Is it worth the money?
Absolutely. It’s a wonderful product, and this $18 jar is large enough to last a couple of months.

Where to Buy

Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Body Cleanse retails for $18.00 on the Shea Terra Organics website. Shea Terra Organics sends out a monthly 30% off coupon to all of its email subscribers, which would price this product at $12.60. This month’s coupon code is FEB2014.

 

This article features a press sample that was sent to me for my unbiased consideration. Any opinion expressed is 100% my own. For more information about my review policies, see my full disclosure.

This post contains affiliate links. Shopping these links helps support this site. Full disclosure.

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8 comments onShea Terra Organics Moroccan Mud-Tox Menthe-Tea Vanilla Body Cleanse Review

  1. This looks awesome! I love the Shea Terra organics stuff. The black soap and rose was really nice, but I think it eventually started drying my skin out, because at one point I broke out.

    • Kerry

      Yeah, that black soap and rose hips cleanser is really excellent, but I could never use it daily. It’s a once or twice a week exfoliating treatment for me!

  2. Ooh this looks nice, but maybe a bit to messy for me.
    Off topic, but of vital importance: Did you see Benton has released a Snail Bee High Content LOTION?? I was psyched, but looking at ingredients am concerned about cetostearyl alcohol as acne trigger. (Sorry, SO off topic. But, Benton!)

    • Kerry

      Hi Floss! I did! I picked up both the new Benton Lotion and Benton Skin a few weeks ago and I’m in the process of trying them out right now! 😀 I hope to have a review up in the next week or two.

  3. This sounds fabulous. We are fans of minty body stuff (hellooooo Doctor Bronner’s) so I may just have to pick some up. Though I pity whoever has to clean the tub afterwards…

    • Kerry

      Oh yeah, if you love the peppermint Dr.Bronner’s, you’ll LOVE this. As for cleaning the tub – I have the world’s tiniest shower and everything went down the drain just fine. But if you do find yourself with a dirty tub, just convince everyone in the house to do the Mud-tox. Last person to Mud-tox has to clean the tub (obviously, you’ll go first).

  4. Gahhh I love anything minty! This is so interesting that it’s for the full body–I can’t imagine doing it anywhere but the tub though because I always end up moving too much lol. That’s really cool that it helped with bug bites! You should try it as a spot treatment sometime and see if it helps in the summer. =) I really want to try this brand since I started reading about it on your blog. <3

    • Kerry

      I had the same hangup, Samplehime! I really thought it would get everywhere, but it wasn’t an issue as long as I sat on a towel and didn’t apply the mask to my rear or the backs of my legs.

      I love the idea of using this as a spot treatment for bug bites. I will definitely be doing that!