Likas Papaya Soap Review

For all of those who have read my "how i broke the break out cycle" post, i'm sure you know that i use Likas Papaya Soap aside from the Neutrogena Facial Bar in battling out acne. Here in the Philippines, being fair is considered beautiful compare to being tan, that's why there are loads & loads of whitening products here.

Whitening soaps....
Whitening lotions....
Whitening toners....
Whitening scrubs...
Whitening facial washes....
Whitening creams...

The list is endless!!!!
The only thing that doesn't have a whitening benefit is shampoo for goodness' sake!
-__-"

I notice it a couple of days ago when i went grocery shopping with bf & i was looking for a good ol' soap that doesn't have beneficial effects. It was only then that i noticed how lots of soaps are mostly in an orange box, which indicates that it got 'papaya' which is a good skin whitener. Then i saw this lady who bought 5 boxes of papaya soap all the while chattering with her friend saying how she envies her neighbor who is so fair.

I mean, i do grocery shopping every now & then but it was only right there & then that i realize that most filipinos have this thinking that fair is better... Well, isn't it the same with others? For those who got naturally fair skin, being tan is better & goes to tanning salon just to achieve a good tan. In my case, no matter how people say that having a good tan makes you look slimmer, i can't do so because being exposed to too much sun gives me freckles on my chest area.

I remember too when i was a kid when i got a serious sunburn, my skin never peeled. If for some people it's normal for the skin to peel when they have a bad case of sunburn, mine never did. It took a year before my skin became lighter again. Which i then promise myself never to go swimming when it's really hot. All year long my classmates called me as 'negra' because i really went from being fair to a dark tan.

Ok, after the lengthy introduction about whitening & whatever, it's time to talk about the main product.... I don't have a before & after picture..just take my word that it does whiten the skin.

I remember my aunt suggested this soap as a solution to blemishes when i was still a teenager but i find that it didn't work for me so i just crossed it out on my 'soaps-to-try' list. I tried other soaps & found one that worked for me. But when that said brand changed their formula it stopped working on me so i switch to facial washes once more until i developed acne. Then a few months ago, on impulse i decided to buy this.

And it worked!

It did lighten my blemishes. So i use this side by side with Neutrogena Facial Bar. Again, i only use this when i take a bath. Actually, i use this soap for my body too. I'm not the type who got like a lot of facial products all lined in the bathroom cabinet. I only use one, both for the body & the face. That's why most of my body soaps are those that is either made from natural/organic products or is addressed for facial use.

This is how the back carton looks like:

I guess it is true that they are the first organic soap since i remember this soap being around since i was young... And i guess because of that, they have received lots of awards....

Now that we are finished talking about the brand, let's dissect how papaya can actually lighten the skin. It is said that the Papaya fruit contains enzymes which are called papain, which promotes skin renewal & cell turnover. It helps in skin exfoliation which then reveals new cells. Unlike the usual exfoliation that we do where we use scrubs, whitening soaps uses enzymes to help promote exfoliation, which i think is better compare to forcefully sloughing away the dead skin

I used to use fresh papaya on my skin as a facial mask, but i can't abide the smell of ripe papaya. There's something about the scent that turns me off of it.

The thing about using papaya soaps (i have tried other papaya soaps too) is that they does whiten the skin but it takes time. Unlike kojic soaps, that can whiten your skin in as fast as days, this one takes months, but i prefer this since i feel that my skin is adjusting to the change gradually instead of a quick change which can cause trauma to the skin.

I don't use lotions or anything so i really know that this works simply because this is the only product that i'm using as a skin lightener. I don't even use sunblock!

Yes, that's bad, but i haven't found a sunblock that won't make me sweat like crazy. It always feels like sunblock suffocates my skin..like it blocks my pores therefore making my sweat gland work doubly hard in getting rid of that film blocking it. Hence i make sure that i always carry an umbrella with me. It's not enough but i can't help it.

I will not say that i have a flawless skin, i do break out every now & then. But now i know that there is a way to help clear my skin so i'm not THAT worried about it.

Whenever i use it, i let it sit in my skin for a couple of minutes to make sure that it got enough time to for it to penetrate & do the work. It might dry out the skin & even leave the skin feeling tight but unlike the kojic soap, this is tolerable. It's better to apply moisturizer after using it. I don't use any moisturizers though, i only do so in extreme cases.

I think it's a must to let every soap sit in the skin for a couple of minutes if you really want to get the benefits that it promises.

It's priced at P80 (approx $2) & is available in leading stores & malls.

PROS:

• available locally
• cheap
• it does lighten the skin

CONS:

• will leave your skin feeling tight afterward so it's better to apply moisturizer
• might not be available internationally

This is a staple product for me & i do make it a point to include it in my shopping basket whenever i do my monthly grocery.

So tell me, what helps you in getting rid of those unwanted blemishes from the those unwanted pimple marks?

Hope you had a great start for your week!

Jaa ne~!
^_^

ps:
don't forget to join my giveaway. just click the pic at the top
^_~