As you all know I have recently gotten back into martial arts after about 4 years out. I used to train MMA but I’ve opted for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at a local Gracie Barra gym and have been loving ever since! But with strenuous exercise – and exercise that involves up close and personal contact with your fellow class mates (and sometimes more intimate contact than you may want) whilst your face is being rubbed into mats that have had billions of people’s feet touching them and sweat, skin cells, and other delicious things malting all over them, it’s safe to say that your ordinary soap just isn’t going to make the cut.
These are high quality artisan products, made with premium grade essential oils and designed with athletes in mind. Without a doubt a whole lot of love, care, and dedication has gone into them.
And that’s where brands like Idee Pure come in. Idee Pure is a Manchester based company, founded by John and Nat, that makes premium soaps formulated with athletes in mind, and more specifically combat sports such as BJJ, MMA, and other contact sports. Their soaps are in intended to clean the skin without drying it out like other harsh sports soaps on the market. All of Idee Pure’s products are handmade and produced in small batches.
Unlike a lot of companies Idee Pure are trying to take a more ethical approach to their production – they don’t believe in using artificial colours or scents, instead they use beetroot and spirulina and high quality essential oils. Their soaps are SLS free, vegan, and Idee Pure are 100% against animal testing. All products have also been assessed by a certified chemist and comply with the E.U. Cosmetic Safety Regulations.
The Soaps
The Athlete Bar – Power Soap for BJJ, MMA, and Contact Sports, £3.99 (120g)
The Athlete Bar is a beautiful emerald green soap, naturally coloured with spirulina and scented with pure peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oils.
Peppermint and tea tree essential oils are naturally invigorating so this bar is great for making you more alert both in the morning and pre-workout. Post workout you’ll reap the anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic properties that can fight everything from eczema to acne, and even fungal infections such as ringworm!
Eucalyptus and rosemary oils are renowned for treating blisters and burns, and aiding in the healing of bruises. They’re also great for providing relief to muscle pain. Anyone that’s ever taken part in contact sports of CrossFit will know that awful sore and aching feeling for the next couple of days after training. The bar definitely helped to soothe my tender muscles post-workout.
I found the bar really invigorating and pleasant to use and loved the addition of strawberry seeds which provide a gorgeously smooth and gentle exfoliation which post workout is great for sloughing away deeply ingrained dirt. My only qualm is that the strawberry seeds didn’t seem to be evenly distributed throughout – as time has gone by and my soap bar has worn down there seem to be less in there.
The Athlete Bar also contains jojoba oil which means that even sensitive skin isn’t likely to react or become irritated. I find that soap bars usually dry my skin out but with the Athlete Bar this wasn’t a problem – I think that jojoba oil really pays off.
Weighing in at 120g you’ll get about 30-35 washes which works out at 11.4p-13.3p – not too shabby in my opinion. The soap also comes in a waterproof ziplock bag which I think is great value for money – you can just grab and go and it is great for when you’re travelling to competitions.
Verdict: If you’re an athlete that gets down and dirty often then the Athlete Bar is perfect for you! Great for getting a really deep cleanse without drying your skin out and protecting you from sport related skin ailments.
The Charcoal Bar – 100% Natural Soap Bar for Face and Body, £3.99 (100g)
The Charcoal Bar is an all natural soap which is perfect for people with sensitive skin and so can be used on both the face and body. The soap uses charcoal and coconut, sunflower, and olive oils to draw impurities from the skin. If you’re a fan of charcoal masks and the oil cleansing method (OCM) it’s kind of like getting the best of both worlds at once. If you’re scared of cleansing your face with oils don’t worry – they won’t clog your pores but rather help to bring dirt to the surface. I’ve been an OCM fan for a long time now and would never go back.
Shea butter and rosehip oil have also been added – shea is rich in vitamins A and E, whilst rosehip oil is naturally antioxidant rich and high in omega-3’s and 6’s. The two help to keep your skin balanced and nourished and this makes the soap ideal for everyday use.
The charcoal gives the bar a sexy slate/stone colour giving it a more sophisticated feel than the other two soaps in the Idee Pure range. The bar utilises pure tea tree essential oil as an anti-bacterial and antiseptic agent in order to help stave off any common skin infections. Lavender essential oil has also been inculded to help to soothe and calm skin and as you may already know – is anti-inflammatory.
What I love the most about the Charcoal Bar is that it’s a cold process soap which Idee Pure cure for a whopping 6-8 weeks – I love products that have had this much love and care put into them. This also means however that they will only be available in limited quantities but in my opinion it’s well worth it.
I tried to use the soap as instructed – lather it in and leave for 30 seconds before rinsing off – but found that this felt a little too long and my skin actually felt slightly dry. For me about 15 seconds was more than enough.
Verdict: This bar was my favourite of the bunch and I used this one the most too – I mean what’s not to love about 100% natural ingredients right? The only downside I found was that the bar didn’t smell as luscious as the other two, the scent was quite mild but pleasant. If you’re looking for a deep cleansing bar that is perfect for uber sensitive skin and that you can use on your face too then the Charcoal Bar is definitely for you!
The Warrior Bar – Soap for Warriors, £3.99 (120g)
The Warrior Bar is a super energising and refreshing soap bar described as being designed specifically for warriors. It’s a terracotta/burnt orange colour and has been naturally tinted by beetroot. The Warrior Bar has the most amazing combination of fiery ginger essential oil and rosemary oil to aid muscle pains and the healing of bruises (good for my battered body!). Whilst lemon and lime essential oils stimulate and refresh your senses whilst providing antispetic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties. This bar literally smells amazing! When I first received the soaps I remember constantly sniffing through the ziplock bag for this one – it reminds me a lot of Lush’s Karma but ever so slightly cleaner and more masculine. The scent also lingers a little after washing too which made me really happy. Being a lady I was happy to hear that this bar had citrus oils as they are great for toning skin and fight cellulite. I add lime essential oil to olive oil and massage daily so having the option to double up on soap was great.
Like the Athlete Bar, the Warrior Bar contains jojoba oil to prevent the skin from drying out and locking in moisture. Again I didn’t have any problems with my skin drying out with this bar.
Verdict: If I could rate the Warrior Bar on smell alone then it would be an absolute winner, but because it isn’t made from 100% natural ingredients, and because it doesn’t have two uses like the Charcoal Bar, I’d have to say it’s my 2nd favourite. This bar is perfect for anyone taking part in vigorous sports – contact sports, fighting, CrossFit, you name it! Soothe your muscles and relax your mind!
The Final Verdict
Idee Pure are a fantastic brand – from their ethics, packaging, and product to their overall unique branding – they’ve got it covered. These soaps all do as they say on the tin and are ideal for any athlete or gym goer. I love the ziplock waterproof bags that they come in – this makes the soap great for travel, competitions, and just keeping your bathroom nice and tidy. My only qualm is that 2 of the bars (Warrior and Athlete) contain SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) a foaming agent (also known as a surfactant). Although less irritating to the skin than SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), SLES cannot be metabolised by the liver and there is evidence to suggest that this could lead to prolonged health problems. The good news is that Idee Pure are already working on an all natural formula for these 2 bars which should be released shortly. If you’re already using mainstream products then Idee Pure really will be a healthier option than high street soaps, if like me however you’ve already made the switch to organic skincare then the Charcoal Bar is all you could possibly need from a soap AND it is suitable for both your face and body which in my opinion makes it better than the other 2 bars anyway.
All 3 bars definitely possess great anti-bacterial properties – I roll on the mats 2-3 times a week for up to 3 hours a session and when I come home I can instantly break out with some evil acne. A quick wash with the Idee Pure range and this problem has lessened by far.
Idee Pure also sell a Beard Oil at £10.00 which is all natural, high in vitamin E, and contains pure essential oils. It’s also vegan.
The price is fair for an artisan product – £3.99 per bar and giving you 30-35 washes is great value for money. You also have the option of buying one of their Pure Packs for £31.92 – 8 bars and 1 free bar, plus you will also receive one of the 100% unbleached cotton Idee Pure drawstring wash bag worth £2.50! Altogether giving you a 20% saving. They also have a Pure Pack for £19.99 which contains 3 soaps, 1 beard oil, and again a free wash bag.
Because Idee Pure have reached 1.5K followers on their Instagram account you can grab a generous 10% off of everything on their website using the code ‘july1500’ at the checkout! Offer valid until midnight 31st July 2016.
Overall I can’t wait to see what Idee Pure have in store for us in the future – especially expanding into an all natural range! These are high quality artisan products, made with premium grade essential oils and designed with athletes in mind. Without a doubt a whole lot of love, care, and dedication has gone into them. And finally, I’d just like to say a huge thank you to John and Nat for letting me test their fantastic range and for their patience in waiting for my review!
Idee Pure currently ship to the UK, EU, and to North America.
If you’d like to see what Idee Pure have in store for us in the future or want to stay up to date with the latest offers and discounts then why not follow them on one of the links below:
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