Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri Herbal Soap review

Before I proceed to do a review of Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri herbal soap, let me tell you how I came to purchase this soap. 

Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri Herbal Soap & Pankajakasthuri Kaveri Herbal Soap 

I just chanced upon these herbal soaps - Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri Herbal soap and Pankajakasthuri Kaveri Herbal soap sitting on a corner shelf in a store that I often frequent, and these twin soaps caught my attention. 

 

Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri & Kaveri Herbal Soaps

Somehow, the brand name Pankajakasthuri seemed familiar to me and I was drawn towards these soaps - but for the life of me, I couldn’t immediately recollect where I had come across this name. 

Then, as I stood watching these two soaps, I suddenly recalled that I had watched ads of Pankajakasthuri Orthoherb Oil for joint pain relief on Kannada TV channels. 

So after I could place the association and also after reading the list of herbal ingredients on the cover and its various uses for the skin, I went ahead and purchased both the soaps.

I could not find a mention of Kaveri Herbal soap on Pankajakasthuri official website. Perhaps, it has been discontinued. So first I’ll do a review of Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri Herbal soap. 

Obviously I won’t use both the soaps at once - so I’ll add the review of Kaveri Herbal soap later on!

Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri Herbal Soap Review 

Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri herbal soap claims

This info is from the official website.

Kasthuri Herbal Soap is a strongly recommended remedy for many skin diseases like itching, scabies, dandruff and all kinds of fungal infections.

It is also effective in reducing and resisting pimples. This exceptionally well-crafted soap imparts glow and a leaves the skin lightly fragranced and is ideal for a toned and refined complexion.

 

Pankajakasthuri kasturi herbal soap claims & ingredient list

Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri Herbal Soap Ingredient List

As for the ingredient list, only the main 'herbal' ingredients are mentioned on the carton. They are vetiver, chandana or sandalwood, Red sandalwood or raktha chandana, Neem, Turmeric or Haridra respectively. All these are wonderful herbal ingredients, by the way.

Also soap base is  98%, perfume is 1.99% & colour is 0.01%

So I just glanced through the official website (pankajakasthuri.in) and  looked at the list of ingredients. And here they are: Useera, Chandana, Raktha Chandana, Nimba, Nisa, Sireesha, Kera thaila, Thuvaraka thaila, Eranda thaila, Caustic soda.  

Wonder why the other ingredients, specially the oils and caustic soda are not mentioned on the soap carton itself? Now the addition of caustic soda or lye (sodium hydroxide) in soaps isn't harmful at all. In fact, there can be no soap without lye.

Once the chemical reaction of making soap, called saponification, is complete, caustic soda and oil molecules have already combined and chemically changed into soap and glycerin.

If the soap is made properly, the lye is used up completely in the saponification process to turn oil into soap. 

There is no caustic soda or lye present in the finished bars of soap. 

Also the extra fat or oil that the  soapmakers add to make sure that there is no excess of caustic soda to cause damage and ensures that your skin remains safe.

So there was no reason to omit the complete ingredient list, especially the mention of the presence of caustic soda in a natural soap like Kasturi soap bar.

Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri Herbal Soap Price, TFM etc.

TFM  (Total Fatty Matter) of Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri herbal soap is mentioned as 70%. So, it looks like it's a grade 2 soap.

The price seems to be quite reasonable at ₹20 for 75 grams.

My experience with Kasthuri Herbal Soap

With the onset of summer season and terrible heat beginning to take a toll on my skin, I was on the lookout for a soap that handles skin issues like itching due to excess sweating, body odour and other skin infections like boils ands prickly heat, that are the bane of summer.

Additionally I have an oily skin which in recent times has become more of a combination skin with oily T-zone. So I do get pimples at times though it's not as much as what i used to get when I was younger.

So in a way the claims of this Ayurvedic herbal soap quite impressed me to buy it.

When I opened the wrapper,I could see that it is greenish in color, almost resembling Chandrika Ayurvedic soap or a Medimix soap -  the shape is also quite similar and the bar itself feels a bit hard.

My first impressions of Kasthuri bar soap

It doesn't seem to be a quick-melting soap. which might get out-of-shape in a few uses. Looks like it will last quite a few months.

This soap is also supposed to help with dandruff. I am using it only as a body soap. But if you ant to use it for your hair., I would prefer you use that bar exclusively for your hair and not use it for your body and vice-versa. 

As you can see from the image, it has the name Kasthuri engraved on it on one side and on the other side a flower-like  logo of Pankajakasthuri is carved on it.

Kasthuri herbal soap - front and back side views

The aroma is also quite pleasant and is a bit overpowering also but in a pleasant sort of way.

It works up quite a bit of lather and cleanses the body very well and leaves a wonderful aroma that persists for quite sometime and even the bathroom smells of its fragrance for quite sometime after the bath.

 

All in all the bathing experience with this soap is quite wonderful. It imparts freshness and glow.

After using it for quite a few days, I have found that it does reduce body odour and also helps in reducing  stickiness of the skin due to excessive summer heat. I 'm also not getting pimples these days, but I'm not too sure that it could be because of the use of this soap as acne or pimples are more due to internal causes than what you apply on the outside.

Pros of Kasthuri Herbal Soap

• Affordable
• Nice aroma
• Wonderful herbal ingredients
• Good cleanser
• Long lasting
• Great for skin issues such as body odor, itching etc.
• Especially suitable during summer skin issues

Cons of Kasthuri Herbal Soap

• Not easily available in all parts of India (Kerala based soap)
• Strong aroma that some may not like.
• No mention of complete ingredient list

My rating for Pankajakasthuri Kasthuri Herbal Soap 

I'd like to give it a  4/5. It's quite a nice soap for just 20 bucks.

Would I repurchase?

Yes, it's worth repurchasing.

Final Thoughts

My experience of using Kasthuri herbal soap was quite good. But how was it for you? Did you like it and did it work for you or resolve your skin issues? Did you use it to wash your hair? Do share your feedback and review about this soap in the comments.