Costic Caffeinated (Shock Shower) Soap

Wouldn't it be nice if you could start out your morning bathroom routine and just end up fully caffeinated before breakfast? Jeff Costic has been making this dream a reality for a long time, since he created shower shock soap, also called Costic Caffeine soap. Through experiments in skin permeation and lots of trial tests with crushed Vivarin they found their ideal soap - something with a boatload of caffeine, and a really refreshing scent of peppermint. Thanks goes out to http://www.kingofcaffeine.com for providing me samples.

Whether or not it works or is just a placebo is still up for grabs. The packaging is certainly unassuming enough, with just a few words and a sprig of peppermint on the front. I would not really assume that this bar was packed full of wakeful caffeine. In fact, the 'energy' touted was really not in the design of the product in any way. People have been studying caffeinated soap for some time, and whether or not it will perk you up is still up for some debate. Many people cite a study where they documented caffeine's poor ability to be absorbed transdermally. Many studies find that the ability to get caffeinated soap past your layer of dead skin with soap molecules is shady at best. One study found that you needed hours of sudsing up before you got enough caffeine to equal a cup of coffee. That all being said, I can also tell you this.

Blind, I can feel the difference between using regular glycerin soap and Costics Caffeinated Soap. More than the smell or the bar shape, I have been able to guess the caffeinated soap from the non caffeinated variety five times in a row. I just feel more awake afterward, like the pull to the coffee or energy drinks is not as great as it usually is. I would not expect miracles, or even to be kept full of jittery energy like you just downed a triple shot of espresso. What I did feel is a marked difference of the basic addiction to the caffeine, that I could mosey to the energy drink fridge, instead of making a bee-line.

Not to mention, just as soap goes it is eye-awakening too. Stronger smelling than the Clearly Natural brand they sell in most supermarkets, this has a powerful scent. I have a very poor ability to smell ( thanks stupid allergies), but even I could enjoy the aroma of this on my skin after a healthy scrubbing. One bar lasted me at least a dozen showers, and did not separate or get flakey - even at the end of the bar. Now, when I don't shower with my caffeine soap, I feel let down - somehow unfulfilled in my cleaning experience. It's like trying to shampoo your hair with body wash. Sure, it works in a pinch, but it forms a rainy cloud of sad over your head. I think my skin is going through withdrawls... While I rarely buy any caffeinated stuff more than once or twice, I have a feeling this could be my toiletry for a very very long time.

http://www.jennyreviews.com

Buzz:7 Packaging:5 Aroma:10