The first time I used the Buffing Bar, I was truly blown away—seriously, I couldn’t believe how soft my skin felt. In the shower, I wet the bar and rubbed in gentle, circular motions on my roughest areas (the backs of my arms and thighs), and it immediately released any trapped hairs and keratin buildup. My poor feet also have some gnarly calluses (commuting sandal-clad in NYC—enough said), so I dedicated a few moments to my heels, and the results were better than any pumice stone I’ve tried.
The brand calls the Buffing Bar an “exfoliating brick,” which I honestly think is the perfect term. It’s certainly not your average creamy bar soap; the experience actually feels sort of like an exfoliating mitt—rough and slightly grainy—yet it still suds up like your traditional bar soap would. That’s because the formula features magnesium oxide crystals, which are small yet effective for physical exfoliation, as well as sodium palmate (a common surfactant in bar soaps), and glycerin, aloe, and shea butter to simultaneously hydrate and soften the skin.