When you are swimming in the ocean, you likely don't want to come into contact with long, slimy seaweed leaves against your skin. Ironically, seaweed soap works very well for cleaning the body and revitalizing the skin. While seaweed is best known as vitamin-packed food, using it in soap may help exfoliate and nourish your skin.

Seaweed soap cleans the body as traditional soaps do, plus it exfoliates the skin. Gritty bits of seaweed within the soap remove dead cells on the skin. This reveals the newer skin beneath, helps unclog pores and reduces acne breakouts. The exfoliation encourages blood circulation around the skin, resulting in a rejuvenated appearance.

Even though it exfoliates, seaweed soap does not result in dry skin. In general, seaweed soap is all natural, containing none of the man-made chemicals in other soaps that can cause allergic reactions in some users.

Seaweed contains several beneficial minerals and vitamins that may nourish the skin during the exfoliation process, leaving the skin healthy looking and toned. These include vitamins A1, B2, B6, B12, and minerals like potassium, calcium, iron and zinc.

Most soap is made with animal fat that reacts with a lye solution to create a cleaning compound. Seaweed soap is not made with animal fat; it is made by blending vegetable oil fats with seaweed. This can make seaweed soap a good choice for people who prefer not to use animal products or complex chemicals.

While there are claims that seaweed soap actually results in fat loss, there is little scientific data backing that claim up. However, websites like Seaweed Skin Care note that seaweed soap may reduce cellulite and reduce stretch marks, but minimally, and only after extended use.