Ugly to look at - but cleans and lather beautifully...
If it true that you can't judge a book by its cover- and it is - then you can't, and shouldn't judge this soap by its surface. Besides, as you use it, and get inside, it greens up and begins to look better. As with anything you use or buy, the only important thing is - does it work.  And it does. You're buying more than soap here - you're buying a bar of history.  O(live oil and laurel soap is a 2000 year old product. This soap is not cheap for three reasons: 1) It is made of all natural ingredients, 2) it is made entirely by hand, and 3) it has to be stored for months until it is dry. That probably accounts for the rough surface and discoloration. Most of the soap on supermarket shelves in not milled - let alone tripled milled for long-lasting hardness. That's why it turns to goo if left in water.  To sum up: You might like this soap - then again you might not, but it's worth a try, if only for the hell of it.
Rating: 5 stars