5 Reasons Why Black Soap is Our New Go-To
Originally published on Annmarie Gianni All Natural Skincare Blog.
Black soap has been popping up in stores, on health and wellness sites and anywhere else you may look for soap.
Maybe you’ve heard about this black soap and its many benefits, but most people don’t know much about its origin and what makes it so beneficial. We are here to help you find authentic African black soap that will step up your skincare game.
What is African black soap?
Black soap comes from the tribes of West Africa (usually Ghana) and is unique partially because of the native plants used in making it. You may also find it under the names ose dudu, alata samina, or anago soap.
Traditionally, African plants like plantain, palm tree leaves, shea butter bark, and cocoa pods are sun-dried then roasted together in a pot for hours, giving the components of black soap the dark coloring. From there, water and oils are added to the roughly ground plants. Generally, black soap is made with coconut oil, palm oil, and shea butter.
You can find African black soap that is fair-trade and women-made if you look online or in certain health stores.
How to tell if it’s real
With newfound popularity, many companies are trying to replicate African black soap, but of course, short cuts are taken. When buying your African black soap make sure there are no added chemicals in the ingredients. Some brands add silicons, aluminum oxide and detergents to give the soap a longer shelf-life, a different feel or a different smell. Real African black soap has no harsh chemicals and should be made entirely from natural ingredients.
The biggest tell of real or fake African black soap is that the real stuff is not black. It’s actually dark brown or beige and can vary in hue. Some companies ran with the idea of “black” soap and started adding coloring to their soap to try to steal a slice of the market.
African Black Soap Texture
Real African black soap is not smooth. Since it’s made from roasted plant matter, you will find chunks of plants in the actual soap. If your black soap is smooth, you may be missing out on the beneficial effects of the plants used in real African black soap.
The texture of African black soap is soft and malleable. It’s oil-based with no added chemicals so it doesn’t harden up like generic soaps. It loosens fairly easily when warmth is applied and melts onto your skin.
Benefits of African Black Soap
1. Acne Friendly
The oils from the plants used for African Black Soap are gentle and effective on acne-prone skin. It also helps balance natural oils, helping to calm the skin’s appearance and temporarily reduce the appearance of redness.
2. Soft skin
African black soap helps smooth your skin to keep you feeling soft and looking radiant. The plant particles in the soap act as a natural exfoliant, allowing your new, healthy skin to glow.
It works better than most moisturizers because of its exfoliating properties. Since black soap removes dead skin, it exposes the new skin directly to hydration. The oils and shea butter moisturize dry skin and lock in hydration, helping to protect against environmental stressors.
3. Soothes skin
Because of the combination of calming and moisturizing effects of African black soap, it is a great aid in soothing the skin. You can use black soap on everything from dry skin to eczema.
4. Shiny, healthy hair
The soothing effects also apply to the scalp. If you suffer from a dry, itchy, or flaky scalp try massaging black soap into the roots of your hair. This should hydrate and calm any irritants. When your scalp is healthy, your hair will show it with a beautiful shiny coat.
5. Prevent signs of aging
Most of the components in African black soap have antioxidant properties. When it comes to anti-aging, the best plan of attack is prevention. This means keeping your skin hydrated and deeply nourished.
The antioxidants in the plantain skin and coconut oil help protect against environmental stressors that damage skin, leading to fine lines and wrinkles.