How African Black Soap Can Help You!
You have likely been there: you walk into a large department store, head straight to the health and beauty aisle, scrutinize the rows of cleansing bars, and finally select one that seems perfect for your skin.
But have you looked at the ingredients? Many contain triclosan, which can disrupt thyroid function and may raise breast cancer risk. Fragrance often masks phthalates—chemicals linked to birth defects and liver damage. In fact, most commercial soaps are loaded with synthetic additives. A simple rule to remember: if you would not eat it, do not slather it on your skin. Your skin absorbs these substances directly into your bloodstream.
That is why natural alternatives like African black soap have surged in popularity. Handcrafted in West Africa, black soap comes in over a hundred regional variations. Common ingredients include dried plantain skins, cocoa pod ash, honey, and virgin coconut oil.
African Black Soap is a gentle, nourishing formula that is safe enough for newborns and ideal for sensitive skin.
What Makes Black Soap Different:
African black soap blends rare tropical honeys celebrated for their skin-softening properties, leaving a silky smooth finish. It naturally delivers vitamins A and E along with iron, helping to fortify both skin and hair.
It is high glycerin content draws moisture from the air and locks it into your skin, keeping it plump, soft, and resilient.
For centuries, communities in Ghana and Nigeria have relied on black soap to combat acne, balance oily skin, clear blemishes, and soothe conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
Expectant mothers apply black soap during and after pregnancy to minimize stretch marks and prevent the dry, tight feeling that often accompanies hormonal changes.
Black soap doubles as a gentle shampoo—the shea butter in the ingredients softens hair while the vitamin-rich formula strengthens strands from root to tip.
Men appreciate black soap’s rich shea butter lather for shaving, which cushions skin, smooths rough patches, and guards against irritation.
Unlike many commercial bars, African black soap contains no preservatives, color enhancers, or synthetic fragrances. It foams into a creamy lather without relying on animal fats or harsh additives.
How Black Soap is Made:
First, leaves and bark of various trees and plants are burned in a vat or kettle. These may be leaves from banana trees, plantain skins, palm tree leaves, shea tree bark, and/or cocoa pods.
Secondly, water is added to ashes to be filtered. Oils such as coconut oil, shea oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter are added to the water to create the soap.
The soap is then hand-stirred for at least a day and then set out to cure for two weeks.
People have tried to re-create African black soap, but it has never been able to truly replicate the authentic product. This is because genuine black soap is created using age-old traditions that are passed down from one generation to the next in smaller villages in Africa.
If you try black soap, do not be surprised; that muddy-looking water lathering on your face is literally cleaning all the impurities out of your skin from the inside out. The cocoa pod powder gives the soap a black color and hence it will create a ‘muddy’ looking lather when you use it.