African Black Soap has been becoming more popular with consumers in the Western world as it becomes more important to many buyers to use beauty products that are biodegradable and natural and because of its many great benefits.
For many years, this soap has been made from ingredients including palm oil, raw Shea butter and coco pods, found in various countries in West Africa, mainly in Nigeria and Ghana, but also in Mali and Togo. This soap is full of emollients and vitamins that work well for thorough moisturizing, gentle exfoliation and deep cleansing. Authentic soap of this type is a healthy addition to your health and beauty regime.
Depending on the locale in which the soap is made, this soap may contain different ingredients. For example, the type of soap made in the Nigerian region, known as Dudu Osun soap, contains wild honey, palm bunch ash, glycerine and lime juice in addition to the basic ingredients mentioned above. Dudu Osun is an excellent treatment for skin blemishes like blackheads from acne, and it is also useful in diminishing uneven tones of skin, like dark marks and spots. Honey makes Dudu Osun valuable to smooth and soothe skin, but if you have sensitive skin, this type of soap may be drying. You may want to apply lotion after you shower or bathe with Dudu Osun soap.
The soap made in Ghana, known as Alata Samina, is usually made from the skin of the plantain, which is an excellent source of iron and vitamins A & E. The plantain skin is dried gingerly in the African sun, and then roasted inside a clay oven. It is only roasted for a precise amount of time, to achieve the correct smell, texture and color. In some areas, they may use cocoa pods, the shell of cocoa fruit, rather than plantains. This soap is also excellent for treating acne, with its natural healing properties. Like Dudu Osun, it is helpful in treating a dry scalp, and it will make your hair clean when used as a shampoo bar. If you have allergies to nuts, African Black soap is perhaps not the soap for you as Shea butter is produced from a nut.
If you find African Black soap that is almost too black in color, it may have had artificial coloring added and likely to have been commercially made and include other impure ingredients. Organic soaps are usually browner in color, and they don't have a scent, unless it is added. After you bathe or shower with this soap, you will want to store it somewhere away from your tub or shower perhaps in a soap box as African Black soap may shrink, due to its glycerin content. You should also not be surprised if this soap comes apart after you have used the bar, since this is common with this type of soap.
In contrast to soaps that are cold-processed, African Black Soaps are made on an open fire, so it retains the burnt leaf ashes, which will add the soap's excellent exfoliating properties. The variations in color range from slightly dark blackish to brown. If you want to be sure that the soap you are purchasing is authentic, avoid added dyes, since genuine soaps crafted in Africa don't usually have them.
African Black soap is also marvelous for hair care. It is rich in glycerin, and works well as a conditioner. It will leave your hair quite light-weight and soft. The natural, gentle moisturizers can even add a bit of curl or wave to your hair.
