A quick Google search about African Black Soap will bring up results showing brown mysterious chocolate looking crumbly soap bars claiming to possess tons of benefit. You’d begin to wonder: does African black soap truly possess all these powers everyone believes?
Or is it just another beauty trend that will eventually fade away? What exactly is African Black Soap and what makes it so special? Let’s find out.
What is African Black Soap?
African Black Soap, as the name suggests, originates from West Africa. It is particularly popular among Yoruba tribe of Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic. It was used by women in these societies to maintain good skin because it is packed with natural oils and plant extracts that fight bacteria and nourish the skin. Traditionally known by the Yorubas as Ose Dudu (which translates to black soap), and in Ghana Alata Samina it is a soap rich in natural herbs, oils, and most importantly, history.
African black soap can be prepared in a variety of intricate ways, but in its most basic form, it is made from dried plant matter (camwood bark, cocoa pods, plantain peels, or shea tree bark) that is burned to ash. The ash is then mixed with water and a variety of oils and fats, such as shea butter, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil. Latter recipes often lace the formula with honey, aloe vera and natural fragrances to give it a modern allure.
African black soap is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the skin and hair from the harsh ultraviolet rays of the sun by forming a protective coating on it
African Black Soap has many benefits over commercially manufactured soaps. Many users of African Black Soap have testified to its many cosmetic benefits. Due to its antimicrobial nature, it is commonly used to treat skin conditions such as blemishes, dark spots, rashes, body odor, and eczema.
African black soap is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the skin and hair from the harsh ultraviolet rays of the sun by forming a protective coating on it. This consequently prevents premature aging of the skin and hair.
It has excellent exfoliating properties. Exfoliation is the removal of dead skin cells and accumulated dirt on the skin. This, in turn, encourages the growth of younger and more nourished skin. The best thing about African Black Soap is that it can be used on any skin type.
Sadly some beauty brands have exploited the popularity of African Black soap, producing substandard diluted or imposter black soaps just to make more profit unbeknownst to new consumers of African Black Soap. Counterfeit African Black Soap can be recognised by being completely black in colour with these products having no African Black Soap at all or only partial ingredients such as shea butter as fillers. This has made it more challenging to recognize original African Black Soap. However we have some tips on how to recognise authentic African Black Soap which we also stock in our online Shop.
How to identify Authentic African Black Soap
In today’s highly chemical cosmetic industry, getting natural cosmetics made from plant-based ingredients has become increasingly difficult. This is where Kinder Naturals comes in. You can guarantee we don’t compromise on authenticity as we only use genuine African Black Soap in our Black Soap range for both hair and skin. We use age-long traditional techniques of production to make our natural derived products in the most sustainable and eco-friendly way. Our Authentic African Black Soap bar is made from the best natural ingredients sourced from Ghana. The main ingredients of any authentic African Black Soap should have as a minimum Plantain skin or peels , Palm Oil, Coconut Oil and Organic Unrefined Shea Butter.
How to use Authentic African Black Soap
When using African Black Soap for best results cut a small piece of the soap bar off and then lather with water using a wash cloth or sponge and apply to skin or area for treatment. Another bonus with our Authentic African Black Soap bar is that you can convert it to liquid soap just by dissolving the bar in hot water add drops of your favourite essential oil or fragrance to add a scent.
We recommend when using any African Black Soap on skin to follow up with a heavy duty moisturiser such as Shea Butter or Oil as it can be drying for some people and skin types.
If you want an all in one beauty wash solution with infused oils then try out our African Black Soap Body Wash enriched with Apricot oil, Jojoba oil and Vitamin E to give your skin a radiant glow. Use as part of your daily wash routine to see the amazing results your skill will reap. African Black Soap has also built a strong reputation for tackling acne prone skin which is what inspired our African Black Soap Foaming Face Wash which has been made with Zinc and Evening Primrose known for reducing non-inflammatory and inflammatory acne lesions as well as reducing irritation.
Not to mention African Black Soap is also great for promoting hair health. Yes you read right.
The versatile cleanser is super moisturising and helps to rejuvenate your hair, stimulate healthy scalp and kills bacteria creating the ideal conditions for new growth and fuller hair strands. Our Moisturising African Black Soap Shampoo incorporates aloe vera, honey and castor oil to really nourish your strands and add back vibrancy to your hair. With the Kinder Naturals African Black Soap range you really are spoilt for choice and have a variety of different beauty solutions you can try out to really make a difference to your skin and hair regimes.
