African Black Soap

African black soap is extremely gentle, pure and moisturizing.  It is a multi-purpose soap for face, body & hair that produces an emollient, light lather that leaves skin supple.

The most common African Black Soap is Ose Dudu (derived from the languages of Nigeria, Benin & Togo) translating literally to Soap (ose) Black (dudu).  Black soap varies from light brown to deep black, depending on the ingredients & preparation method.  Togo black soaps have specific applications and uses, but black soap is the oldest, healthiest soap available. As African black soap varies by region, the oils used to make African black may include some combination of palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter or shea butter.  Since the oils used are based on availability, the particular combination used results in color variations. In general, coastal regions use more coconut oil, while savanna regions use more shea butter.

If you’re wondering why the soap is black, it’s related to “potash”, which is the term used for the “fertilizer form” of the element potassium (chocked full of beneficial properties).  These properties were realized many centuries ago and the potash is essentially the wood ash collected in metal pots.  Potash used to make African black soap can be derived from the ashes of several plant sources, including cocoa pods, shea tree bark, plantain leaves & by products of shea butter production.  True African black soap is made with hand-made potash in small batches & is not manufactured in factories with commercial potash or refined oils.

I recommend Agbanga Karite and Alaffia fair trade products, which you can read more about here.  Their black soap uses the traditional recipe of central Togo, which is a minimum of 45% unrefined shea butter; the remainder is virgin palm kernel oil.  Their potash comes from ashes of plantain leaves, shea butter residues & bark from a local tree called “Agow”.

Black soaps manufactured in the United States, Europe, or Asia are not authentic African black soaps, so be sure to read the ingredient list on black soap labels to ensure:

1. The soap contains the oils previously mentioned, not cheap oils or fats, AND

2. The “black color” is due to saponification, not additives like charcoal or black dyes used as “coloring agents”

Enjoy in health!

barbara-ann