African Black Soap

Originate from the villages of West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Togo). It is an ancient product that is used and cherished in homes throughout West Africa and becoming an essential component of beauty regimens.

The soap is brownish-black in colour with a soft texture and a natural earthy smell. The basic recipe is centuries old, having been handed down over the generation with slight variations in ingredients depending on what is locally available and each family formulating their own unique methods and ingredients. They have continued their success, by passing each formulation down from one generation to another, as they have for centuries. The soap is know as Anago or Alata Soap in Ghana, Ose Dudu in Nigeria or just Pure African Black Soap

Production

The African Black Soap is made from concentrated potash solution and unrefined vegetable oil such as palm kernel, shea butter, cocoa butter and coconut oils. These oils are readily available to the villagers and are extracted by pressing or local steam extraction (hence the slightly brownish colour of product)
The potash solution is obtained from various sources such as banana tree leaves, plantain skins, palm tree leaves, cocoa pods husk, or shea tree barks. These leaves, barks or pods are dried to a precise texture under the hot African sun, then ash to a known specification. The ash is then extracted with water and the resulting solution concentrated down to give the concentrated potash solution.
The process of ashing and extraction lends the soap the characteristic smell and colour that gives it its name “black soap”.

Usage

The African black soap is 100% natural and contains no animal fats, chemicals, preservatives, colour enhancers and fragrances. The soap can be used in its natural form for the face, body and hair and also as a base with other additives.
Recently, the soap has gained tremendous patronage from the educated elites through the understanding of its chemistry and its properties as a soft soap, environmentally friendly, biodegradable and can easily be customized.
African Black soap is especially recommended for the very young and the elderly, or anyone with tender skin. For centuries, Africans have used Black Soap to help relieve acne, rashes, scalp irritations, clear blemishes, body odour and various other skin issues. The soap gives the body a deep cleansing, leaving the skin silky soft and smooth with a feeling of freshness. The soap has been used to achieve quality beautiful skin and can be used by anyone; skin colour, ethnicity and gender. Traditionally it is used to give babies their first bath to prevent body odour.

Black Soap Storage

The soap is placed in a cool dry area wrapped in a strong paper or stored in a polythene or paper lined bag. Black soap has natural glycerine so it will naturally absorb moisture from the air and become darker in colour and softer in texture when left exposed. Also being potash based soap, it will always go soft on exposure to atmospheric moisture.

Shelf-Life

Black soap does not go bad. It can be used at anytime if stored properly.
Due to the natural process of production, occasionally the soap might contain pieces of tree bark or grit. This will not affect the quality of the soap in any way.

African Black Soap for Yess Essentials Products
The Yess Essentials soap is made from cocoa pod husk ashes and unrefined palm kernel oil. Cocoa pod husk the shell of the cocoa fruit which is left over after removing the cocoa beans for chocolate or cocoa butter.
The cocoa pod husk is dried to a precise texture under the hot African sun. It is then roasted in a clay oven at a constant heat in order to achieve a particular colour, texture and smell. The ash obtained is then extracted with water and the resulting aqueous solution is concentrated down to give the concentrated potash solution. The potash solution is then added to palm kernel oil and heated with stirring to obtain the soap.

Yess African black soap comes in loose crumbs for ease of moulding with other additives.