African Black Soap –
Everything You need to Know
In the quest to get a lighter skin, more and more people are exploring the use of natural products. On the other hand, natural products are being produced every day, with each promising better results than the last. From creams and serums to scrubs, soaps to injectables, there is always something that you can try depending on what you are looking for.
This brings us to our topic; The African black soap, does it really work? If it does, how does it help you get a glowing skin?
Besides this, there is so much more that you probably didn’t know about it. To acquaint you with the African black soap for skin lightening, we have prepared everything you need to know below:
What Is African Black Soap?
The African black soap is a cleansing bar soap originally made in West Africa. It was mainly used for cleansing and treating skin imperfections such as oily skins, acne, psoriasis, and eczema among others.
The soap, which is recommended for use from head to toe, is praised for keeping your hair and skin healthy and beautiful for a long time. With time, however, it is gradually being adopted for skin lightening purposes. It’s supposed to do all this while still maintaining your natural beauty.
What Are The Ingredients in the African Black Soap?
The ingredients that make up this soap are all natural and quite interesting. They vary depending on the particular region or tribe where the soap is sourced from in West Africa.
Tamarind extract, raw African shea butter tar, palm ash, palm oil, coconut oil, cocoa pods, honey, and plantain peel are some of the most common ingredients. Each bar’s effectiveness and ingredients included varies depending on the intended purpose and the method of preparation.
Here are the 5 main ingredients and their functions towards a clearer, healthier and lighter skin.
- Plantain Skins and Leaves- These are rich in Iron, vitamins A and E and a host of antioxidants. They work together to heal, moisturize, and tone your skin. Vitamin A enhances collagen production which improves your skin’s elasticity and fights off aging. The leaves are packed with allantoin which encourages skin cell growth and renewal.
- Cocoa Powder- this is rich in amino acids, vitamins, minerals and anti-inflammatory abilities that soften, firm, sooth and repair your skin.
- Palm Oil- contains antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamins A, C and E. The antioxidant properties help in fighting off free radicals that destroy your skin to cause premature aging. Vitamin E in particular is a powerful treatment against skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis and acne.
- Palm Kernel Oil- This is an extract of the African palm tree fruit seeds. It contains high amounts of lauric acid which is packed with antifungal and antibacterial properties.
- Shea Butter- the benefits of shea butter are limitless. It is rich in Vitamins E and A that greatly work to repair and strengthen your skin. Among the skin conditions that shea butter deals with are acne, eczema, psoriasis, stretch marks, scars and dry skin.
Other additions may include tamarind extract, citrus extract, glycerine, rosemary extract, other oils, aloe and honey.
Which Skin Types Does It Work On?
All skins have natural acids that require to be balanced to help them stay protected. The African black soap is good in that it does not destabilize the balance. The ingredients are natural, and carefully selected to work for most skin types.
The African Black skin Lightening Soap can be combined with additional Shea Butter, Aloe Vera, Coconut Oil, and Vitamin E to serve some skins and reduce negative effects. For example, when used on dry skin, you should ensure that you use Shea butter to reduce the dryness.
The soap is also well known to be tolerated by sensitive skins although the use on such should be done carefully as not all people are the same.
Can African Black Soap Lighten Skin?
The African black soap eventually lightens your skin but not in the way that other skin lightening ingredients do. Simply put, this natural skin lightening soap will not make your skin a few shades lighter as you continue using it; instead, it allows your skin to take a rather natural route towards lightening.
How? By exfoliating your skin, it is able to get rid of old, blemished or hyperpigmented skin to make your skin glow and brighten. Additionally, the ingredients nourish your skin to promote the growth of new cells that reveal fresh, radiant, lighter, evenly toned and healthier skin.
Another way that it works is by getting rid of or lowering the effects posed by extreme weather conditions like sunlight, wind, heat and cold. Through this, your skin remains lighter as compared to when you don’t use the soap.
If you intend to use the black soap for skin lightening, you can combine it with other skin lightening products for enhanced results. The soap can also be used when preparing skin lightening recipes.
What Else Does Black Soap Do?
The black soap has other skin benefits apart from skin lightening and whitening. It:
- Reduces and prevents skin ageing – It does this by evening out fine lines especially on aged skin. This fixable skin ageing can be because skin has been exposed to too much sunlight at early stages of life.
- Prevents acne – By balancing natural oils, it’s beneficial for people with oily skins. It does this by preventing excess sebum clogging on skin pores.
- Can soothe razor bumps on skin. It prevents clogging of dead cells on your skin after shaving.
- Cleans and exfoliates your skin by removing dead cells.
- Prevents bacterial infections on skin. It has alkaloids and flavonoids which are strong antibacterial compounds.
- Reduces harsh effects of hot weather like sunburns caused by exposure to strong UV rays
- Helps in getting rid of blackheads.
- Is antifungal, this makes it good in curing fungal infections on any body part
- Helps in removing bad body odour.
How Is African Black Soap Best Used?
The soap has many uses as well as different ways to use it. Since it exists in different forms and can be used differently, we are going to explore all of them:
Raw African Black Soap
Take the soap and make small balls from it, ensure the balls don’t have any rough edges. To use it on your face, rub it between your hands and apply. Alternatively, you can apply it directly on your face but do so gently.
Making a Face Mask
The best way to use it for lightening skin, is applying it as a face mask.
- Take hot water, add little chunks of the soap and let them dissolve.
- Add 2 teaspoons of baking soda, a teaspoon of honey, and 5 drops of tea tree essential oil.
- Properly mix it. Then apply it to your face and neck. Leave it to dry
- Subtly massage your face then wash the face mask off with water.
African Black Soap Scrub
Crush the soap then mix it with sugar. Stir until your satisfied .After you’re done, it is ready to be used as a body wash. While at it, avoid scrubbing it too harshly.
African Black Soap Body Wash
Dip the soap in purified water and Soak it. Wait for it to dissolve and liquefy. When done it is ready to be used as a body wash
What Are The Side Effects Of Using The Black Soap?
As much as the soap is beneficial, you should expect a few side effects. Since this type of soap contains natural ingredients, they are gentle on most skin types. Its side effects are therefore very few and they shouldn’t make you abandon it if it’s working well for you.
- Burning Sensation
The soap may contain high alkaline levels which may burn or irritate your skin. The burning may also increase especially if the soap contains artificial preservatives and fragrances.
- Initial Skin Dryness
This is especially in people with dry skin that use this soap for the first time. Since the soap cleanses and exfoliates dead skin, it causes some dryness. This can be resolved by adding Shea butter after wash.
Where Can You Buy African Black Soap for Skin Lightening?
It is important to note that African black soap is not produced in large quantities. The reason is because its quality is the major selling point rather than its quantity. For this reason, the soap cannot be found just anywhere.
As a matter of fact, you will have to look around or search for it on major online stores. As a good practice, buy it from recognized stores to avoid products that compromise on quality.
Better still, read reviews to familiarize yourself with other users’ experience to enable you choose and buy the highest quality.
It is good to note that if you buy the soap online as a fair trade product, this goes a long way in supporting the women who make it and the communities in the countries where it is made.
Some major brand that do this include Sundial Brands, Nubian Heritage, Tropical Naturals, Shea Radiance and Alaffia
African Black Soap Customer Reviews
People use the natural African black soap with various expectations and the results can be as different as any two skins can be. Regardless of this, customer reviews cannot go very far from the truth.
Many users of the black soap report great results with skin conditions such as cystic acne and maintenance of healthy and beautiful skin. Those who have used it to lighten their hyperpigmented skin report gradual but noticeable change. On the other hand, there are several complains about the soap triggering skin breakouts, not producing desired results, drying out the skin or smelling bad.
Other major complains include the alteration of the constituent ingredients, addition of fragrance and preservatives, the main culprits of irritation or adverse effects, and repackaging of original soaps into inferior brands.
How to Store the Black Soap?
This soap needs proper storage, failure to that, it will not last long. This is especially so for the soaps that contains glycerine, which absorbs moisture from the environment.
If you don’t store it well, it will likewise absorb moisture and disintegrate. As a good storing practice, find a wooden soap dish for putting it in. Make sure it drains and is dry when you store it .The soap should also not be left in water or wet places like your bathroom.
When the soap is exposed to air, it develops a small white film on it. So, if you buy the soap in bulk, store it in an airtight bag, make sure you only cut or remove the piece you need.
Conclusion
The African black soap is used for gradual skin lightening among a host of other benefits to the skin. Originally, it was meant for dealing with various skin conditions but it has been included into many people’s skin lightening regimens with time. Don’t expect it to lighten your skin overnight though; this one calls for patience and consistency before you can see results. Alternatively, there are other natural products that are specifically formulated for skin lightening. Should you want to try them out, check out our guide to the best natural skin lightening creams.