Jan
African Black Soap is an antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antiviral. It is a natural source of the vitamins A and E. It also contains iron oxides and it has natural healing properties. It is one of those lost hair “miracle growth” products. It doesn’t “magically” grow your hair or anything like that, but because of all of its healing vitamins and minerals, it makes it very hard for your hair not to thrive and grow in a nourished, clean and healthy environment. The black soap that I use is raw African black soap, 100% natural and it is free from chemicals, dyes, preservative sand synthetic fragrances so it is ideal for sensitive skin types.
It’s always fascinating for me to learn what people long ago used for soap, shampoo, moisturizers, etc because all of these things definitely did not contain any kind of chemicals whatsoever. Reading about what Cleopatra used to keep her skin flawless or what ancient Chinese women used to promote silky hair without any artificial ingredients is very inspiring for anyone who wants to be beautiful naturally.
What is African Black Soap?
Now, if you’re someone who’s interested in natural beauty, I’m sure you must have heard of a natural skin & hair cleansing ingredient known as African black soap. Just like its name suggests, it’s from Africa – ancient women from Ghana, Nigeria, and neighboring countries made this soap from all natural ingredients for clean, healthy & beautiful skin and hair! Let’s look at the ingredients in local handcrafted African black soap below!
Ingredients in Raw African Black Soap
Traditional African black soap made by local women is made from the following ingredients: plantain skin ashes, cocoa pod leaves/powder, palm leaves, palm oil/palm kernel oil & shea/cocoa butter. That’s it! Simple as it sounds, this natural soap only contains 5 basic ingredients that do an effective job of cleansing skin & hair without stripping off the skin’s natural oils like conventional soaps and shampoos do.
Other optional ingredients, such as honey, shea butter, cocoa butter, etc, may be added to make the soap more healing, cleansing and moisturizing.
The ingredients do to promote healthy skin:
Plantain & Palm Leaves– Has a high content of minerals and vitamins, such as iron and vitamin A & E, which are all vital for healthy skin. Vitamin E is known as the ‘skin protector’ and it is a powerful antioxidant while vitamin A boosts collagen production. These leaves also contain allatonin, which is also an ingredient in Shea butter that helps renew and regenerate skin cells thereby helping reduce scarring and blemishes.
Cocoa Pod – Rich in antioxidants that fight off premature aging and also contain anti-inflammatory properties that soothe eczema, acne & other inflammatory skin conditions. Also tones, firms and tightens skin as well as repairs & renews damaged cells.
Palm Kernel Oil/Palm Oil – Has a high content of lauric acid that is a potent antibacterial agent. Also contains two forms of vitamin E, tocopherol, and tocotrienol, that both ward off free radicals & UV damage as well as help in cell renewal and regeneration. Palm oil also has anti-inflammatory properties and is useful in treating eczema, psoriasis, and acne.
Shea/Cocoa Butter – Rich in vitamin A, E, K and essential fatty acids. Known to moisturize skin, fade dark marks, spots & acne scars as well as heal damaged skin, burns & sores. Also used to treat inflammatory skin conditions and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
As usual, before using African black soap, make sure you aren’t allergic to any of the ingredients it contains.
- Cleanses Skin
Just like any other soap, African black soap does an effective job of cleansing your skin, ridding it of dirt, grime, dead cells, excess sebum, and germs. However, unlike other soaps, African black soap does not completely strip your skin of its natural oils, thereby keeping it smooth and moisturized in addition to cleansing it.
- Good for Sensitive Skin Types
African black soap is a popular choice for those with sensitive skin types that are prone to redness, rashes, and other skin infections. If your skin reacts negatively to commercial soaps or even gentle soaps such as liquid castile soap, then you must try using African black soap. It contains absolutely no hidden ingredients that can irritate the skin.
- Soothes & Heals Eczema
The ingredients in African black soap have powerful anti-inflammatory properties which soothe and calm eczema. Instead of using harsh commercial soaps and body washes for eczema, lather up with African black soap instead and notice how soothed your skin feels afterward!
- Reduces Blemishes & Dark Spots
One of the miraculous properties of African black soap is its ability to reduce blemishes and even out skin discolorations. The nutrient-rich ingredients have something to do with this skin lightening effect. The pure oils and butter in African black soap are rich in vitamin A, E and essential fatty acids that help lighten discolorations and reduce scarring.
- Fights Facial & Body Acne
Need a gentle but effective cleanser for acne-prone skin? Then try out African black soap! It’s gentle, contains no chemicals and is a valuable acne-fighter! It’s also especially good for people with back acne. Use it twice a day to cleanse your face and body – in the morning and at night before bed for best results.
- Calms Psoriasis
Got dry, itchy and flaky psoriasis patches? Then quit using harsh body washes and cleansers that contain skin-irritating chemicals & fragrances and use African black soap instead. It’s gentle, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and has moisturizing properties as well.
- Reduces Oily Skin
The natural cleansing and exfoliating action of African black soap remove excess sebum from deep within the pores and on the skin’s surface.
- Minimizes Fine Lines & Wrinkles
Did you know that African black soap is rich in antioxidants? Ingredients, such as cocoa, are powerful antioxidants that ward off notorious free radicals that steal oxygen from healthy skin cells which cause them to become lifeless. Using African black soap helps keep away premature wrinkles and fine lines.
- Evens Out Dark Spots
The vitamin and mineral-rich ingredients in African black soap, such as plantain leaves & shea butter which are both rich in allatonin, help lighten and reduce dark spots and marks on the skin.
- Unclogs Blocked Pores
If you suffer from congested pores, use African black soap to deep cleanse and purify your skin from deep within without stripping natural oils.
- Helps Fade Acne Scars
Ingredients such as palm kernel oil as well as shea butter help moisturize skin and naturally lighten and fade out acne scars. Did you know that acne scars look more pronounced when the skin is dehydrated and flaky? Moisturizing helps reduce the appearance of acne scars and fades them faster. The exfoliating properties also help slough off dead skin that normally collects above the acne scar.
- Soothes Razor Bumps
Use African black soap during shaving to moisturize the skin thereby minimizing razor bumps. You can also use it after shaving to soothe & calm the red skin.
- Eliminates Fungal Skin Infections
African black soap has anti-fungal and antibacterial properties that fight off bacteria, fungus and other microbes that cause skin infections.
- Naturally, relieve sunburns
African black soap can naturally relieve sunburns. Sunburn is actually the result of sun radiations which damage the living tissues of the skin. It is caused by the overexposure to the sun. The ultraviolet radiations present in the sun are responsible for causing sunburns. The ultraviolet radiation present in the sun also is the major cause of skin tumors.
Too much tanning and excessively using hot saunas can predispose you sunburns and can also increase the risk of skin cancer. While tanning is relaxing and gives your body the tinge of your choice, but it’s dangerous too and caution should be observed while tanning. If you’ve suffered a skin burn after a tanning session at the beach, African black soap is the best thing you can try.
The plantain present in African Black soap is quite beneficial against sunburns. Just take the African black soap and gently apply it to the affected region. The anti-inflammatory properties present in African black soap will help against the rashes and antibacterial properties will help against itching.
- Helpful against insect bites
Insect bites are more common than you think. They can cause irritation in the affected region. Some stings can be quite painful and start an allergic reaction. Some biting insects include mosquitoes, fleas, bedbugs, and midges. Some insects like hornets and wasps have an extremely painful sting. The sting of many insects contains venom which causes irritation.
The part of the skin bitten by insect becomes quite red and swollen. The venom can also cause red marks and itchiness on the skin. This can be quite painful but is harmless. You will feel pain on the affected area for a few days. The severity of an insect bite usually varies and depends on the sensitivity of the person and the type of insect.
Certain ingredients like cocoa and plantain are present in African black soap which decrease the itching and the soreness which comes along with insect bites. Thus, the whole skin heals quickly.
- Quick healing of wounds
African black soap helps in the quick healing of different wounds present on the skin. Allantoin of African black soap acts as a germicide and has antibacterial properties in it. Thus, it helps in quick healing and it also fastens the process of synthesis of skin cells.
- Beneficial against rosacea
Use of African black soap helps tackle a lot of inflammatory skin conditions. One such inflammatory condition is rosacea. Rosacea is a skin condition which causes dilated blood vessels and redness on the facial skin and causes swelling. Rosacea can affect a person of every age, whether young or old. There are four subtypes of rosacea and three of these are related to the skin. This condition should be treated at once because it causes destructive consequences when left untreated. The use of steroids can cause further damage.
The plantain and palm tree leaves present in African black soap are quite helpful against these inflammatory conditions. The healing and regeneration of the cells are also reduced which prevents the spreading of the infection.
- Beneficial against rosacea
Use of African black soap helps tackle a lot of inflammatory skin conditions. One such inflammatory condition is rosacea. Rosacea is a skin condition which causes dilated blood vessels and redness on the facial skin and causes swelling. Rosacea can affect a person of every age, whether young or old. There are four subtypes of rosacea and three of these are related to the skin. This condition should be treated at once because it causes destructive consequences when left untreated. The use of steroids can cause further damage.
The plantain and palm tree leaves present in African black soap are quite helpful against these inflammatory conditions. The healing and regeneration of the cells are also reduced which prevents the spreading of the infection.
- Helpful against dandruff
Dandruff is the fungal infection of the scalp. The problem with dandruff isn’t that it is contagious; the main problem is that it cause a lot of embarrassment. It has been observed that dandruff affects almost half of the population in the USA. The age doesn’t matter. It can affect anyone at any age.
The dandruff severity changes with the passage of time and it becomes extremely harsh during the winter season. One thing that you should remember is that dandruff can only be controlled. It can never be totally cured. The main symptom of dandruff is itchiness in the head region. Some other symptoms are red and greasy patches of skin. There can be a number of causes of dandruff like dry skin, not shampooing often, and sometimes shampooing too often.
Dandruff can easily be controlled. You should try using African black soap instead of using typical shampoo brands. The plantain present in African black soap is hair friendly. The soap also has antifungal and antibacterial properties, which give relief against dandruff.
- Stretch marks reduced
Stretch marks are caused by the tearing of the superficial skin layers. They can become dim with the passage of time but never completely disappear. They are mainly caused due to fast weight changes and growth and are mostly affected by hormonal changes like puberty and bodybuilding. Stretch marks can also be formed on the belly during the last trimester of pregnancy. They can commonly occur on thighs, hip, breast and lower back. Firstly, they appear in the form of reddish lines and change their color after some time to a lighter range. The affected area might seem soft to touch.
Stretch marks are usually formed in the middle layer of the skin known as dermis and they are not formed until the dermis is fully functional. They sometimes pose a huge cosmetic problem as they don’t look good on your skin and they may also be itching. Again, you have two options here. Either you can go for expensive cosmetic cures or you can choose some easy to use, inexpensive and natural treatments that have no side effects. One such treatment is the use of African black soap.
Cocoa present in African black soap is helpful in reducing the stretch marks. Pregnant women should especially use African reduce marks to reduce the stretch marks developed due to pregnancy. There have been many cases where women have told that their stretch marks were reduced due to African black soap. You should buy it from the market and try it yourself if you are still not convinced.
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