For hundreds of years, women of West Africa – particularly in Ghana – made and used a vegetable-based soap to gently cleanse skin and hair.
Made with secret recipes passed down from generation to generation, there are several formulations of African black soap on the market today that may add in oats, honey, or aloe. But the core ingredients of traditionally made African black soap include native plants like plantain skins, cocoa-pods, shea tree bark, or palm tree leaves.
Replacing your skin-care products with all natural African black-soap will give your skin the following amazing benefits.
1. Natural Skin Cleanser
African black soap is an effective topical cleanser. The lauric acid in palm kernel oil and coconut oil creates a nice lather and is naturally antimicrobial. Due to the presence of shea-butter and other moisturizers in African black soap, it will clean your face and body without stripping oils from the skin.
2.Fight Acne
In addition to the cleansing powers of lauric-acid, African black soap also contains other nutrients and fatty acids that make it a robust acne fighter. palm oil can help prevent and heal acne breakouts since it is rich in beta carotene, oleic acid and linoleic-acid. These fats also have anti-inflammatory properties that create an occlusive barrier that keeps moisture in.
3.Reduce Fine Lines & Wrinkles
Utilizing two ingredients that are frequently discarded as waste products, cocoa pods and plantain peels are both a rich source of antioxidants. Cocoa pods are composed of gallic acid, tannins, and catechins while plantain peels contain rutin, protocatechuic acid, and quercetin. Providing a diverse mix of phenolics and flanonoids that work in synergy with one another, African black soap can help fight free radical damage that contribute to the physical signs of aging.
4.Evens Skin Tone
Hyperpigmentation – or the darkening of an area of the skin – can be caused by sun damage, acne, inflammation, and other skin injuries that increase the production of melanin. Tyrosinase is an enzyme that helps regulate melanin; if tyrosinase is not functioning properly in the body, it allows melanin to increase unchecked. This can result in dark circles under the eyes, liver spots, and other patches of discoloured skin.
5.Treat Eczema
Marked by dry, red, sensitive, and itchy skin, eczema symptoms can be swiftly treated with African black soap. Free of artificial chemicals that can irritate sensitive skin, African black soap is enriched with plenty of things that can counter inflammation and add moisture to the epidermis. Coconut oil, shea butter, and red palm-oil, in particular, provide deep hydration while soothing the swelling and pain that often accompanies an eczema flare-up.
6.Minimize Scars & Blemishes
The unique combination of ingredients in African black soap also means it is excellent for reducing the appearance of acne scars, evidence of past skin wounds, and stretch marks. Shea butter is a well-regarded ointment for repairing skin tissue and boosting collagen-production. Red palm oil is a good source of vitamin-E, a crucial element for the maintenance of healthy skin.