Shea butter soap aka african black soap

[bubudi]

burkinabe recipe:

shea butter (2 scoops)
coconut oil (1 scoop)
water (2 scoops)
silicate ('slightly')
caustic soda ('enough')
soap powder ('a little')
perfume ('until "oh la la!"')

pour portions of the mixture into a mold (will harden in the mold). the soap powder just improves the mixture a little as the silicate, caustic soda and oils are enough by themselves to make soap. try natural essential oils instead of the perfume, but that may alter the setting time.

[Rhythm House Drums]

Is this the "black soap", or is it something different?

[Paul]

What kinda aussie bloke are you?

[bubudi]

What kinda aussie bloke are you?

Is this the "black soap", or is it something different?

yes, one of the types of black soap (malinke: safina; yoruba: ose dudu). the shea butter does give it the brown colour. real african black soap is usually not black! the colour varies from light brown to dark brown. the darker types tend to contain ashes made from plaintain leaves or skins, shea bark, or cocoa pods which gives it alkalinity in place of the other ingredients mentioned in the recipe above. it's a more natural soap this way, but can take longer to get the consistency. in africa the mixture is stirred by hand for several hours and then left two weeks to cure prior to use!

other common ingredients include camwood extract, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter, honey, lime juice and aloe vera. the coastal ones tend to contain more coconut oil, while the ones from the savannah contain more shea butter. camwood also darkens the soap.

black soap is very rich and people swear by it for curing aggressive acne, eczema and other skin problems. in africa, mothers use it to wash their newborn babies, which goes to show that properly applied, it's mild and suitable for all skin types. wet your face with cold water, wet the soap under cold water, obtain a small amount in your hand, lather it up and then re-dilute it on your hands. apply gently to your face (no harsh scrubbing). the natural oils will improve and protect your skin, while the natural saponins will cleanse it.

i also haven't seen a recipe for raw african black soap. i guess those who make their livelihood from making and selling it wouldn't want to give the recipe away. but i'm gonna pass on a recipe that was given to me!

a handful of cocoa pods
3 pieces of shea bark
skin of one plantain
1 cup palm oil
3/4 cup shea butter
fragrance or essential oils

equipment:
old cooking pot (non-alluminium, not to be reused for culinary purposes)
2 containers (not to be reused for culinary purposes)
large spoon (non-alluminium)
soap molds
rubber gloves
protective eyewear
apron

caution: ashes mixed with water make lye and its alkalinity will burn your skin on contact! in diluted form with the other ingredients it is safe to use but when dealing with the lye and soap mixture make sure you use protective equipment.

take the cocoa beans out of their pods. roast both them, the pods, plantain skin and shea bark (ideally use a portable stove outside) in the pot on low-medium heat until ash is formed. wear protective equipment. carefully add 2 cups water and bring the mixture to boil, then lower the heat. once ashes have dissolved, carefully strain the solution through a fine strainer and set aside. put the palm oil in the other double boiler and heat it to about 35°C. carefully mix in the ash water and stir until the mixture is smooth. after 45 minutes you will start to see froth form up the top. keep scooping this into a cooling container until nearly all the water has evaporated from the pot. this froth will become your black soap. remove the pot from heat. after froth has partially cooled, add fragrance or essential oils, pour into molds and allow to cure for 2 weeks before removing from the molds.

[bubudi]

there is a rhythm from the southern part of malinke territory called safinamalon, meaning 'black soap gift'. it's played at a mini-fete of the same name, as part of the pre-wedding festivities.

how about we study that rhythm as january's rhythm of the month?

[Dugafola]

there is a rhythm from the southern part of malinke territory called safinamalon, meaning 'black soap gift'. it's played at a mini-fete of the same name, as part of the pre-wedding festivities.

how about we study that rhythm as january's rhythm of the month?

safinamalo is a Bolo jam. i got to play a couple safina wedding fetes my last time in guinea with him.

[michi]

there is a rhythm from the southern part of malinke territory called safinamalon, meaning 'black soap gift'. it's played at a mini-fete of the same name, as part of the pre-wedding festivities.

how about we study that rhythm as january's rhythm of the month?

Sound good to me, as long as it's not too bubbly!

Cheers,

Michi.

[bubudi]

i got to play a couple safina wedding fetes my last time in guinea with him.

cool. is there any recording where you can hear the rhythm? or have you got a recording you could post a short extract from?

[Trog]

I found this site and thought it was interesting.It is about different oils and butters with some recipes.
http://www.thesage.com/catalog/FixedOil.html

[ubba]

In my town lives a woman from Ghana, she makes her own shea butter, great stuff it really helps my hands and feet. After she told me about all the benefits of black soap which she makes as well I bought some. All excited to reap the benefits of my new bar of soap I pulled off my clothes and jumped in the shower wetting down my skin, scalp and unusual looking new bar of beneficial health providing soap. As I inspected the wet black soap I noticed what appeared to be ashes from something burned down and while rubbing the soap over my body I got scratched up making me pause for a closer inspection of my newest health product, (I'm sticking with a multi-vitamin). I turned the soap around a few times in my hand while digging into it with my nails to figure out what was scratching me and out came a few small pieces of presumably wood and tiny sticks...I'll stick with here shea butter for now and axe the black soap.

[bubudi]

ubba

that's classic! yes, the raw stuff does have pieces of shea pods, cocoa bark, etc.. (see recipe above) it's a natural product. i should probably have mentioned that using a washcloth or lathering it in your hands is preferable over rubbing the bar of soap directly on your body. dave chapelle did a funny sketch about people rubbing the bar of soap directly on your body vs using a washcloth. you can also buy black soap as a liquid, free from pieces!

remember, no harsh scrubbing, and dilute it plenty, whichever form you use.

[michi]

I turned the soap around a few times in my hand while digging into it with my nails to figure out what was scratching me and out came a few small pieces of presumably wood and tiny sticks...

Maybe it's a good thing you didn't look any closer. People are known to have made soap out of all sorts of raw materials…

Michi.