Why is African Black Soap called Black Soap?

October

2022

We are often asked, Why is African Black Soap called Black Soap?

The most common answer is that it is because of the dark colour given from the ash of locally harvested plants and peels that are used to create natural sodium hydroxide, which breaks the molecules of the oils and butters apart and bonds with them to create a new compound called Soap!

As with many traditional products there are a number of stories and schools of thought about the origin of the product and its name. The most commonly accepted seems to be that it comes from the Yoruba Peoples of Nigeria.

It became popular across West Africa because it could easily be made with locally available materials and quickly became known for the benefits it provided to skin health, especially to oily and acne-prone skin.

In recent years its benefits have been ‘discovered’ in North America and Europe and it is enjoying increasing popularity stemming from its skin-care properties as well as the fact that most Black Soaps are traditionally hand-crafted by women in local communities.

At Baraka we have several varieties and variations on Black Soap including Black Soap Bars, Black Soap Body Wash, Black Soap Crumbs that you can use to make your own custom black soap products, and Baraka Black Soap Beauty Paste. You can also check out the full Black Soap collection here.

All Baraka Black Soap products are hand-crafted using traditional methods by hard-working Ghanaian women. To learn more about what this means to them and their families and the impact it has visit the Your Impact section of our website.