DIY Blogs

Baraka's shea butter is handmade by women producer groups at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana. Here is the business behind it: how buying it helps women in Ghana, who makes it, why ethically sourced shea butter costs more, what Baraka invests in producers, and how the butter is traded.

A certificate of analysis reports measured results for one batch of shea butter. This guide explains what a shea butter COA contains and how to read it, the specifications formulators need, the fatty acid profile, and why unrefined batches vary, with how Baraka's handmade butter is tested.

Shea butter works on low porosity hair in small amounts on damp strands, and on high porosity hair as a seal after water. Here's how much to use, how to clear and avoid buildup, and how to use it on 4C hair and locs, with Baraka's unrefined shea butter, handmade at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana.

Shea butter and beef tallow are both rich, occlusive fats for dry skin. Here is how they compare on what they are made of, what the research shows, greasiness and use on the face, and why shea butter is the plant-based alternative to tallow.

Grainy shea butter is not spoiled or fake. Its fats set into crystals of different sizes when it melts and cools slowly, often after heat in shipping or a warm room. Here is why it happens, how to tell grainy from gone off, and how to melt it fully and cool it fast so it sets smooth.

Moroccan black soap, or savon beldi, is an olive-oil hammam paste. West African black soap is an ash-and-oil cleanser. They share a name and little else. This article sets out the differences so you can tell which one you are actually buying.

A complete home method for making liquid African black soap from crumbled base or a grated bar. Covers water ratios, the overnight soak, skimming and straining, a second extraction, herbal variations, and how to adjust thickness for hand wash, body wash or hair.

How Baraka's African black soap is tested, and what the numbers mean for a buyer. Covers Ghana Standard GS 289:2021, the parameters the Ghana Standards Authority measures, how to read a certificate of analysis, and what a national standard does and does not certify.

Discover how to create natural skincare for pregnancy and baby with tools already in your kitchen. Learn proper techniques to preserve the beneficial properties of Baraka's traditionally processed, traceable ingredients.

Everything you need to make whipped shea butter at home: the technique, equipment, ratios for different textures, troubleshooting graininess and deflation, and how to build on the base method with five whipped shea variations.

This week's from our hands... feature is Katja Orel of Wild for Nature in Slovenia, who creates custom body butters, lip balms, hand creams, and hair masks with shea butter — and shares her #1 tip for anyone starting out with DIY skincare.

Discover the wisdom of minimalist skincare with Baraka's traditionally processed butters. Learn how single-ingredient applications provide complete care for both mother and baby, offering clarity, confidence, and profound connection to nature's perfect formulations.