African Black Soap Is a Next-Level Cleanser—Here's What You Need to Know

A bar of African black soap on a sage green background

Liz deSousa for BYRDIE

Whether you're looking to fade dark spots, even skin texture, reduce inflammation, or deeply exfoliate, African black soap is the powerhouse face and body cleanser you need to add to your shower. Made from the ashes of plantain skin, cocoa pod, palm leaves, and palm oil from leaves or kernels, many have revered African black soap for having skin-nourishing benefits due to an abundance of antioxidants. 

"Ghanaians, Nigerians, and other African countries have used black soap for many years," explains Otu, founder of Coco Nyle Skin. "African Black Soap originated with the Yoruba people in Nigeria and the Yoruba communities in Benin and Togo. Moreover, the soap holds great influences in different parts of Africa, which has led to it being attached to various names such as, ose dudu, alata samina, anago samina, and many more."

To help integrate African black soap into your regular skincare routine, we tapped board-certified dermatologists Hadley King, MD and Jessica Weiser, MD, as well as Otu.

Read on for expert advice on how to use and reap the benefits of this one-of-a-kind cleanser.

Meet the Expert

  • Hadley King, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and a Clinical Instructor of Dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
  • Jessica Weiser, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Columbia University.
  • Nana Otu is the founder of Coco Nyle Skin.

What Is African Black Soap?

African black soap (also known as black soap) is a plant-based cleanser, traditionally handmade using natural ingredients derived from West Africa.

African Black Soap


Type of ingredient:
Cleanser.

Main benefits: Improves skin tone, reduces inflammation, deeply cleansing.

Who should use it: In general, African black soap can be used by all skin types but could irritate dry or sensitive skin.

How often can you use it: Can be used daily but may need to slowly incorporate into a routine.

Works well with: Sunscreen and moisturizers containing humectants, emollients, and occlusives.

Don't use with: Could be irritating if used with chemical exfoliants.

How Is It Made?

The meticulous process of creating African black soap begins with sun-drying plantain peels. "The skin of palm leaves and cocoa pods are then baked in a clay oven to produce ash," says Otu. "Then, water is added to the ashes and filtered. Ingredients like shea butter, coconut, palm kernel, and cocoa butter are heated, added, and hand-stirred for 24 hours." The soap will then solidify, rise to the top of the mixture, and set for about two weeks before it's ready to be used in liquid or bar soap form, as a mask, or in moisturizer.

Benefits of African Black Soap

Black soap is packed with bacteria-fighting oils and phytochemicals found in plants, which, according to a 2018 study, gives it deeply cleansing and nourishing properties for nearly all skin types. Here are all the benefits:

  • Protects against photoaging and fades discoloration: Black soap may help shed darkly pigmented skin cells caused by UV damage while also preventing further photoaging. Antioxidants in black soap may protect the skin from free radical damage, which is a cause of premature skin aging, wrinkles, and facial lines. "Unstable atoms with unpaired electrons are called free radicals," explains King. "Electrons like to be in pairs, so these unstable atoms scavenge the body to seek out other electrons so they can become a pair. This causes damage to cells, proteins, and DNA. And this damage can lead to inflammation, aging, and even cancer. The skin is constantly exposed to free radicals from UV radiation and pollution."
  • Improves skin tone: Many users report that black soap firms and tones skin and improves skin texture for more supple and glowing skin. Weiser says the charcoal-like plantain leaves aid in cell turnover and exfoliation. "Additionally, vitamin A gradually turns over the skin surface cells to reveal fresh skin cells, which will also brighten and even skin tone," she adds.
  • Reduces inflammation and skin irritations: Black soap may help reduce inflammation and skin irritations, soothing dry and irritated skin, and relieving dry patches, rashes, and red areas.
  • Helps to heal problem skin: Combining vitamin A and physical exfoliation might help ease the symptoms of skin conditions like acne. Anecdotally, users have said that black soap helps lessen, treat, and clear their acne and eliminates their blackheads, psoriasis, and eczema. Antibacterial action may help control acne and eczema, while shea butter, cocoa, and coconut oil could help moisturize and soothe psoriasis and eczema.
  • Has deep cleansing action: Black soap may effectively remove makeup because of the oils and butters. "By the principle of like dissolves like, the oil components help to dissolve oils. It also gently exfoliates, which helps to cleanse the skin and remove debris," King says. It's also a great option for shampooing your hair, especially if you're prone to lots of build-up and scalp issues.
  • Alleviates razor bumps: Men often use it when shaving because of its high shea butter content meant to protect the skin. Exfoliation also helps free trapped hairs under the skin, while sulfur is meant to soothe post-shaving irritation. Austin-based dermatologist Adam Mamelak, MD, adds that the moisturizing effect will soften the hair and, therefore, make shaving more manageable.
  • Promotes faster hair growth: Black soap may also help increase hair growth due to its high clarifying powers. A clean scalp free of debris and build-up is better primed for hair growth.
  • Exfoliates: The ashes in black soap might provide physical exfoliating properties to remove dead skin cells, potentially improving fine lines, softening, and rejuvenating rough skin.

Byrdie Tips

Those with sensitive or eczema-prone skin should use caution when considering African black soap because the vitamin A and exfoliating properties could trigger irritation.

Common Ingredients in Black Soap

  • Plantain skins and leaves have a high concentration of iron and vitamins A and E. Vitamin E helps with tissue structure, is healing, and helps moisturize the skin, improving texture and tone. Vitamin A benefits collagen production. Allantoin in the leaves of plantain stimulates the growth of new skin cells.
  • Cocoa powder softens and firms the skin. Its properties fight against free radicals, repair damaged skin, and renew skin cells. 
  • Cocoa butter is a natural fat extracted from the cacao bean. It’s been used for years as a moisturizer. It's vitamin-rich and helps the skin retain moisture and improves elasticity. Cocoa butter is also said to improve the appearance of stretch marks. It has also been used to ease skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and other rashes.
  • Shea butter (karite butter), made from the nuts of the karite tree,helps to strengthen skin and repair damage. It has been used to heal burns, sores, and scars and to treat psoriasis and eczema. It also helps promote cell renewal.
  • Palm oil is packed with antioxidants and two forms of vitamin E—tocopherol and tocotrienol—which is helpful in the treatment of acne and eczema and reduces cell damage caused by environmental toxins and free radicals.
  • Palm kernel oil is extracted from the fruit seeds of the African palm tree. It is high in lauric acid, which has anti-fungal and antibacterial properties.
  • Coconut oil has fatty acids that work to reinforce the skin’s lipid barrier and lock in moisture. Coconut oil may also help repair skin damage, dry skin, and eczema and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Side Effects of African Black Soap

African black soap may be rough and could cause irritation, dry skin, stinging, burning, or breakouts in sensitive skin or if used too frequently. Because it's formulated with plant-based ingredients, there is also always the possibility of allergies.

While some with eczema may see improvement in symptoms with African black soap, Weiser is weary to suggest it to her patients. "I do not recommend the use of African black soap for eczema because most atopic patients have a compromised skin barrier that could be aggravated by some components of the soap." As such, she suggests doing a patch test for a few days before fully incorporating it into a routine.

How to Use It

Before applying the soap to larger sections of your body, patch-test the product (especially if you have sensitive skin) to ensure there are no adverse reactions. To cleanse, lather the soap in your hands before applying it to your body. Your skin may feel tight after cleansing with black soap, so have a moisturizer handy.

Is It Safe to Use Every Day?

To avoid the aforementioned irritations, start by using African black soap slowly, easing it up to daily use. Otu says, "Try to use it about two to three times a week alongside a gentler cleanser." As a deep cleanser and exfoliator, be cautious and pay attention to your skin's response. If you experience irritation that persists or worsens, consult a board-certified dermatologist.

Article Sources
Byrdie takes every opportunity to use high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
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