Definition

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African black soap

noun

/blak sōp/

A traditional soap made from plant ash and vegetable matter, originating in West Africa. </aside>

Source

📷 Taken by the author. Featuring Dudu-Osun (Tropical Naturals).

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In the shade of a name

Is Black Soap named after its color? Partly, yes—but not entirely.

The term “black” is often attributed to the ashes of locally harvested plants used in its making.

Across the African continent, where nearly 2,000 languages are spoken, its is likely that each region baptized this beloved soap of the west in its own tongue.

To unify the naming across such diverse geographies and dialects, it is likely that a more general term—Black Soap—emerged as a kind of linguistic common ground.

Source

📷 Photo by Pixabay on Pexels, cropped by the author.

📷 Photo by Pixabay on Pexels, cropped by the author.

The earth tone spectrum

At first glance, Black Soap lives up to its name. But upon closer look, its color tells a different story. Black soap comes in different hues ranging from beige to brown or even pitch black. The color of the finished product depends largely on the method of preparation.

African white soap

Just like black soap, white soap is an ash-derived cleanser that contains a higher concentration of cocoa pod ash. Some may use industrial lye derived from natural ingredients in their recipe for this soap; however, the rest of the ingredient list is the same—water and additional butters such as shea and palm.

It is often used for skin brightening and is found in West African countries such as Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.