African Black (type) soap?

[ChinahSea]

Lately, I've developed an interest in African Black Soap. I found a video on Soapmaking 101 about making a type of this soap, but unsure if that is the recipe I want to use. I've found others, but they don't seem quite right for me.
Does anyone happen to have a recipe for an African Black (type) soap - or know where I might find one? I have looked around here, but haven't found a recipe. Just people discussing the soap itself. To be clear... I will not be selling it (I don't sell my soaps). Just for personal use :grin:

 

[Lindy]

The real recipe is a closely guarded secret.... sorry I can't be more help. I do believe that burned plantain skins are involved....

 

[ChinahSea]

Hi Lindy,
I know it's hard to get an exact recipe, because I don't think one exists. They use whatever is available where they are and it changes from area to area. Yes, plaintain skin is used.... I think I'm about to improvise the best I can. FIRST, have to figure out how to dry the skins. The video is pretty good... Maybe I'll post pics when I'm done .

 

[SoapPapaw]

African Black Soap

I found this recipe online

African Black Soap

This recipe is as it is made in Africa.

Ingredients:
Handful of Cocoa Pods
3 pieces of Shea Bark
Skin of one Plantain
1 cup Palm Oil
3/4 cup Unrefined Shea Butter
Fragrance or Essential Oils

Directions:
Ash mixed with water become lye. So wear protective equipment and handle this with the same care given to any other cold process soap recipe.

Remove the cocoa beans from their pods. Roast the pods, plantain skin and shea bark in the pot on low-medium heat until ash is formed, preferably outside. 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. Place the palm oil in another 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 on the top. Scoop 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 the froth has partially cooled, add fragrance or essential oils, pour into molds and allow to cure for 2 weeks. Remove from molds and the soap is ready for use.


Rainforest Body Oil

Ingredients:
2 ounces Tamanu Oil
1/2 Ounce Acai Berry Oil
1/2 ounce Andiroba Oil
1/2 ounce Brazil Nut Oil
1/2 ounce Passion Flower Oil
10-25 drops Essential Oils (optional)

Directions:
Combine oils and essential oils. To use, apply a small amount directly to the skin.

 

[melstan775]

put the skins in a dehydrator, whe nthey are dry dry dry, take them out, pound them with a mortar and pestle.

 

[ChinahSea]

Hi PaPaw..
This is AWESOME!! I think I will print this out and keep stashed away!! Where did you find this?! I've looked and looked...

 

[ChinahSea]

Melstan... THANK YOU!! I was at a total loss with the silly skins!! I didn't know whether to put in oven, fire - don't want to play with fire, ... Perfect !!

 

[SoapPapaw]

Hi PaPaw..
This is AWESOME!! I think I will print this out and keep stashed away!! Where did you find this?! I've looked and looked...

http://bonniebathblog.blogspot.com/
Check out her finished soaps.

 

[Mockingbird Ramble]

What is abs supposed to do? There is a ton of hype about it.

 

[Loolee]

Its a very drying soap. They make all kinds of claims about its healing ability and it supposed to be good to use for poison ivy. I just found it drying.

ChinahSea, what video did you watch?

 

[Mockingbird Ramble]

Sounds interesting, I have oily skin and found oil cleansing works amazing.

 

[hoegarden]

wow... the soaps are sooooooooooooooooooo nice... and look delicious... thanks for sharing the blog..

 

[DeeAnna]

put the skins in a dehydrator, whe nthey are dry dry dry, take them out, pound them with a mortar and pestle.

I really think you need ashes for this recipe. For one thing KOH cannot be leached out of unburned skins, bark, etc. Also the ashes will add carbon, which brings its own properties to the recipe, as well as minerals characteristic of the raw materials used to make the ashes. I am not at all sure you will get the soap you are looking for by using unburned materials.

 

[ChinahSea]

SoapPawPa.... OMG!! All those soaps are so pretty!!!!

 

[ChinahSea]

ChinahSea, what video did you watch?

I really like Soaping 101 videos. This is the one that I found. Clearly not going to be able to make an actual African Black Soap, but I can make a 'wanna be' recipe. LoL!!
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcacseTN7ic[/ame]

 

[soapsalot]

I went to a store that carried actual potash...and very dark black soap. I have about 50lbs of shea so I can't wait to experiment. I brought a fist sized bag of potash.

 

[Soapman Ryan]

I purchased a bar of African Black Soap to give it a try. The firmness of the bar is soft. It's malleable with the hands. I would like to try to make a soft bar using standard soaping ingredients. What number should I aim towards hardness on soapcalc? Even though I make a bar with the minimum hardness number, 29, would it stay as a soft bar after curing?

 

[Lindy]

No it just increases the time to cure. If you wanted to make something softer take a look at Cream Soap and play with the numbers there to make it firmer. For instance reduce the amount of KOH you use in comparison to the NaOH....

 

[Soapman Ryan]

No it just increases the time to cure. If you wanted to make something softer take a look at Cream Soap and play with the numbers there to make it firmer. For instance reduce the amount of KOH you use in comparison to the NaOH....

Thanks Lindy,
I was afraid of that. I'll research cream soaps.

 

[Lindy]

Ryan I think that may be want the Plantain ashes bring to the party as they are going to be a raw version of KOH....