CP soap hybrid African black soap

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Niecee

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Jun 6, 2020
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Location
Trinidad
Lately I've been see makers using african black soap crumbles in their cp soap. I'm curios to try, my issues is that crumbles aren't even a thing in Trinidad, I'm thinking about making a test batch to see how that works out.

I don't know if there's a difference in use crumbles as apposed to use black soap.
 
Coincidentally, I just made some yesterday (I wanted to try out my new dividers) and unmold and cut today. I'm a big Ravens football fan, and training camp just started, and this is the second year in a row I've made a "Ravens Soap." Their colors are purple, black, gold, and white.

I used Nurture colors - in retrospect I probably should have used activated charcoal instead of black mica, but whatever. It's scented with Nurture's Earth Meets Sky, a dupe of the Lush perfume Rentless (I have a bottle of Rentless, the dupe is pretty good).

I made sure the African Black soap was pulverized (I tried adding some once to some M&P, and the chunks were too big and the soap fell apart), and I love how it looks.


1659102327688.png
 
I don't know if there's a difference in use crumbles as apposed to use black soap.
"Crumbles" are simply a convenience. It's like purchasing a bag shredded cheese as opposed to purchasing a block of cheese and shredding it yourself.

As noted by @Obsidian, you can purchase a bar (or bars) of African Black Soap and then 'crumble' it yourself. Two brands that I have seen are from Baraka and Dudu Osun.
 
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"Crumbles" are simply a convenience. It's like purchasing a bag shredded cheese as opposed to purchasing a block of cheese and shredding it yourself.

As noted by @Obsidian, you can purchase a bar (or bars) of African Black Soap and then 'crumble' it yourself. Two brands that I have seen are from Baraka and Dudu Osun.
No, Dudu Osun is not African Black soap. It is just soap with a lot of black coloring and Palm Kernel oil. Baraka is the way to go.

ETA: If it is the link , yes, that is African Black soap from Bulk Apothecary but this is not African Black soap DUDU-OSUN BLACK SOAP 150g
 
Yep, that is very true about Dudo Osun. I used to purchase ABS soap in Los Angeles from importers by the block. Dudu is basically a manufactured charcoal soap nothing like village-made ABS. Before Covid you could buy anything in Los Angeles, CA...now my favorite importers are gone. 😭😭
 
Okay ladies (@Saponificarian and @cmzaha), you can back off now. I am been suitably chastised about revealing my ignorance of the subject and will now slink off to my little part of the world.
 
No, Dudu Osun is not African Black soap. It is just soap with a lot of black coloring and Palm Kernel oil. Baraka is the way to go.

@Saponificarian
Thank you very much for the explanation, I didn't know that and all the time I was thinking of Dudu Osun as a black African soap. And I didn't know either of Baraka soap which is definitely the one I have to look for 😉
 
You're excused.
You are simply ridiculous.

I can almost guarantee that @TheGecko was intending to be humorous. I grew up in a very sarcastic family so I know it when I see it. ;)
Well, I was brought up to say what you mean and mean what you say.

There is no tone to emails or posts so the onus is on @TheGecko to communicate the way she wants the message to be received. She was disrespectful and in the words of my people, if she comes for me, she will collect.
 
I didn't know that and all the time I was thinking of Dudu Osun as a black African soap.
But it is...mostly. I decided to do a bit of research in what qualifies as "African Black Soap" or "Black Soap" from Africa.

The first is the most obvious...that it is made in West Africa". According to the United Nations, Western Africa is made up of the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

African black soap or black soap, is also known by various local names as ose dudu, salbulun salo and ncha nkota. While Ghana has most certainly become famous for it, it originated with the Yoruba people of Nigeria. The simple fact is, each culture has its own name and own recipe, usually based on what is locally available.

This bring us to ingredients. It starts with the Lye Solution which is made with a 'potash' or 'pot ash'; plant or wood ash that is soaked in water. In the case of ABS, plants include plantain skins, palm tree leaves, cocoa pods and/or shea tree bark. It is then mixed with various oils and fats like coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel and shea butter.

And finally to the process. Until the advent of the Industrial Revolution and a couple of French chemist Nicholas Leblanc and Michael Chevreul who pretty much revolutionized soap making (hello cold process), it traditionally make via cooking the ingredients (aka Hot Process). In fact, "commercially" produced soap is still made with a form of 'hot process' call Continuous Process.

Is Dadu Osun an African Black Soap...yes. It is made in Nigeria, and it uses cocoa pod ash, palm bunch ash and camwood ash and local oils/butters. Is it a traditional African Black Soap...no. It has added ingredients like honey, aloe vera, lemon juice and fragrance and it is made in a factory.

Is Baraka Original Crumble Bar an African Black Soap...yes. It is made in Ghana and it uses cocoa pod ash, shea husk ash, shea butter and coconut oil. Is it a traditional African Black Soap...no. It might have once been, but according to the Baraka website it also contains Apricot Kernel Oil, Sweet Almond Oil and Kale. And it was probably made exactly the way they show it in the videos, but given the popularity, I have no doubt that the process has become more 'commercialized'.

I get that there are purist out there and I can respect that because I'm kind of old-fashioned/traditional about some things myself, but I'm also fairly pragmatic. I use goat milk straight from the goat...someone else uses powdered goat milk; does it make my GMS 'better'? No...it's still GMS. I know a gal who uses pure organic natural cane sugar in her sugar scrub...I just use my local store brand sugar 'cuz, ya know, I'm just slapping it on my arms to scrub dead skin off.
 

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