Black or African soap from the Hammams of Morocco: where to buy it and how to use it
Black soap, also known as African or Moroccan soap, is a soap with incredible properties and many uses. Typical of the Hammam, where it is still used to exfoliate the skin, it has been prepared for centuries in West Africa. It is, in fact, a real tradition of Moroccan culture linked to cleansing the body.
Black soap, with its pasty consistency, is obtained from black olive oil to which water and minerals are added. It comes both in solid blocks and in the form of a soft and spreadable paste and has a very dark color, tending to black, with amber reflections and a spicy fragrance. Today, then, it is also possible to find it liquid.
Before discovering its properties together, where to buy it and how to use it, let yourself be inspired by these particular (and brilliant) uses of the soap you already have at home:
The properties of black or African soap
Characterized by an almost buttery consistency, different from that of a common soap, black soap is used to gently eliminate the superficial layer of dead cells present on the skin of the body and with beneficial effects on the brightness of the epidermis, without greasing or irritating it. but by cleaning it deeply and making it nice and smooth.
Its special composition makes it more like a cream that should be applied and massaged all over the body. In addition to cleansing the skin, black soap oxygenates it and activates blood and lymphatic circulation.
Its antioxidant and protective action against free radicals that can cause premature aging of the skin is also important. Finally, an antibacterial action is added that helps prevent acne and skin imperfections. It also leaves a pleasant exotic scent.
Check out the black soap options available on Amazon.
Moroccan black soap: how to use it, from the Hammam to cleaning the house
Black soap, used for centuries in the Moroccan Hammam to cleanse the body, can now give us a beneficial and purifying practice even at home. It can be effectively used, for example, for facial cleansing. Just distribute it with your fingertips, massaging gently for a few minutes and then rinse. But be careful to avoid the most delicate area around the eyes!
To perform a body scrub with black soap, it is sufficient to lather the damp skin, after a very hot shower, leave the foam to act for about five minutes and rinse with hot water, then pass the exfoliating glove (known by the Moroccan name of "kassa") with light circular massages.
Finally, you can also use black soap as a solid shampoo, particularly suitable if you have a delicate, sensitive or basically oily scalp. It is important, however, to make sure that the chosen black soap is original, produced exclusively with natural ingredients and without the addition of perfumes, chemical additives or other substances.
As versatile and effective as it is, black soap can also be used for house cleaning! It is used to degrease panniers and ovens, clean windows without rinsing, remove tar stains, scrape oil paint and brushes.
But that's not all: it deeply cleans and sanitizes all floors and surfaces, makes it shine, nourishes and protects slates, marble and terracotta in particular.
For fabrics, then, black soap works even better than Marseille soap as a pre-wash stain remover where the most resistant grease needs to be removed. It can also be used in the washing machine instead of the usual detergent. The average dilution as a detergent is 2 tablespoons of black soap per 5 liters of water.
Black soap: where to buy it, solid or liquid
You can buy black soap at some health clubs, spas, hammams or spas. You can also buy it on the internet, find or order it in herbalist's shops and organic products stores, as well as in some beauty centers.
On the market there are different types, from the most traditional and solid to the liquid form, based on the use you want to make of it.
Finally, remember that the well-being of the skin also depends on nutrition. Here are some foods that are good for your skin, you should never miss:
