Monday, July 12, 2010

African Black Soap - An Email Asking For Help

I received this email and I am hoping some of you might have pointers for this fellow soap maker. I don't know much about African Black soap, so I don't know if re-batching is the same... Please leave a comment if you have any pointers at all.

So far my soap making experience has been limited to making pure olive oil soap. But recently I've discovered a great product. It's called African Black Soap. It has really cleared up my skin. Anyhow supposedly you can melt it and add things to it (mill it) Could someone give me a few pointers? Thanks so much.

Thank you all for being so generous with your help, as always!!
xo Jo

9 comments:

Alishia said...

Is it the african black soap from coastal scents? even if it's not..I have the african black soap, and i tried melting it and it was disgusting. it didn't melt, my microwave smelt like crap, and i just became this hard substance of....not soap? I had to scrape it out of the bowl as it hardened. I'm not sure if all do this..but i know mine did. hope it helps.

Ginamonster said...

I don't know, but I just read up on the ingredients and if she would like to buy what I have in stock (bought a lot of soapmaking goods) she is welcome to it, I just checked the ingredients and cannot touch it; I am allergic to bananas!!

I would think though that rather than using it like melt and pour it would need to be rebatched.

Clare Marie said...

I'm eagerly waiting to try ABS myself so can only comment on what I have read online, and that is that people are using it as an additive in new batches - like one would bevellings .. So at a guess milling would be possible ?!

Oh, and on Youtube there are a few video's showing how people dissolve it in water, add some extras, and use it as a liquid shampoo/body wash etc ..

Jackie said...

There was a guy at my market selling this last year so I get asked for it lot. I've never made it as the recipe is a little odd. This link might help http://www.ehow.com/way_5332113_african-black-soap-recipes.html
Best of luck
Jackie
Windmill Hill Soap

Clare Marie said...

Just occurred to me to direct you to Akua @ Shea Butter Cottage - she'll have all the answers ;)

Sergio said...

Here, there are a spanish post about african soap. Maybe you can ask to Marta how she made...
http://labombolladelarciris.blogspot.com/2010/06/jabon-negro.html

KaytiBear said...

Thanks so much for all your comments. I have been searching the web for recipes and am excited to try rebatching it. I also emailed Anne Marie at Brambleberry to see if she had any suggestions

Amanda said...

I use and sell a lot of ABS. Mine is very soft and smells very 'organic'. It is as I said very soft and pliable so you can cut it into chunks and then when you make a batch of cp soap..just toss the chunks in..it will add its benefits to the soap..so its good for facial soap or acne soap to add bits to it..If I am bored and watching tele I will just sit and crumble it up into bits like on apple crumble and add it to soap after I have poured it also. It melts VERY easy so you can not leave it sit in any water. You can easily make it liquid by adding say 20gms of ABS to a 250ml hand pump bottle..and just filling it with water..looks like mud. You will see it settle if the bottle is clear..so just give a quick shake and use it, easy..its great this way for a facial wash. Anyway..hope it helps..a lot of people sell Black soap that ISN'T African Black Soap, which is a shame as this stuff is fantastic for those with eczema and psoriasis etc..but the fake one isn't.

heidilady said...

I used to by my ABS from a lady from Ghana and her family would make it an send it to her here along with raw shea butter. They made it traditionally with plantain ash. It was grey and very ugly looking. She called it dudu soap. It was very scratchy/exfoliating, thus good for excema, etc. I would rebatch it by adding it to hot water and putting it in squeeze bottles. I did not find it to make a successful shampoo, but I never had complaints from any of my customers who bought it in liquid form.