The SkinticianSo your skin was doing just fine until the fall and winter season came around again, or was it that must-have curl poppin’ avocado oil co-wash? Whatever the trigger, it caused your well-managed eczema to flare up and this time with a vengeance. You’ve tried it all, the tried and true DIY overnight treatments, the hydrocortisone prescription medication your dermatologist prescribed,… ahem, years ago. But alas no change.
Yes, kinfolk, now it’s time to have a much-needed meeting with the Ancestors…
Hailing from the western shores of the Motherland, African Black Soap is the answer to managing sporadic eczema flareups stemming from your skin’s compromised barrier. Made from a well-known recipe of blended ashes from cocoa pods, plantain leaves, shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and palm oil, this soap is the best cleansing option for those with eczema and sensitive skin. This soothing blend of plant ashes is meant to calm irritated, inflamed skin and reduce the appearance of acne and eczema related scars.
Photo Credit: Lindie Wilton
Why It’s Good:
I can’t take credit for the soap’s formula as it is a well-known traditional recipe sourced directly from a number of West African countries and produced to order. This soap is a soft dark colored lump producing a rich, creamy lather meant to soothe irritated and inflamed skin. Since it’s crafted by the original tribes of West Africa and holds no artificial fragrances or dyes, you can be sure the NWÄR Skin’s African Black Soap is 100% natural and vegan.
How To Use:
Apply to dampened face or body, massaging with damp fingers in light, circular motions. Concentrate on areas of irritations and dryness. Rinse with cool water and follow up with a cream or oil-based moisturizer.
Ingredients:
(full list below)
Disclaimer: This traditional African Black Soap is sourced from a number of West African countries, with varying recipe ingredients. We cannot be 100% sure of the ingredients contained, their variation and amounts used to make the soap. Each batch is made to order and may or may not contain a variation of the following ingredients:
Aqua (Purified Water)
All traditional African Black Soap bars will have a water base. Meaning its the liquid of choice to mix and blend the following ingredients.
Palm Oil
For all you eczema sufferers out there, palm oil should be your go-to choice of skincare ingredients. Rich in beta carotene and vitamins A, C, and E, palm oil essentially manages to treat eczema single-handedly. These powerful antioxidants largely fight off free radicals and prevent damages to the skin’s surface caused by them. Double thumbs up since palm oil is a natural moisturizer for the skin and prevents bacteria causing acne.
Palm Kernel Oil
Not be confused with the aforementioned palm oil, palm kernel oil is derived from the palm fruit. In Nigeria, it’s hailed for its popular healing properties said to cure life-threatening illness and disease. Made up of mostly fatty triglycerides, saturated and unsaturated fats, this oil soothes and calms itchy skin. Is also rich in antioxidants such as vitamin E which helps to prevent premature aging and wrinkles; not that we are too concerned with those issues, but it’s an added bonus.
Coconut Oil
Nonscented coconut oil can be really friendly to eczema plagued skin. It’s been known to help keep the skin moisturized and heals wounds. The fatty acids in the oil are found to be antimicrobial which helps to kill harmful bacteria and keep acne at bay. This is a huge plus for those who experience frequent acne breakouts during an eczema flare-up.
Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter is here is the real MVP. It quite literally holds moisture in the skin by trapping water and other nutrients in the skin by creating a protective barrier, or thin film coating your melanated layer. This is what keeps the inflamed area(s) hydrated giving you instant relief from irritated and inflamed skin.
Unrefined Shea Butter
Here’s another ingredient we are all too familiar with and I am sure you know all too well it’s “magical” healing properties for the skin. But for those of you who don’t know, here’s the secret… shea butter is a gift from the gods. High in vitamins and nutrients, it’s extremely hydrating and moisturizing to the skin, especially in those dry, winter months. Derived from the sacred Butyrospermum Parkii or Vitellaria Paradoxa tree found growing in Central Africa, the nuts are slowly roasted to produce the butter used in everything from food preparation to hair and skincare. Here shea butter acts as another anti-inflammatory skin moisturizer and encourages cell turnover to keep skin looking youthful.
A blend of ashes from the following plants:
Shea Tree Bark
Derived from the aforementioned Vitellaria Paradoxa tree, the ashes from this tree’s bark are meant to help fortify the ashes of the cocoa pods and deliver a double dose of nutrients to the skin.
Banana Tree Leaves
Bananas are known to help eliminate skin irritation, heal wounds and reduce hyperpigmentation. It’s a popular plant of choice for many beauty treatments in West Africa and Southeast Asia since it’s rich in antioxidants and it helps keep the skin hydrated and youthful.
Cocoa Pods
After the seed removal from the cocoa pods, the shells are roasted to produce an organic form of lye. This chemical reaction is what creates the cleaning agent, lye, used in the soap and is an essential ingredient in giving the bar is “black” color. Sodium hydroxide or lye is mainly what makes this soap or any soap for that matter, well, soap. Most commercially sold soap bars have a synthetically derived lye while traditional African Black Soap lye is derived organically through the burning of plants, leaves, and stems.
Plantain Leaves
Much like its distant cousin, the banana leaf, plantain leaves work much in the same way for the skin but with a few more added benefits. Plantain leaves are germicidal and anti-bacterial making it effective at combating acne. It also helps to reduce the appearance of scars by regenerating skin cells and stimulating cell health.
So there’s the scoop on the NWÄR Skin’s African Black Soap. It’s simple yet effective, and I am super proud to be one of the few companies to bring the beauty remedies of the Motherland to our shores.
Have you recently used the African Black Soap? Tell me what you think in the comments below!
Looking to add this new product to your skincare routine. Buy it here!
My name is Chandra Davis and I am the owner of NWÄR STUDIOS, INC. and the creator of NWÄR Skin, Inc. I am also the sole author of the blog #ASKTHESKINTICIAN, LLC. and I am excited to share my knowledge, experience, and expertise on all things skincare as it relates to the melanin-rich. As the Skintician, it is my mission to create diversity and inclusion in an industry that has historically excluded people of color from the conversations of beauty.
