Black soap

Be careful not to confuse the two types of black soap! Even if they are similar in colour and texture, they do not have the same composition. The black soap for body care is made from a paste of olives (crushed and macerated olives) in salt and potash (potassium olivate). It is found in the form of a soft, darker or lighter brown paste. The household liquid black soapIt is composed of potash and any kind of fat, olive oil, linseed oil, glycerine, etc.

To recognise a good soap and to know if it is of good quality, you must first check its appearance. The cosmetic black soapThe oil must be of good quality and have a compact texture. Its colour should be more or less dark, depending on the oil used. As for its smell, it should not be too strong! Many additives can be used: antibacterial agents, essential oils, moisturising agents, etc.

MANUFACTURING

Like all soaps, black soap is obtained by saponification. The materials needed to make black soap are palm oil and potash (KOH). A mixture of palm oil and oils macerated in salt and potash is used. The formulas vary but the basic elements are always the same. It is therefore an entirely natural substance.

The making black soap is the result of a slow and non-reversible transformation called hydrolysis or saponification. What is saponification? In short, it is a chemical reaction that resembles neutralisation but where the acid is an organic fat and the products are a non-neutral salt and glycerine: base + fat (acid) = soap + glycerine. This chemical transformation, which takes place at a temperature of between 80 and 100°C, is carried out in several phases: emulsion, self-catalysis, then slow saponification. At the end of this transformation, the ingredients used have disappeared.

This saponification process produces a mixture of potassium carboxylates, which constitute the soap, and glycerol or glycerine (a by-product of this reaction). The black soap thus obtained is an oily, vegetable scrubbing paste that is perfectly smooth. Its consistency makes it look like honey. As for its colour, it varies from green, dark brown to black. This depends on the oil used and the manufacturer.

Black soap is an oily vegetable scrub paste obtained by saponification. A mixture of potassium carboxylates and vegetable fat. A chemical reaction that resembles neutralisation but where the acid is an organic fat and the products are a non-neutral salt, and shea. Potash (KOH) base with fat (acid) makes soap with shea butter Ingredients: Virgin palm nut pulp, shea butter, plantain skin and dried cocoa.