It is an everyday cleanser for face and body. Black soap is traditionally used in Ghana to wash both skin and hair, and many people use Aloe Calm African Black Soap as a face wash, a body soap, a hand soap or a shaving soap. Like all true soap it is alkaline; if your skin feels tight after washing, use a little less and follow with a thin layer of Baraka shea butter.

1. Wet your hands and work the bar into a lather between them. Do not rub the bar straight onto your face.
2. Massage the lather onto wet skin in gentle circles for 30 to 60 seconds.
3. Rinse well with lukewarm water and pat dry.
4. Keep the bar on a draining soap dish so it stays firm between uses.

If you are new to black soap, start every other day and build up to daily use. Patch test on a small area first.

Three Ways to Use It

1. Daily face wash. Wet your hands and rub the bar between them to make a lather. Massage the lather onto your wet face in gentle circles for 30 to 60 seconds, then rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry. Always lather in your hands first; do not rub the bar straight onto your face.

2. Body wash. Work up a lather between your hands or on a damp washcloth, apply to wet skin and rinse well.

3. Shaving soap. Work up a rich lather and apply it to the area you are shaving, then rinse and follow with your usual moisturizer.

Pro Tips

• Start gradually: if you are new to black soap, use it every other day at first and build up to daily use.
• Always lather first: make the lather in your hands before it touches your face.
• Keep it dry between uses: a draining soap dish makes the bar last much longer.
• Less is more: traditional black soap is concentrated, so you need less than you expect.
• Patch test first on a small area before using it on your face.

Handmade black soap is soft and may crumble slightly; that is normal, because nothing is added to harden it. If your skin feels a little dry in the first few days, use it less often or follow with a light moisturizer.

African black soap, known in West Africa as “ose dudu” or “alata samina”, has been part of West African skincare for centuries. The women dry cocoa pods and plantain peels in the sun, roast them into a dark ash, and cook that ash with shea butter and palm kernel oil, with aloe vera, raw honey and other plant powders worked in, stirring by hand. This bar is named for its aloe vera.

Every bar is made by women at the Konjeihi Women’s Enterprise Centre, who learned the craft through generations. See what your purchase makes possible in YOUR IMPACT: Anbannah Celina, read the full story in our Impact Report, and learn more in Fair Trade Shea Butter: The Konjeihi Women’s Enterprise Centre Story.

Real African black soap is made by hand from plant ash and oils, not from a commercial soap base with colour added. Baraka’s bars are cooked by hand by the women of the Konjeihi Women’s Enterprise Centre in Ghana, with traditional potash made from the ash of cocoa pods and plantain peels. That is why every bar looks a little different: the colour runs from dark brown to near-black, and the texture is soft, slightly uneven and naturally a little crumbly.

Our products are tested periodically by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Ghana’s national standards body and a member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Testing is carried out in GSA laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, using internationally recognised ISO and CEN test methods, against the Ghana Standard for each product. Product specifications and our latest Ghana Standards Authority test summary are available on request.

Learn more in How Traditional African Black Soap Is Made and Real vs Fake African Black Soap.

What goes in: Shea butter; Palm kernel oil; Traditional potash, made from the ash of cocoa pods and plantain peels; Water; Red palm oil; Raw honey; Turmeric root powder; Cocoa powder; Moringa leaf powder; Neem leaf powder; Hibiscus flower powder; Baobab fruit pulp; Lemongrass leaf powder; Aloe vera leaf powder.

Ingredients in the finished soap: Saponified shea butter (Potassium Shea Butterate); Saponified palm kernel oil (Potassium Palm Kernelate); Glycerin (Glycerin); Water (Aqua); Red palm oil (Elaeis Guineensis Oil); Raw honey (Mel); Turmeric root powder (Curcuma Longa Root Powder); Cocoa powder (Theobroma Cacao Seed Powder); Moringa leaf powder (Moringa Oleifera Leaf Powder); Neem leaf powder (Melia Azadirachta Leaf Powder); Hibiscus flower powder (Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Powder); Baobab fruit pulp (Adansonia Digitata Pulp Extract); Lemongrass leaf powder (Cymbopogon Citratus Leaf Powder); Aloe vera leaf powder (Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Powder).

Why the two lists are different: African black soap is made the traditional way, by cooking shea butter and palm kernel oil with potash from plant ash. As it cooks, the potash turns the oils into soap and is used up in the process, so it does not remain in the finished bar. That is why the finished soap lists "saponified" shea butter and palm kernel oil, meaning the oils after they have become soap, and why glycerin appears: it forms naturally as the oils turn into soap. The second list uses the international ingredient names (INCI) that appear on our label and in our Health Canada notification.

Common names: aloe vera black soap, African black soap with aloe vera, shea butter and aloe vera black soap.

What Each Ingredient Does

Aloe vera leaf powder gives this bar its name. Shea butter leaves skin feeling soft rather than tight after washing. Palm kernel oil gives the soap its creamy lather. Neem leaf powder has a long history of use in West African washing. Traditional potash, the dark ash of roasted cocoa pods and plantain peels, is what turns the oils into soap and gives black soap its colour.

What You’ll Experience

• Appearance: dark brown to black, with natural variation between batches
• Texture: a soft, pliable bar, softer than commercial soap
• Lather: creamy and moderate
• Scent: mild, natural and slightly earthy, with no added fragrance

What Is Not In It

No parabens, sulfates, added fragrance or synthetic colours.

Signs of Authenticity

Handmade traditional black soap is soft and pliable, varies a little in colour and texture between batches, and does not have the uniform look of factory-made soap. The softness comes from having no hardening agents, the colour variation from the traditional roasting, and the moderate lather from true soap rather than synthetic foaming agents.

Q: How often should I use it?
A: Most people use it daily for face and body. If you are new to black soap, start every other day and build up to daily use as your skin adjusts.

Q: Why is my Aloe Calm African Black Soap soft and crumbly?
A: Handmade traditional black soap is naturally soft and pliable; nothing is added to harden it, so this is a sign it is made the traditional way, not a defect. Keep it dry between uses on a draining dish, and cut a large bar into smaller pieces if you like.

Q: Is it vegan?
A: No. It contains raw honey, so it is not vegan.

Q: How is Baraka black soap made?
A: Every Baraka black soap bar is handmade using traditional ingredients and processes, by women at the Konjeihi Women’s Enterprise Centre in Ghana. The full ingredient list for this bar is in the ingredients section on this page.

Q: How do I tell this black soap is real?
A: Real African black soap is cooked by hand from plant ash and oils, so each bar varies a little in colour and texture and is naturally soft. A perfectly smooth, uniform, jet-black bar is usually factory-made. See Real vs Fake African Black Soap.

Q: Can African black soap go bad?
A: Kept dry, it keeps for 2+ years. Store it in a cool, dry place and keep the bar you are using on a draining soap dish.

Q: How long does a bar last?
A: Used once a day on your face, one bar lasts about four to six weeks; used on face and body, about two to three weeks.

Q: Has this soap changed its name?
A: Yes. Aloe Calm African Black Soap was sold as Aloe Vera Black Soap until October 2026, when the bars got new labels. The soap, its traditional recipe and the women who make it are the same; only the name has changed.

Where can I buy aloe vera black soap?

Right here at barakasheabutter.com. Aloe Calm African Black Soap is traditional African black soap made with shea butter and aloe vera leaf powder, cooked by hand by women at the Konjeihi Women’s Enterprise Centre in Ghana. We ship across the US and Canada.

Is there African black soap with shea butter and aloe vera?

Yes. Aloe Calm is made with shea butter and contains aloe vera leaf powder.

Is it made in Ghana, and who makes it?

Yes. It is made by hand by women at the Konjeihi Women’s Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana, using the traditional method.

What is in Baraka’s aloe vera black soap?

Shea butter and palm kernel oil cooked with traditional potash made from the ash of cocoa pods and plantain peels, with water, red palm oil, raw honey and plant powders: aloe vera leaf, turmeric root, cocoa, moringa leaf, neem leaf, hibiscus flower, baobab fruit pulp and lemongrass leaf. The full lists are in the ingredients section above.

How big is the bar, and how long does it last?

Each bar weighs 4.6 oz (130 g). Used once a day on your face it lasts about four to six weeks; on face and body, about two to three weeks. You can order 1, 3, 5, 8, 12 or 24 bars.

Which pack size should I choose?

Start with 1 or 3 bars if you are new to black soap. Larger packs of 5, 8, 12 or 24 bars suit families, gifts and anyone who wants a steady supply. Baraka’s other bars: Classic, Hard, Mango, Banana, Fruit Blend and Turmeric & Honey.

Every order supports the women of the Konjeihi Women’s Enterprise Centre. See how in our Impact Report.