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When I decided to buy the Taha African Black Soap, I didn’t know much about the product. What I know was that people used it in their hair or on their skin, it was all natural and could lighten dark marks on skin. I decided to use it for two weeks and decide whether or not it would be permanently part of my routine.
To bring you up to speed, African black soap originated with the Yoruba people in Nigeria among the Benin and Togo communities. It is said to be used for fine lines, evening dark spots, eczema, razor bumps and eliminating blemishes. There are many different recipes for the black soap, but the ingredients in the Taha 100% natural African Black Soap was: the leaves of plantain, cocoa pods, palm tree leaves, shea bark, palm oil, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil. Mine included lavender because it was lavender scented. If you would like to pick this up for yourself, visit Headgames Beauty Supply and you can buy your own for about $3.50. (Support Business In Town!)
The soap came wrapped in plastic with the company logo and ingredients. It was firm when around the edges and softer towards the middle. It was very malleable. My first time using the soap, I rubbed it on my bath sponge and used it all over. I found that it was quite harsh, similar to Dial soap, and decided not to use it on…ahem…sensitive areas. I used my shower puff to exfoliate my armpits as usual to avoid razor bumps and was pleased to see how clean they felt afterward. I decided to mix the soap with a hydrating cleanser when I used it on my face and it didn’t dry out my skin.
Over the course of the two weeks, the soap changed my skin. I have three dark problem areas: under my arms from shaving, the inside of my elbows from childhood eczema and acne scars on my face. The black soap lightened all of these areas. Previously, I tried lemon juice and other natural lightening remedies, but none worked as quickly and effectively as the black soap. On the downside, the soap is very drying. Eventually, even my lotion wouldn’t work to moisturize my skin. During the day my skin would start to itch from dryness during the day and caused great discomfort. To combat this, I would recommend mixing the black soap with a hydrating cleanser or an oil like coconut oil. Alternatively, using it once or twice a week only on problem areas (dark spots) or your hair (which I didn’t try).
All in all, I will continue using black soap in increments. I would also recommend people try the soap. If you use black soap, let us know! I would love to hear how you use it and why you continue to use it.
Stay well!