ALAFFIA’s Authentic African Black Soap

In West Africa, authentic black soap is known by its Yoruba name, Osse Dudu. “Dudu” means the color black, which comes from the extensive “cooking” of the soap to the point of charcoal. There are many cultures in West Africa that use charcoal to detoxify and purify the skin and this is an important aspect of our true African Black Soap.

There are many reasons why we call our black soap line - ALAFFIA’s Authentic African Black Soap. Our Black Soap is authentic as it is created using a centuries old traditional recipe from West Africa. In addition, our ingredients are handcrafted by the members in our own cooperatives using traditional, organic methods under fair trade guidelines.

The main ingredients used in this amazing product are certified fair trade shea butter, West African palm kernel oil and African mint. The shea butter and palm kernel oil are saponified with ashes and cooked for 6 hours. Afterwards, it is left to dry and cur eunder the sun for 3 weeks. We blend the dried soap with an herbal infusion of African mint, known for its calming and restive effects, resulting ina  gentle product perfect for daily usage.

Our Authentic Black Soap line comes in 2 refreshing natural scents - PEPPERMINT and TANGERINE CITRUS. While the tangerine citrus scent provides a soothing and calming effect to our nerves, the menthol found in the peppermint scent induces a cooling sensation which helps to stimulate alertness.

Besides the amazing scents, our Authentic African Black Soap is so mild and gentle that you can use it as facial cleanser (be sure to follow up with Alaffia Face Cream of your choice) and body wash for babies! Besides that, this soap has such a high versatility that it can be used as a head-to-toe wash and as a general household cleanser.  It’s what we call the “all in one” option for cleaning, especially when you want to travel easy for camping. How convenient, isn’t it? 

Drying the Black Soap

The African Black Soap comes in both a handy 16 oz. bottle with a pump and an economical 32 oz. refill size at affordable prices.

At ALAFFIA, we believe that Africa’s way out of poverty and towards gender equality is through our traditional knowledge and resources. Expanding our African black soap options helps us realize our goal of encouraging and conserving our traditional knowledge and skills in Togo, West Africa. 

Please visit our website at www.alaffia.com for more information about our organization and IMO certified fair trade products. 

It's Official!

 The First Thursdays of the month have been declared 'Tennis Shoe Day' at Alaffia HQ! Take a peek at some of the fun & antics that took place as we broke in our new basketball court in the Alaffia Gym. It's a busy place with plenty to do, but sometimes accomplishment means slowing down to have some fun!
The family that plays together, stays together... Thank you Rose & Olowo-n'djo for making this a GREAT place to be.

Game on!

Rose and Olowo-n'djo "spectating" from the sidelines.

Julie, keeping it light.

  

Olowo-n'djo taking a minute to prove he's got hops. 

Alaffia Shea Butter Cooperative Member Highlight - Kadiri Adjaratou

Kadiri Adjaratou joined the Alaffia Shea Butter Cooperative two years ago. She was one of nine new members that we recruited due to the success of our EveryDay Shea line last year.

Before joining Alaffia, Kadiri helped her elderly mother sell charcoal and fire wood at local markets. She also worked alongside her husband in their family farm near the village of Talamouanadè.

Two months after joining the Alaffia Cooperative, Kadiri saw a big difference in how she was able to provide for her family.

Her steady salary has enabled her to abandon charcoal production, and she no longer spends long, hard days searching and cutting firewood to sell.

Thank you Kadiri for all that you have done for Alaffia! We hope you continue to thrive!