Africa’s Best kept secret. AFRICAN BLACK SOAP

Prized for centuries for its natural healing properties of various skin conditions, African Black Soap or ABS as we love to call it is one hard multi tasker. African women have relied on it as a hair cleanser for decades and trust it for its purity and gentleness for the most delicate of skins.

This earthy scented, gorgeous dark beauty has to be one of Africa’s finest gifts to the world. Usually sold in fudge, liquid or bar form, it is recognized for its abilities to:

·         Relieve acne scars

·         Control oily skin

·         Clear blemishes

·         Eliminate skin irritations like rashes and reduce the discomforts associated with eczema and psoriasis

Etie’no African Black Soaps are soothing, SLS free, vegan friendly products sourced from nature and handmade in Ghana using the finest ingredients. Depending on the products, our recipes vary but the ingredient list is short and simple. We create a base using the following natural ingredients:

·         Unrefined Shea butter is an excellent emollient which helps to minimize skin peeling after sunburn, heal blemishes and wrinkles, soothe itching due to dryness amongst other things

·         Unrefined coconut oil is a natural solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin as well as  treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections

·         Cocoa pods /plantain skin (African natural lye)

·         Water

There are no chemicals, preservatives, colour enhancers added to any of our recipes. The gorgeous black colour of our soaps is developed as a result of the saponification process which they undergo. Our African Black soap products are completely free from black dyes & charcoal.

How is it made?

Making African Black soap is a labour of love. The cocoa pods and plantain leaves are burnt to produce an ash which is added to water and filtered. The soap itself is created when the oils are poured into the water mixture. This mixture is then stirred by hand for up to 24 hours and left to "cure" (or sit) for two weeks.

How do i use it?

African Black soap bars are crumbly textured and smell earthy. That is what the authentic bar should look like as it is made by hand.  With this in mind, grab a bar of black soap and start cleansing! If your soap is bulky, break a reasonably sized chunk off. Otherwise, you can treat it just as you would any bar soap.

Simply moisten the soap between your hands and it should become more compact. Note that if you are using it in your hair, it is important to avoid running the actual soap over your hair.  This will cause the hair to get stuck to the soap. Instead, cover your hands with the soap's lather and run the lather manually through your hair. We would advise that you use the liquid version as a shampoo.

Our liquid soaps are not as thick as your standard shampoos as we prefer to stay authentic and sell it as it is. We advise that you use it sparingly. A little goes a long way. Wet you hair as normal and use as you would a normal shampoo.

Have you tried African Black Soap? What did you think?

Etie'no in Rwanda

Sponsorship update

To: Etieno Skin care,

 Re: Mata Bushlah – Primary 3   

We at Solace Ministries UK would like to take this opportunity to greet you with warm wishes and our continued thanks for your unfailing support to enhance the life of Mata.

 Your commitment has become increasingly valued during these complex economic times and we know that the orphaned children and Widows express their gratitude through their excitement and joy at delivering news of their progress and success. They remain keen for you to be kept updated and equally ask questions about you which satisfies their awe in what you as their sponsor have been doing for them. We are scheduled to obtain further reports in October 2011.

Mata is currently in year 3 primary school and will hopefully progress to year 4 from January 2012 with the maintained fee of £82 per year.

Payment can either be made by cheque made payable to ‘Solace (Ministries) UK’ or into the charity bank account. Bank details are as follows; HSBC, Account Name; Solace (Ministries) UK. Account number; 01249096. Sort code; 40-15-02.

Once again thank you for your steadfast support of the charity and we hope you will be happy to continue.

Recently we have experienced an increase in the demand from sponsors to accompany us on our visits to Rwanda we would also like to extend this invitation to you. Should you wish to attend a scheduled visit we will endeavor to ensure that you gain a poignant experience of Rwanda’s devastating past and their now positive future, meet with your sponsored child and witness their incredible inspiration due to the impact of your support.  

Kind regards, 

Aderemi Banjoko

For and on behalf of Solace (Ministries) UK

The heads up on shampoo bars

I first heard of shampoo bars when I was looking for an alternative to liquid shampoos that I could take on holiday. I found one sold by a well-known brand and used it for all of 4 weeks. My hair was so frizzy and just dry and I quickly reverted to normal “natural” shampoos and conditioners and endured the dry and itchy face that resulted from using it.

Making soap for my friends and family in the initial stages gave me the opportunity to be creative as I got to bring to life wacky ideas in a bar of soap. I started paying more attention to ingredients in products and set about creating my own range made from natural ingredients.

Our Shampoo bars only contain the ingredients that they need—not the extra preservatives that liquid shampoos require for their shelf life bars are economic too as each bar keeps on working, lasting so much longer than a bottle of liquid shampoo

How to use our shampoo bars

1. Circle the bar gently over wet hair once or twice depending on hair length. Use sparingly as a little rub creates heaps of lather.
2. Massage from the roots to the ends of the hair.
3. Use soft water to wash your hair with soap bars whenever possible.
4. Rinse thoroughly   Repeat if necessary and then rinse well.

The deal really is that commercial shampoos strip your hair and scalp of their natural oils which conditioners put back .We on the other hand add hair and scalp loving oils in them so you really do not need a conditioner. Our shampoo bars will not strip colour from your hair as fast as the detergents in commercial shampoos.  But since everyone's hair and colouring products are different, please do a strand test to judge for yourself.

Etieno solid shampoo bars are crammed full of lovely stuff ranging from olive, coconut, castor bean, jojoba, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, plus shea butter, which nourishes and protects your hair and scalp . They are perfect for everyday use and ideal in the wash-bag for visits to the gym, at the swimming pool or to take on holiday!

Please do not use a shampoo bar once or twice and decide you don't like it.  You need to give the shampoo bars about a week to rid your hair of the old residues from your commercial shampoo. You  will love how your hair feels after it dries.  I use our shampoo bars on my medium afro hair.  My hair is much softer than when I was using liquid shampoo and I never need separate conditioner anymore.