Shea Butter and African Black Soap: How They Are Made and Used

Shea butter is the creamy fat taken from the nuts of the shea tree, which grows wild across the West African savanna. African black soap is a soft, dark soap made from the ash of plants such as plantain peels and cocoa pods, cooked with oils like palm kernel oil and shea butter. Both are made by hand, and both have been part of everyday skin and hair care in Nigeria, Ghana and their neighbours for generations.

What shea butter is

The shea tree, Vitellaria paradoxa, grows across the savanna belt from Senegal to East Africa. Nigeria is one of the world’s biggest producers of shea nuts, and most Nigerian shea butter is used within the country rather than exported. You may know it as ori in Yoruba, okwuma in Igbo or kadanya in Hausa.

In parts of West Africa, shea butter is also a cooking fat. On the skin, it softens quickly with body heat, which is why a hard scoop turns to oil the moment you rub it between your palms.

Unrefined or refined?

• Unrefined (raw): made the traditional way. Ivory to pale yellow, with a nutty, slightly smoky smell, and sometimes a little grainy.
• Refined: filtered and deodorized. White, smooth and almost odourless, and easier to blend into creams.

How shea butter is made by hand

Shea processing is mostly women’s work, and much of it is still done by hand:

1. Women gather the ripe fruit after it falls from the tree. The sweet pulp is eaten or removed.
2. The nuts are boiled or dried, then cracked open to free the kernels.
3. The kernels are dried in the sun, then roasted.
4. The roasted kernels are ground into a thick brown paste, traditionally with a mortar and pestle or a grinding stone, now often at a local mill.
5. The paste is kneaded and beaten with water by hand until the fat separates and rises as a pale cream.
6. The cream is skimmed off, washed and boiled to drive out water and impurities, then strained and left to cool and set.

What African black soap is and how it is made

In Yoruba it is ose dudu, literally “black soap”. In Ghana it is called alata samina. Recipes change from region to region and maker to maker, but the method follows the same pattern:

1. Plant matter such as plantain peels, cocoa pods and palm leaves is dried in the sun.
2. It is roasted into ash. The ash is strongly alkaline and rich in potassium, so it supplies the lye that turns oil into soap.
3. The ash is mixed with water and oils, usually palm kernel oil and shea butter, sometimes coconut oil.
4. The mixture is cooked and stirred for at least a day.
5. The soap is scooped out, set and left to cure for about two weeks.

Black soap made this way is usually a mottled dark brown rather than jet black, and it is soft and crumbly instead of smooth. Because potash makes a softer soap, it can turn mushy if it sits in water.

How they are traditionally used on skin and hair

Shea butter

• After the bath: rubbed over the body while the skin is still slightly damp, a habit many families kept from harmattan season, when the dry, dusty wind from the Sahara blows in.
• For babies: traditionally used to massage babies after their bath.
• Lips, elbows and heels: the dry spots that need it most.
• Hair: worked into the hair and scalp after washing, traditionally used to keep hair soft and to make braiding and twisting easier.

For oils that sit alongside shea in a wash-day routine, see our hair treatments and oils.

Black soap

• Face and body: traditionally used as an everyday wash.
• Hair and scalp: some families wash hair with it, then follow with oil or shea butter, since it can leave hair feeling dry.

A few habits make it easier to use:

• Rub it between wet hands or on a washcloth to make a lather instead of scrubbing the bar on your skin. Rough bits of ash can scratch.
• Break off a small piece for daily use and keep the rest wrapped.
• Store it on a dish that drains so it does not melt.
• Follow with shea butter, because black soap can leave skin feeling tight.

If you prefer a ready-made wash, our cleansers section covers face and body washes.

This is traditional use, not medical advice. Try a small patch of skin first, and talk to a doctor or pharmacist if you have a skin condition.

Using them through a Canadian winter

Cold air outside and dry heated air inside can feel a lot like harmattan, and many families reach for the shea butter as soon as the furnace comes on.

• Warm it first. Shea butter turns hard in the cold. Take a pea-sized amount for the face or about a teaspoon (5 mL) for arms and legs, and rub it between your palms until it melts.
• Keep it cool in summer. It can melt in a hot car or a sunny window. If it melts and sets again it may turn grainy, but it is still usable.
• Use less than you think. A thin layer goes a long way, especially under winter clothes.

If you like a lighter texture, many lotions now include shea butter, such as Cetaphil DailyAdvance Ultra Hydrating Lotion With Shea Butter and Vitamin E in our body care section.

Frequently asked questions

Is African black soap really black?

Not usually. Black soap made the traditional way is a mottled dark brown, coloured by the roasted plant ash it is made from.

What is the difference between raw and refined shea butter?

Raw shea butter is made by hand and keeps its ivory colour and nutty smell. Refined shea butter is filtered and deodorized, so it is white and nearly odourless.

Can you use shea butter on hair?

Yes. In West Africa it is traditionally worked into the hair and scalp after washing and used to make braiding easier.

Why does black soap go soft?

The plant ash makes a potassium-based soap, which is naturally softer than most factory bars. Keep it dry between uses and it will last longer.