AFRICAN BLACK SOAP

THE BASICS OF AFRICAN BLACK SOAP

● This soap is made from the ash of African plants which gives it characteristic black color

● Some of its content are cocoa pods, plantain skins, water, Shea butter, palm oil, coconut oil, palm oil etc

● Note though that it can come out black or brown. This depends on the making process.

BENEFITS

● Cures skin issues such as blemishes, brown/black spots, eczema, rashes etc.

● Cleansing skin e.g. Removing makeup

● Mild skin exfoliation

● Controls oil secretion

● Antibacterial and antifungal properties

● Evens out skin tone

● Soothes razor bumps

PRECAUTIONS

● It can be dangerous for people with caffeine sensitivity, because there is evidence that caffeine can be transmitted while washing

● It can be very drying and irritating to the skin

● Soap SHOULD NOT be left on the face for long as it can cause peeling

● Exposure to air softens it due to the high glycerine content which absorbs lots of water

● Can worsen acne

NUTRIENTS IN BLACK SOAP

● Vitamins (B1, B2, C, E, A, K, A, manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, palmitic acid, alpha and beta carotene)

● Antioxidants (anthocyanins, phenolic compounds, catecholamines )

● Anti-inflammatory properties (metylxanthines)

● Fatty acids

INGREDIENTS TO BE CAREFUL IN COMBINING

● Vit C with AHA/BHA (alphahydroxy acids/ betahydroxy acids)

Vitamin C is a very unstable acid, so combining ingredients such as salicylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid etc. with it can destabilizes the pH and render it ineffective before it even performs its function.

● Retinol with AHA/BHA

Retinol is a drying agent and with time, can be a peeling agent ti the skin. AHA’s and BHA’s on the other hand are exfoliating agents. These acid combinations can cause dryness and irritation which with time can damage the skins moisture barrier.

● Retinol with Vit C

These combinations can cause irritation, peeling and redness, which can increase the skins sensitivity to the sun. Thus, this puts your skin at a higher risk of sun damage.

● Vit B3 with Vit C

When used separately, these ingredients are great for blemishes, but combining them may cause a disaster. Vit B3 cancels out all the good properties of vit C and turns it to something that causes breakouts and redness.

● Glycolic acid with salicylic acid

Both ingredients work well at exfoliating, but combining them can cause your skin to be striped of moisture.

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHILE CHOOSING AN INGREDIENT

● The primary objective of the formula and finished product, i.e. what function is the final product meant to perform on the skin, or what benefit and effect is it meant to have on the skin.

● Type of skin i.e. is the skin sensitive, dehydrated, dry, oily etc.

● Age of the user. For example, certain ingredients are not advisable to be used for babies or aged skin, while some ingredients are a must have in the products if a baby and an elderly one.

● The shelf life of individual ingredients and the final shelf life of the final product that the formulator wishes to attain.

MAJOR CONSTITUENTS OF BLACK SOAP

BLACK FORMULATION

WHAT IS FORMULATION?

● It is the act of creating or preparing a mixture according to a formula.

● It is the mixture of various ingredients at different ratio, with different functions, working in synergy to achieve a particular purpose.

WHAT IS A FORMULA?

● A formula is a list of ingredients at different ratio or percentage from which a recipe is derived and a product is made.

● A formula is written in percentage ,according to the usage rate of each ingredient e.g. camwood 5%

● The addition of all percentage of the ingredients must equal 100%

● If the total addition of all ingredients percent isn't equal to 100%, even if it is 99.9%, never approximate. Instead, look into your formula, there is an error.

WHAT IS A RECIPE?

● A recipe is more like a prescription. It is a set of instructions for making something from various ingredients

● It is a conversion of the various ingredients from percentage to a measurable volume. E.g. camwood 5% for 100g equals 5g of camwood needed.

BASIC TOOLS NEEDED FOR BLACK SOAP FORMULATION

1. African black soap

2. Raw materials

3. Mixing bowls

4. Distilled water

5. Mixer (turning stick)

6. Rubbing alcohol/ethanol/vodka/isopropyl/methylated spirit(for sterilization)

7. Packaging cups or jars

8. Latex gloves

9. Scale

10. Measuring cups

11. Formulators journal

12. Nose mask

13. Adequate light

14. Hair net

15. Cotton wool

PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE WHILE FORMULATING

1. Disinfect your work space with detergent and warm water eg table

2. Sterilize all your tools with rubbing alcohol/ethanol/isopropyl/vodka/methylated spirit. You can use a cotton wool to swab, to avoid contamination

3. Sterilize all your packaging containers before use

4. Ensure that your scale is placed on a flat surface before weighing and make sure the battery is good and intact

5. Wear necessary protective gear such as gloves, nose mask and hair net

6. Follow your procedure efficiently and note any observation

7. Ensure to take pH measurement with either a pH meter or pH strip. Make pH adjustments when necessary

8. Make according to calculated batch to avoid waste

9. Use ingredients according to usage rate

10. Formulate under adequate light

IMPORTANCE OF A FORMULA

● Every ingredient has a percent usage rate that has to be followed

● You create more chemically stable product

● You create more effective product

● Your products can be well preserved

● You can easily scale up or scale down. i.e. produce in batches

● Easy to detect errors

MAJOR CONSTITUENT OF BLACK SOAP

● Diluents

● Humectants

● Conditioner

● Buffer

● Botanicals

● Extracts

● Actives

● Emollients

● Preservative

● Fragrance (optional)

● Essential oil (optional)

DILUENT

● Diluents are used to soften the African black soap. Examples are: hydrosols, floral water, distilled water, herbal infusion, honey etc. more than one diluents can be used these diluents can also be beneficial to the skin.

● Tap water shouldn’t be used as it contains salts and minerals which can contaminate and interfere with your formulation.

HUMECTANT

● These are known to attract water from the air to the skin, keeping the skin hydrated e.g. honey, vegetable glycerin, propanediol, sodium lactate, Aloe Vera gel.

● Honey for example, can also improve the texture of your soap, and since its water soluble, it performs the function ofdiluents too.

BOTANICALS

● Can be freshly dried and grounded : fruits, seeds, barks, leaves, flowers, spices, roots etc

● Note though, that the need of your clients skin and the state of the skin should determine your choices

EXTRACTS

● These can be derived from barks, roots, seeds, leaves, fruits etc.

● Extracts can be in form of oil, water, tinctures, glycerites, powdered etc

ACTIVES

● These are natural ingredients that have been scientifically proven to change the structure of the skin at a cellular level. They work to replace, rejuvenate, hydrate, protect and nourish cells.

● Actives are most effective when they are pure.

● Examples are: vitamin A, vitamin B3, hyaluronic acid, kojic acid, azelaic acid, salicylic acid etc.

EMMOLIENTS

● These have lower molecular weight than occlusive as they do not form a continuous film to block out water.

● They help dry, flaky skin and don’t clog pores.

● They fill gaps between skin cells to improve dry patches and make skin more flexible.

● It conditions the skin without actually adding moisture to the skin

● It impacts the way a moisturizer feels, how it spreads on the skin and the rate of absorption.

● E.g. mango butter, carrier oils (note though, not all carrier oils are emollients, they can be emollients or occlusive)

PRESERVATIVES

● The use of preservative is essential to prevent product damage caused by micro organisms and to protect the products from contamination by the consumer during use.

● It is best to use a broad spectrum preservative such as Germal plus, as it can work at a pH range of 3-8 at a usage rate of 0.1%-1.0%

Other examples include: EDTA

ESSENTIAL OILS

● They are a complex mixture of natural, volatile and aromatic compounds obtained from plant materials (flowers, buds, seeds, leaves, twigs, bark, herbs, wood, fruit and roots)

● They possess antimicrobial properties

● Note though that certain essential oils should not be used together. But if necessary, complementing essential oils should be mixed.

● E.g. Of essential oils are: Cedar wood, eucalyptus, oregano, orange, frankincense, bergamot, rose etc

FRAGRANCE

● The main importance of a fragrance is to give your product a pleasant, sweet smell.

● Sometimes, essential oils are sufficient as fragrance, but in cases where essential oils are not sufficient, fragrance oils should be used.

● Fragrance oils are known as aromatic oils. They are gotten from blended synthetic aroma compounds or natural essential oils that are diluted with suitable carrier oil.

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN WRITING YOUR OWN FORMULATION

1. DEFINE YOUR PRODUCT

Before getting started, you need to think of what you want to make, functions you want it to perform, and the aesthetic characteristics such as texture, colour, thickness, clarity etc. youcan write down the parameters so that you can go through them after.

2. USE A STARTING FORMULA

You need to figure out a good staring formula. A starting formula is an already tested formulation by a formulator.

An example of a formula (paste)

African black soap (abs) 67%

Diluents 7%

• rose floral water

Humectants 4%

• honey

Conditioner 3%

• polyquat

Botanicals 6%

• turmeric 3%

• sandalwood 3%

• Moringa 2%

Extracts 3%

• licorice

Actives 4%

• kojic acid 2%

• alpha arbutin 2%

Preservative 0.5%

• germal liquid plus

Emollient 2%

• grape seed oil

Fragrance 1%

Essential oil 0.5%

0.5% is left out just in case the final product needs a buffer. If not, you can easily substitute with a botanical

An example of a formula (liquid)

PHASE A

Diluents 45%  (rose water)

Humectants 5% (aloe vera gel)

Thickener 1% (eg Guar gum, Xanthan gum)

Conditioner 2% (honeyquat)

PHASE B

Cleansing agent 5% (Capryl glucoside)

Emollient 3% (grapeseed oil)

Botanicals 3%

Actives 3.5% (Alpha Arbutin 2%, kojic acid 1.5%)

Preservative 0.5%

Fragrance 1%

Essential oil 0.5%

PHASE C

African black soap 30%

0.5% is left out just in case the final product needs a buffer. If not, you can easily substitute with a botanical

It is easier to follow an existing formula, and then you can modify the formula or totally change it as you progress.

3. PREPARE YOUR BATCH

You need to determine how much you want to make, and thencreate a spreadsheet which lists out how much of each ingredient you need. Then list the parameters that you will test when the batch is finished. Gather up your sterilized equipment, tools and raw materials needed o make this batch. Disinfect your work space and out on necessary clothing.

4. MAKING THE BATCH

Making a batch of product is similar to cooking. How? You weigh or measure out your ingredients, mix them together as dictated in the procedure, heat and cool as required, test the pH. During the entire process, you should write down detailed notes and observations in your lab notebook/formulators journal. This will come in handy when you need to make corrections, modifications or reference in the future.

5. TEST YOUR BATCH

Once you’ve finished your formula, you’ll need to test it to seehow it works, how efficient it is, what durations it lasts for etc. asides yourself, ensure to test it out on other people and be sure to take note of your specified parameters on the different people. If the formula meets your satisfaction, then you’ll want to consider running a second test on another batch of people.

6. REVISE FORMULA AND REPEAT

After testing out the product and noted where or how it doesn’tmeet up with your measures, make the necessary adjustments and see what way it can be improved. Frequent experiments will be helpful in figuring out the effect that each ingredient has on the final product.

WHAT SHOULD A FORMULATORS JOURNAL INCLUDE?

1. Date of production

2. Batch number

3. Formula and recipe

4. Procedure

5. pH adjustment (for aqueous products)

6. Rancidity rate (for anhydrous products)

7. Parameters: visual appearance (color, texture), Scent (woody, floral, spicy, stinky, sweet, etc), skin feel (immediately, after a couple of hours, after a couple of days/weeks), changes noticed (color, smell, texture etc. )

8. Ideas on what you can do differently

9. Modifications

10. Blank space (just in case an addition has to me made)