Black Soap Scrub: A Natural Ritual for Gently Exfoliating the Skin

The ritual of exfoliating with black soap is much more than just a natural, Eastern-style beauty practice… Exfoliation not only removes dead skin cells but also stimulates blood, lymphatic, and energy circulation. 

In the following paragraphs, you'll find the reasons why you should make this deep-cleaning routine a regular part of your life.

Why use black soap?

Black soap, or beldi soap, is a natural, plant-based soap made by hand from ground black olives. This soap is dark in color and has a paste-like consistency that tends to soften until it liquefies when exposed to heat. 

If you buy some, I recommend keeping it in the refrigerator—it'll be easier to use when the time comes.

Its exfoliating properties and high vitamin E content help soften the skin, making it easier to remove dead skin cells. However, be careful not to confuse it with household black soap, which is not the same as the kind used in cosmetics.

Black Soap Exfoliation in Practice

Create a dreamy atmosphere by taking a nice hot bath or shower.

Next, spread the black soap all over your body, including your face, massaging it in to ensure it penetrates thoroughly and begins to stimulate blood, lymphatic, and energy circulation, as mentioned above.

Wait about ten minutes, then rinse off completely and pat yourself dry so your skin isn't dripping wet, which would make exfoliation more difficult.

Finally, proceed exfoliation using a kessa glove (a type of slightly rough crepe glove traditionally used in Middle Eastern hammams), a loofah, or a horsehair glove.

As a result of the friction, small bits of dead skin will build up to form a sort of grayish stringy substance: the exfoliation is underway.

Black Soap Scrub and Mindfulness

For best results—and in keeping with the principles of mindfulness—it’s a good idea to take your time when exfoliating. This isn’t something you should rush through. 

It’s a ritual that calls for refocusing, listening to yourself, and touching yourself. It’s perfect for learning how to take care of yourself with gentleness and kindness. Yes, with gentleness—because dead skin doesn’t come off by scrubbing vigorously. C

Dead skin cells are removed thanks to the mechanical action of friction from the kessa glove, the exfoliating power of black soap, and the softening of the skin caused by the heat of a bath—or, even better, a hammam.

Black soap exfoliation as part of a detox regimen

This practice perfectly complements the "dietary" component because it triggers the detoxification process by stimulating intra- and extracellular exchange while releasing stagnant energy. 

Thus, friction stimulates the removal of residual metabolic waste so that it can be eliminated through perspiration, the kidneys, or the liver via the lymphatic system.

Black Soap Exfoliation and Skin Problems

It is perfectly fine to wash with black soap if you have skin conditions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, etc. However, you should avoid exfoliating areas that are irritated, inflamed, scraped, or oozing.

For your face, it's best to exfoliate with your fingers, which is much gentler than using a glove.

The skin alone covers an area of 1.8 m² and weighs approximately 3 kg. It serves as the link between the outside world and the inside. It protects the body and helps regulate the exchange of substances between the inside and the outside.  

Furthermore, it is constantly exposed to UV rays, clothing (detergents, chemical dyes), non-natural cosmetics, and pollution, and can become a gateway for potentially pathogenic microorganisms if it is damaged. 

It’s important to take care of your skin while respecting its pH, its surface microbial flora, and its protective sebum layer. Over-cleansing disrupts this delicate balance.

Exfoliation should be done regularly to promote tissue regeneration, but only occasionally so as not to disrupt the balance mentioned earlier. Once a month is a good rule of thumb, though you should adjust this based on your lifestyle.