Can African Black Soap Cause Skin Purging? African black soap is a soap that many have used for centuries in Africa. It’s from plantain skins, palm oil, water, and wood ash. Some people have reported that using African black soap can cause skin purging before the skin becomes more apparent. This blog post will explore whether or not that is true and what causes it to happen when you use African black soap. Read on.
What Is African Black Soap?
African black soap is a popular product used in African and African American hair care regimens. It aids in hair growth, promotes healthier skin, reduces acne, improves psoriasis symptoms, and removes toxins from the pores.
The soap has plantains, cocoa pods, ash, and palm leaves that get burned to ashes then boiled in water until it thickens into a mush. After that, add lye to the mix. You can make lye by mixing water with potash (a substance produced when wood or vegetable matter gets burned at high temperatures). That makes the soap alkaline, giving it a high pH.
What Is Skin Purging?
Skin purging results in a noticeable clearing of acne and blackheads, accompanied by new breakouts on the chin, cheeks, or forehead – areas of the face that are more oily than other areas such as the T-zone.
Skin purging results from an active ingredient clogging your pores and then getting pushed out by oil, dirt, and bacteria trapped inside those pores before. When that happens, you will have a breakout that looks worse than what you are used to seeing but in reality.
After the active ingredients get through your skin, that’s when you begin to see an improvement in your skin; what was once congested and acne-prone will become clear and healthy.
Can African Black Soap Cause Skin Purging?
Consumers have a common misconception that a breakout experienced after using a new product is a “skin purge.” That means they will continue to use the product, hoping that the breakout will eventually go away and their skin will be clearer than before. When that happens, consumers will interpret these breakouts as positive signs that the product is working.
How To Get Rid Of Skin Purging?
There is no guaranteed treatment for skin purging. However, there are some steps you can take to make it go away more quickly.
1. Stop using the product you are currently using. If your body is reacting, it will continue until you stop applying that product.
2. Use a gentle cleanser that won’t over-dry your skin, and use a deep pore cleansing mask every few days.
3. Apply jojoba oil to keep your skin moisturized.
4. Don’t pick at the breakout. It will only prolong its duration and leave marks that might take a long time to fade away.
5. Drink lots of water to help flush out the toxins in your body faster, which should help speed up the clearing of your skin.
6. Take short, lukewarm baths to help produce the oil glands slower rather than an increased one.
7. Practice stress management techniques to keep your body’s response to stress as minimal as possible. The practices include eating right, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep. You can also try meditation or massage therapy.
If you are experiencing skin purging, the best thing to do is wait it out. It should clear up in less than eight weeks. However, if it takes longer than that, something other than purging may be at work. If you have acne-prone or oily skin, using products with active ingredients may cause your skin to purge.
Variety Of Reasons Why People Experience Break-outs
1. Some ingredients in the product may not agree with your skin.
2. You could be experiencing a reaction to an ingredient that you’ve never used before or one that is in higher concentrations than you’re used to. It causes your skin to overreact and look worse than it would have if you had just left your skin alone and given it time to adjust.
3. Some substances could be purging the oil and dirt from your pores without any adverse effects on your skin. It can cause a breakout that looks like a typical acne breakout. But, it’s a sign that your skin is going through a positive change.
4. You could be having an allergic reaction to an ingredient in the product.
5. You could be experiencing an adverse reaction to an irritant that you never noticed before or one that was not present in your previous skincare products, makeup, etc.
6. Some other reasons are dryness due to lack of moisture, the aging process – which can cause your pores to shrink and make it difficult for dirt and oil to escape from your skin. Also, hormonal fluctuations can cause the sebaceous gland to overproduce.
What Are The Benefits Of African Black Soap?
1. It helps with acne breakouts, eczema, and psoriasis.
2. It is an anti-inflammatory which makes it great for reducing the redness of acne scars.
3. Kills bacteria that cause acne by keeping the skin clean and unclogged.
4. Helps tighten large pores, remove blackheads and clear up whiteheads.
5. Helps with dry skin since it has anti-aging properties, which stimulate collagen production and helps with wrinkles, fine lines, and sun damage.
6. The ingredients are all-natural, making them safe to use on your body without any harmful effects.
Possible Side Effects And Dangers Of Using African Black Soap
● If you have susceptible skin, it may cause a breakout, redness, or irritation.
● It has a high pH which makes it alkaline, and that can be drying to the skin if used regularly.
● High concentrations of palm oil can lead to the depletion of the ozone layer because people associate it with mass deforestation in Central Africa, where palm tree harvesting occurs.
● It may contain sodium metabisulfite, an antioxidant, and preservative, which could be allergic to some individuals.
● African black soap may not suit those with oily skin. It will only worsen the problem because the product has a high pH value that can strip away your natural oils, making your skin oilier.
How To Get The Most Out of It
To get the most out of African Black Soap, it’s best to use it at least twice a day, every day for eight weeks. That should be enough time for you to see visible results. Once it has cleared up, you can switch to using it only once daily or just on the problem areas if your skin is sensitive. Don’t forget that you don’t have to use the product on your face only. You can use it all over the body, including sensitive areas like armpits and genitals.
Takeaway
African Black Soap is a natural product with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and exfoliating properties, all of which make it great for treating acne. It will not only kill the bacteria that causes acne but also unclog pores and prevent future breakouts. It gently removes dead skin cells so it may rejuvenate your skin.
