The Hair Bakery’s goal was to create shampoos that would cleanse, moisturize and leave the thickest, most tight curly hair soft and manageable and smelling great. This goal was to be accomplished by using natural ingredients only. Of course it would have been cheaper to use “safe” chemicals in our shampoo like most other hair care manufacturers, but we wanted to offer a much healthier alternative to African-American hair – we wanted to be different and offer shampoos that would be better for your hair!
As such, we chose African Black Soap, also called alata simena, and here’s why:
Used for hundreds of years – black soap comes from West Africa and has been used for hundreds of years in hair and skin care in West Africa
Made from natural ingredients – African black soap contains natural ingredients like plantain skins, cocoa pods, shea tree bark, or palm tree leaves, palm and coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter and palm kernel oil
Cleanses without stripping – the natural ingredients found in black soap offer great lathering and moisturizing capabilities
Combats dryness and hydrates – African black soap contains coconut oil which is great for hydration
Rich in vitamins and more – the components of black soap each contain varying benefits to hair and skin. For instance, plantain peels contain antioxidants, protein, folic acid, potassium and Vitamin C; Cocoa pods have anti-inflammatory properties; palm oil has an abundance of Vitamin E and essential fatty acids
For more information about other natural ingredients we use in our product line and that are greatly beneficial to kinky, curly hair, download our Natural Ingredients Guide.