How Do I Produce Soap From a Plantain?
Also called black soap, alata soap or anago soap, plantain soap is a traditional African cleanser. It possesses supposed benefits for your skin thanks to the Vitamin E and other nutrients found in the peels of plantain fruits. Resembling a banana, the plantain is large, greenish brown and must be prepared thoroughly before being added to a soap formulation at home.
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Things You'll Need
- 4 plantains
- Baking sheet
- Mortar and pestle
- 4 oz. palm kernel oil
- 1 tsp. polysorbate 80
- 1 oz. floral water
- 4 tbsp. stearic acid
- Hand mixer
- Soap mold (8 oz.)
Instructions
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Preparing the Plantains
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1
Remove the skins from the plantains and discard the inner meat and seed of the fruit.
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2
Spread the skins of the plantains, fleshy side up, on the baking sheet.
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3
Bake the plantains at 250 degrees F for about 60 minutes. This completely dries them.
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4
Crumble and pulverize the dried peels with the mortar and pestle. Grind the peel into a fine, black powder.
Making the Soap
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5
Add 1 tsp. polysorbate 80, 1 oz. floral water, 4 oz. palm kernel oil and 4 tbsp. stearic acid to a glass bowl. Choose any scent of floral water you desire, such as chamomile, rose geranium or lemongrass.
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6
Microwave the bowl on high for about two minutes, or until the stearic acid flakes are melted.
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7
Add the powdered plantain peel to the bowl of melted oils and liquid.
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8
Beat the mixture with a hand mixer for about a minute.
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9
Pour the hot mixture into an 8 oz. soap mold. Place the mold in your freezer for about an hour.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Remove the soap from the freezer after one hour; don't let it sit longer as it will cause the bar to sweat.
Add essential oils to further scent the plantain, or "black" soap.
