Aleppo All Natural Soap

After many years I finally found an amazing all natural soap: the Aleppo soap. Aleppo soap has been around for centuries, its unique recipe untouched. This soap is free from harsh chemicals found in industrial soap (and in many so call natural soap). Aleppo soap is great for hair and sensitive skins. They are exclusively made in Aleppo, Syria. If you are looking for an eco-friendly all natural soap, you should really try one of these Aleppo soap bar! There is no coming back once you do.

Your basic Aleppo soap contains olive oil and bay laurel oil, plus potash and water. These ingredients are boiled in a huge cauldron and then, traditionally, pour directly on the ground, flatten and left to dry. Then they are cut in pieces. Traditional Aleppo soap are cut in square, by hand, and are all a little irregular. The Aleppo soap as we know it has been made that way since the 8th century! You can also find them molded and shaped. I prefer the rough looking traditional ones.

Not all Aleppo soap contain the same laurel/olive oil ratio. The percentage of laurel oil varies from 2 to 40%. The more laurel oil there is, the more expensive the soap will be.

You should be aware that, like all popular and natural product, some dishonest companies will try to pass junk as real Aleppo soap. They will replace olive oil by palm oil for example. Other will add chemical perfumes and colors to make their soap more credible. Aleppo soaps are not cheap, so if you find a too good to be true deal, stay away. The Aleppo soap will float, not sink, in the water.

Also if you buy Aleppo "shampoo" or "liquid soap" it will certainly not be as pure as the real soap. Addidives are usually added to make lather and change the texture. Always read labels! Try to stick to the rough handmade ones, not the fancier molded soaps (these often are not even made in Aleppo!!).

Remember: real Aleppo soaps float, are made in Syria and contains only olive oil, bay laurel oil, potash and water.

Beware, lots and lots of so call Aleppo soaps are pure crap. Be especially careful if they are label by brand names. Many of them sell "Aleppo soaps" made with lots of ingredients that are NOT in the original Aleppo soap recipe. Your Aleppo soap should only contain these: Olive oil, bay laurel oil, sodium hydroxide, and water. NOTHING ELSE! No palm oil, no perfum, no nothing...

You can still find genuine Aleppo soaps despite the current problems in Syria. Aleppo soaps are still being manufactured in Syria although no longer in the city of Aleppo. Hopefully, the craftsmanship and history of these soaps won't be lost forever because of the war.

Really the old fashion way, handmade. Have you seen how they just pour the soap on the floor and cut it?

I can't stand all those strong and persistent perfumes found in commercial laundry detergents. They give me headaches and are just plain bad for your health. There is nothing "natural" about these fragrances, despite what you read on the labels. And I am not even talking about all the chemicals used to clean and brighten your clothes.

I try to use eco-friendly laundry and recently I have started to use Aleppo soap. I buy these soaps in bulk, grate them. You can find pre-grated Aleppo soap, but really it is economical to do it yourself.

- If you wash in warm/hot water, just add your grated soap directly into the machine.

-If you wash in cold water, it is best to mix your soap in some hot water before, so it dissolve well.

-On stains, I will rub the soap bar directly on the stain and soak it a little while. I do that on white clothes, I never tried on color (so you may want to test before doing this!).

You can also make a liquid soap, keep reading, I will explain how to do it.

Make your own liquid soap

It is pretty easy to do. You just need a little patience to grate the soap.

Just add your grated Aleppo soap to boiling water. Remove the water from the stove as soon as you put the soap in. Mix well until the soap in dissolved. You need to mix well and constantly, about 8/10 minutes. If you need to add some water, boil it in another pan...never ever heat your soap mixture. Let it cool and put in bottles. Use it to wash your hands, as a shampoo or use it for laundry!

The color and texture will surprise you. Industrial detergents and soaps are filled with colors, chemical fragrances and various additive to make lather and smooth texture. Your Aleppo liquid soap will not be that smooth, the color is not nice and there is no perfume besides the distinctive smell of laurel oil.

Aleppo soap has been praised for century for it's effectiveness against eczema and psoriasis. My own experience: although I still suffer from eczema, I have less frequent and strong eruptions since I switch to Aleppo soap.

Aleppo soap is good on dry skin. The olive oil it contains has moisturizing properties. So the more olive oil in it the more moisturizing it will be.

Aleppo soap has also antiseptic, soothing and disinfectant properties, thank to the bay laurel oil. That is why many people have seen positive effect against their eczema and psoriasis problems. The higher laurel oil proportion in your soap, the more effective it should be. Don't forget the warning I gave you: it's not because it is all natural that you are safe from allergic reactions!

1. Aleppo soap and hair care: It has been reported to be good against dandruff and babies' milk crusts. The main problem with using your Aleppo soap bar on your hair is the funky hair syndrome (particularly if you have hard water). So if you hair looks dry and funky after using this soap, just do a good rinse and had a couple of drop of oil, massage well and voila. I love using either argan or black seeds oil. I feel like in a hamam. Using vinegar, or infused vinegar as a rinse also work as a charm.
2. Facial mask: apply to your skin, leave it for 1 or 2 minutes and rinse well
3. Face scrub: wet your soap, use it with some sugar for a gentle face scrub.

1. Cloth moths problems? The laurel oil contained in the Aleppo soap is an effective moth control product. Syrian has been using it for centuries to get ride of moths.
2. Potpourri: I love the unique smell of these soap, so I put them in my drawers and chests.
3. Diaper rash: often du to chemicals in washing products, diaper rash can be avoid by washing baby clothes with Aleppo soap. Once again....test for allergic reactions before (as you should do with anything you use on your baby!)