Considered the ancestor of all soaps , Aleppo soap is still a highly appreciated product today.
Aleppo soap - also known as Ghar soap - has its roots in the very distant past, when thousands of years ago it began to be produced by Syrian artisans in the city of Aleppo.
Nowadays, unfortunately, the soap factories in Aleppo, Syria, have been greatly reduced, but this detergent continues to be produced all over the world and, in some cases, still according to ancient traditional methods.
What is Aleppo Soap?
Aleppo soap is a solid soap born in Syria, in the city of Aleppo from which the product takes its name. It is a 100% natural soap that does not contain synthetic substances, additives or perfumes. If it were not so, it could not be called true Aleppo soap.
In fact, the real Aleppo soap is produced exclusively through saponification of olive oil with a strong base. At the end of the above reaction, a variable percentage of laurel oil (obtained by extraction from the pulp of berries Of Laurel (noble laurel ).
The use of these two precious ingredients gives Aleppo soap peculiarities and characteristics that make it a unique product suitable for different uses. Generally, the higher the percentage of laurel oil contained, the more valuable the resulting Aleppo soap.
How Aleppo Soap is Made
Every year, in November, when the olive oils are produced, the same ritual is repeated in the caravanserais of the old souks from Aleppo.
Olive oil is treated with water and lye obtained from wood ash, slowly in a stone cauldron, using the same saponification system used in ancient times.
At the end of cooking, during cooling, laurel oil is added, whose task is to perfume and enrich the soap. The quality of the soap will depend on the quantity of laurel oil used, which can reach 60%.
The soaps, which are still green in color, are placed in tower-shaped scaffolding, where they are left to mature in the fresh air for no less than twelve months.
During this maturation period the soap begins to change color, from green it will become golden. This happens because of chlorophyll of olive oil which, when illuminated by the sun's rays, produces this chromatic change.
Uses of Aleppo Soap
Aleppo soap can be considered a multipurpose product , since - in addition to cleansing the skin of the hands and body - can also be used for:
- Cleanse your hair as a substitute for classic shampoo (in detail, Aleppo soap seems to be particularly effective in combating dandruff , but, at the same time, it can dry out the hair if used too often; therefore, it is necessary to use it sparingly).
- Cleansing oily , impure and acne- prone skin: the purifying, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of Aleppo soap seem to be able to improve the conditions of these types of skin , without irritating or attacking them excessively. Naturally, contact with the eyes should be avoided in all cases.
- Wash your laundry by hand.
- Perfume wardrobes and drawers. In addition, thanks to the presence of laurel oil, Aleppo soap can be used inside the wardrobe as a natural anti-moth remedy.
Finally, Aleppo soap can also be used to produce a foam to be used both during shaving of the beard than during hair removal.
When NOT to use Aleppo Soap
Among the uses that would be better to avoid, we recall the use for the intimate cleansing . Aleppo soap, in fact - due to its inevitably basic pH - could exert a cleansing action that is too aggressive for this delicate area of the body.
Of course, the use of Aleppo soap should also be avoided in case of allergy. known to some of its members.