I spoke about Moroccan Savon noir in a previous post, and since it seemed fairly easy to make at home I decided to have a go. In the UK, it is quite hard to find Savon noir, and some brands are not completely natural, adding chemicals or using bad quality ingredients. I felt it would be easier and safer to just make my own.
I also had a bag of dried black olives from Morocco that had been sitting in my cupboard for a while, and they seemed perfect for my recipe! I also got a litre of pure olive oil from a local deli shop, and ordered some caustic potash flakes online. This is my first time making soap with potash, as I usually use sodium hydroxide. Potash is used to make liquid soaps such as Castile soap, and it is a very ancient technique: people used to make soap using ashes from their stove, and the word ‘potash’ actually comes from ‘pot-ashes’. Using this technique has obliged me to research the history of soap-making, which is really more interesting than it sounds!
Here is an interesting page if you want to learn more.
Here is my Moroccan Black soap recipe:
I found using potash less straight-forward than using sodium, and it took longer. The texture is very different and I was a bit confused by it. I took inspiration from this recipe from a French website, which states to use 1/3 of the weight of the oil for olives, so I used 100g of olive oil for 33g of black olives, and then mixed everything together into a smooth paste. That’s how it looked like:
I then added the lye (18.6g of potash flakes to which I added 30mL of water, to get 2% excess fat). I then mixed together with a hand mixer until I reached the ‘trace’ stage, which looks like a custard. This part took ages, so I only used the mixer for a few minutes, then let it rest for a bit before starting again. I then placed my bowl on top of a pan of boiling water and let it until it turned into a paste, turning every once in a while.
Once it has cooled down, you can add water or an infusion to get to the right consistency. I added a few spoons of Orange blossom water to keep in with the Moroccan theme, and drops of Tea tree oil. This is my end result, the consistency is quite creamy: 
After letting it rest for a week, I have started using it on my skin (avoid the face though). It is definitely good for exfoliation, and it leaves my skin soft and moisturized, but it is quite ‘muddy’ in terms of colour and texture so it feels a bit strange! I think I will try again soon inshallah, using less black olives this time. I found this other recipe which only asks for 1/5 of the weight of the oil as black olives, so that seems a good idea. I hope this recipe is clear enough, please do not hesistate to ask more questions.
Stay blessed!
Amaana Health 
I had been looking for a recipe to recreate Beldi soap! 😀 Thank you! I might actually give it a try sometime! 😀
I plan to try this soap but it says 100% olive oil but then it mentions Argan oil. Where does the Argan oil come into the recipe? Thanks for clarifying.
Hi Rita, Thanks for your comment. I didn’t use argan oil in my recipe at all, because the traditional recipe doesn’t, but I have noticed some versions of savon noir use Argan oil instead. It is more expensive but is really great for the skin, so it’s up to you! You can check on the Sage website (thesage.com) how much Argan oil you would need to use for a specific amount of potassium hydroxide, and adapt your recipe. Hope that helps!
Thank you.
Thanks for this information. I have been searching online for recipes since I visited Morocco in 2010 and experienced savon noir. I was prepared to go back to learn how to make it, and might still do that, but this is a great start. Crabbycams
Thanks for your feedback! Please let me know how it goes, I’m still trying to refine my recipe. I have visited Morocco several times but I haven’t found anyone who can show me how to make ‘savon beldi’. I heard that women use to make it in the past with olive oil and ashes, placed on high fire and stirred for ages, but I couldn’t get a more precise recipe. Some people use olives and salt, some don’t. Good luck!
Hi, thank you for the recipe will surely ray it.
I just wanted to ask, I have recently bought a whole kilo of Morocco black soap from marrakech but realised that it it’s turning very watery. It is being stored in a cool dark cupboard so unsure of why. Any ideas why or how I can avoid it from happening. Many thanks
Hi Rumena, thanks for your comment. This happens after a while, the soap you bought had probably been stored for some time. It doesn’t affect the quality of the soap at all so you can still use it, it’s just not as nice! What I did was separate the watery bit from the rest of the pot, and then I used that around the house for cleaning the floor, oven etc. I find it a goo, non-toxic detergent. I heard you can even use it on clothes to remove stains…
Just curious, why would you not use it on your face? It seems it would be a gentle soap.
Hi Connie, actually it is totally fine to use on the face, I have heard of people using it as a face mask. I have sensitive skin and just generally avoid using soap on my face, I prefer to use coconut oil to cleanse. You are right though, it is quite a gentle soap (be careful with shop bought versions though because some have various additives).