The Aleppo Mystery: That's behind the magic soap!

put beardo,

lately there have been a few cheeky students who think they can explain the world to you and your beard brothers. since dr Awesome has written about different soaps, a real hype about Aleppo soap has started. It goes without saying that many a know-it-all beard is not long in coming. So that you don't fall for it and can form your own opinion, the doc has decided to add a special lesson on Aleppo soap to the lesson plan.
So get out your pens and take notes!

Aleppo soap - what is it actually?

This soap is considered the oldest soap in the world and is a remnant from a time when there were no washing syndets or shampoos. It really contains thousands of years of experience, during which soap makers in the Near East have continually improved the recipe. Meanwhile, the Aleppo soap is said to have been produced almost unchanged for over a thousand years. You can use it to clean your beard naturally without the use of chemicals. In addition, this soap is probably more sustainable and, above all, more environmentally friendly in production than any shampoo and most soaps. Before the beards start swearing again: Yes, there are other natural soaps that can do that too. dr Awesome has already tried quite a few. But the doc hasn't found a more effective one yet...

What's in Aleppo soap?

Aleppo soap is cooked in a hot-boiling process using only olive oil, laurel oil and soda ash in varying concentrations. Some know-it-all beards claim here and there that natural soaps, which are almost exclusively made using the cold-boiling process, are just as good or even better. That's not true in general. Aleppo soap is not at all comparable with such soaps. While the glycerin remains in the cold-boiling soap, it is removed in the hot-boiling process. What is branded as a disadvantage by organic beards is a real advantage in the case of beard care. The key word is overfatting. Aleppo soap tends to be little to no overfat in the traditional sense. Screamers now claim that it dries out the skin. If only there weren't the laurel oil, which is only added at the very end of the saponification process and is sometimes not saponified at all. In the case of Aleppo soap, the refatting is not caused by the glycerine that is released during saponification, but by the better and, above all, unchanged laurel oil. You can actually feel this when you touch the soap block.
Does not contain dyes, stabilizers or perfume. This is because the traditional manufacturing process in Syria is usually not that highly engineered to be able to process such chemicals. That's why this soap looks more like a sun-dried brick than the brightly colored laundry bars you can buy at drugstores.

How does Aleppo soap work?

Aleppo soap cleans skin and hair to a high degree by quickly and effectively removing dirt and grease. Better and more thorough than most shampoos. Now the laurel oil comes into play. This is namely antibacterial and works actively against acne, eczema, dry skin and rashes. It is therefore advisable to leave the Aleppo soap foam on your beard and skin for up to three minutes before rinsing it out. This allows the laurel oil to develop its full effect. But first test how your skin reacts to it.

What's the deal with the different oil concentrations?

It's very simple: the percentages indicate the proportion of laurel oil in the soap. For example, an 80/20 soap contains 80 percent olive oil and 20 percent laurel oil. With 60/40 and 95/5 it is the same principle. Got it, Beardo?
Since you've been paying close attention so far, you can now see when which soap is right for you. If you have skin irritation, try an Aleppo soap with twenty percent laurel oil. If it works, everything is tutti! If not, try the stronger one. If you have oily skin and hair, try the 95/5. If you have extremely dry skin or even dandruff, take the 60/40 right away. So you have to find out for yourself which soap is best for you.
Small decision-making aid: Dr. Awesome always recommends the 60/40 because he swears by the effects of laurel oil.

Isn't laurel oil irritating to the skin?

It is correct: Laurel oil is not approved as an ingredient in personal care products in Germany because it can trigger allergies.
But it's not that simple, little frightened beard. Because laurel oil is not just laurel oil. There is essential oil from the kernels and the fatty oil from the pitted fruits. Only the latter normally migrates into the Aleppo soap, which is why the soap, according to Dr. Awesome's experience, too, is far less delightful than some have claimed.
In addition, a translation error from English into German probably crept into the EU bill. All in all, it has probably been a gray area to date, which is why the soaps continue to be traded completely unmolested.
However, an irritating effect on very sensitive people and people prone to allergies cannot be denied.
That's why it's important: You should always test first whether you can tolerate Aleppo soap at all!
But don't worry. Even many dermatologists keep advising their patients to try this soap to get their skin problems under control. It's not for nothing that it has been used for so long.

Does Aleppo soap make the beard softer than other soaps?

In and of itself, soap will definitely make your beard softer than almost any shampoo. The composition of the Aleppo soap makes the beard particularly soft. This is the experience of dr. Awesome. The claim that basically every natural soap has the same effect is wrong. Even if some hobby beard specialists claim that again and again. It definitely depends on the composition. And this is unique with the Aleppo soap.

By the way, the doc knows how to lather your beard properly already done here.

And now, little shaggy beard, off to the shower, lather it up!

Photo: 5second - fotolia.com