How to Use Aleppo Soap: A Practical Guide for Face, Body, Hair & Shaving

Aleppo soap is one of the oldest beauty products in the world, and one of the simplest: just olive oil, laurel oil, water and time. But if you have only ever used a modern liquid shower gel, that plain green-and-gold bar can feel a little mysterious. How much should you use? Can you really wash your hair with it? Why does it look different on the outside than on the inside?

This is a practical, no-nonsense guide to getting the most out of your Aleppo soap – on your face, your body, your hair and even your morning shave – plus how to store the bar so a single piece lasts for months.

What Makes Aleppo Soap Different

Traditional Aleppo soap is made by slowly cooking olive oil with laurel (bay) oil, then hand-cutting the paste into blocks and leaving them to cure for years. Our bar combines 60% olive oil with 40% laurel oil and is matured for four years before it reaches you.

That long curing is why the bar looks the way it does: an ochre, almost sandy crust on the outside and a deep olive-green core inside. It is also why it behaves differently from a supermarket bar. It contains no synthetic foaming agents, no artificial fragrance and no colourants, so the lather is soft and creamy rather than squeaky and bubbly. Once you know that, using it correctly is easy.

How to Use Aleppo Soap on Your Face

For your face, treat Aleppo soap like a gentle cleansing bar. Wet your skin with lukewarm water, rub the bar between damp hands to build a light, creamy lather, then massage that lather over your face for around twenty to thirty seconds. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry.

You do not need to scrub the bar directly on your skin – working the lather in your hands first gives you more control and a softer feel. Because it is free from added fragrance, many people who find scented cleansers too harsh reach for Aleppo soap instead. Follow with your usual moisturiser while your skin is still slightly damp, such as our Soft Antioxidant Cream with Olive Leaf.

How to Use It on Your Body

In the shower or bath, Aleppo soap works exactly like any bar soap – just with a gentler, more nourishing feel. Wet the bar, rub it over damp skin or onto a washcloth or natural sponge, and wash as normal. The olive oil base means it cleans without leaving skin feeling tight or stripped, which makes it a favourite for dry areas like elbows, knees and hands.

A single bar goes a long way on the body, so there is no need to press hard or use a lot. A few passes over a wet cloth is plenty for a full-body wash.

Washing Your Hair with Aleppo Soap

Yes, you really can wash your hair with it – Aleppo soap is one of the original shampoo bars. Wet your hair well, glide the bar a few times directly over your scalp and lengths, then massage with your fingertips to work up a light lather. Rinse very thoroughly, making sure no residue is left behind.

A helpful tip: after rinsing, do a final rinse with water mixed with a splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. This helps close the hair cuticle and leaves hair feeling smooth and shiny. If your hair feels a little different for the first week or two, that is completely normal as it adjusts away from silicone-based products.

Shaving with Aleppo Soap

Aleppo soap makes a wonderfully simple shaving lather for face and legs. Build up a creamy lather either directly on wet skin or with a shaving brush in a bowl, then shave as usual. The olive oil content helps the razor glide, which is why the bar has been used for wet shaving for generations. Rinse the bar and let it dry afterwards, and your razor will thank you too.

How to Make Your Bar Last

Natural olive oil soap loves to be dry between uses. The single most important habit is to keep the bar on a well-draining soap dish, away from the direct stream of the shower, so it is not sitting in a puddle. A bar that dries out fully between washes can easily last a couple of months.

You may notice a whitish film forming on the surface over time – this is soda ash or soap bloom, a harmless natural reaction on the outside of genuine handmade soap. Simply wet the bar and it disappears. Store spare bars unwrapped in a drawer or linen cupboard, where they will keep hardening and, as a bonus, gently scent your linens.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much Aleppo soap should I use?

Far less than you think. Because the lather is concentrated and creamy rather than foamy, a few rubs of the wet bar between your hands is enough for your face, and a few passes over a damp cloth is enough for your body.

Can I use the same bar for face, body and hair?

Yes. One of the joys of Aleppo soap is its versatility – the same bar can cleanse your face, wash your body, shampoo your hair and even lather up for shaving. Many people keep one bar in the shower for everything.

Why does my bar look different on the outside and inside?

The golden-brown crust is simply the outer layer that has oxidised during years of curing, while the inside stays a rich olive green. Cutting a bar open to reveal that green core is one of the classic ways to recognise a genuine, well-aged Aleppo soap.

Once you get the hang of it, Aleppo soap becomes the easiest, most honest part of your routine: one pure bar that replaces a shelf full of bottles. Keep it dry, use a little, and let four years of patient craftsmanship do the rest. Pour La Vie.