Shami – Aleppo Soap

“Hidden Heart”

Someone could just write reviews of Aleppo style soap—olive oil soap from Syria—or sometimes comes from elsewhere but is made in the traditional way—as this one, from Turkey. I’ve written about it before—it’s an amazing style of soap, and you can find countless articles and videos about it online. I’m not expert enough to be able to fairly judge one brand against another, but I do like some more than others. This one is great. As with many, it’s a cube shape, and pretty gnarly and imperfect looking when you unwrap it. Once you get it wet—and a few rough layers washed away, it feels lush and elegant—and the complex, heady fragrance comes out. The ingredients here are: “7% Natural Laurel Oil, 90% Natural Olive Oil, 3% Alkali.” It’s dark green in color, seeming both wholesome and exotic. Online it can be pricey, so it’s worth shopping around, because it can also be shockingly inexpensive. Best to try your local Middle Eastern market, if you’re in a city—I bought this one, in Milwaukee, at the Attari Supermarket on South 13th Street for two dollars, believe it or else. Also, the soap lasts forever—or seems like it—lasts longer than any other soap. Some Aleppo soap will sink (like normal soap) in water—but some will float! It’s so heavy and dense, it doesn’t seem to make sense, and I’m not going to try to figure out why. This one floats. Someone will try to tell me a scientific reason for it, but I say, it’s because it’s magic.

Soap Review No. 231