One of the members of our local Buy Nothing group gave me Al-Jamal bar soap handmade from virgin olive oil at the Al-Shakaa factory in Nablus on the West Bank, Palestine. He bought more of this long-lasting soap than he could use, and I was one of the lucky Buy Nothing winners. When I went to his huge yard to dig up some lilies that he was giving me before he moves away, he offered me more Al-Jamal soap! He must have bought a case 😉
Al-Jamal means camel in Arabic, and the camel is their trademark. Traditionally, the camel transported olive oil from the fields to the soap-making factory in the early days. It was the “ship of the desert”, so it only makes sense that the camel is part of their logo.
The olive oil soap has been made for at least 180 years. It was and still is a family business.
In fact, making soap from olive oil in Nablus may even go back to the 10th century. This special soap is a cultural icon not only in the area where it’s made but throughout the world.
Made from three natural and eco-friendly ingredients in its traditional recipe, Al-Jamal contains olive oil as the base, water and an alkaline substance, e.g. sodium hydroxide. Next, the liquid soap is poured onto the floor where it takes several days to cool and dry. Then each bar is measured out and hand-stamped with the Al-Jamal logo. I wanted to show you the video of how it’s made, but I can’t manage to copy and paste it because there’s no URL. Nevertheless, it’s worth it to go to the page on the Al-Jamal website and watch it (the left hand video).
The soap comes in 8 oz. blocks, approximately 2.5″ x 2.5″ x 1.5″, a chunky block. In fact, I need to cut mine in half to make it easier to handle in the shower.
Al-Jamal olive oil soap is moisturizing and gentle, gentle enough for babies or for sensitive skin. Olive oil is very hydrating, and so is this soap. It cleanses the skin by removing dirt and impurities without stripping the skin of its natural oils. It lathers, but doesn’t make tons of lather. It feels incredibly hydrating when I’m using it, but it isn’t greasy at all.
Because olive oil is the major ingredient, the soap has a subtle scent of olive oil, a gender-neutral scent. It can be used for cleansing face and body, but also as shampoo and washing clothes! I think I will stick to face and body cleansing, however.
Originally, there were many soap-making factories in Palestine, but today there are only two, and Al-Jamal is one of them.
Al-Jamal Olive Oil Soap is rather widely available! In addition to finding it in boutiques, shops that sell natural and organic products, it is available from the Al-Jamal brand on their website with free delivery, at Amazon, and on Etsy.
