Girl! Are you still using the puffs, loofahs, and washcloths? Let me put you on to something even better for the skin, cost-effective for your pockets and easier to use. What you need is the African Sapo. Made of almost indestructible Nylon, long, stretchy, and rough enough to clean but gentle enough to not irritate the skin. It’s the best and only way to maintain, soft, clean and smooth skin.

What is the African Sapo?

The African Sapo is a cleansing tool used with soap to rid the skin of dirt, grime, dead skin and sweat. There are two types, the first and original called the Natural Sapo, is a natural twine made from tree bark and used to wash the body. The second, and recommended type is the colourful Nylon variety made with interlocked nylon thread, not dissimilar to a fishing net. We use this washing net daily to cleanse and gently exfoliate our body.

Used in most of West Africa, it is thought to originate from Ghana, as the word Sapo means “sponge” in Twi a native Ghanian language. Within the community, we simply call it “Sapo.” However, in this blog I will continue to call it the African Sapo, to deter coloniser types from reinventing it for Karens.

Types of African Sapo’s

The African Sapo typically comes in three textures, very firm, firm, and soft. The very firm African Sapo will wash away all but sin, but most people find them too rough. The soft sapo is very gentle to almost ineffective. I have found the firm variety the best, it cleanses but not aggressively, making it suitable for most skin types, even sensitive skin.

Who should use the African Sapo?

People with skin, rough skin, sweaty skin, sensitive skin, broken skin, and acne-prone skin. It is an ageless item and can be used on anyone and by everyone. For people with disabilities, it can be used but personal adaptations may need to be made for you to use it independently.

Benefits of Using the African Sapo

Exfoliation

The woven knots in the African Sapo provide a very thorough yet gentle daily exfoliation removing dull dead skin, dirt and sweat easily. It is so easy to use anyone can use it, even small children (with supervision).

Big back friendly.

One of the most wonderful things about the African sapo is its stretch. Big backs, little backs, all backs are made reachable. The endless stretch of the African sapo makes light work of cleaning usually hard-to-reach areas of your body.

Stimulation of Blood Flow:

The act of cleansing with this textured item helps to increase blood flow to the surface of the skin, improving its appearance and feel.

Eczema and Acne friendly.

If you have acne or eczema the African Sapo is a fantastic way to maintain clean skin as it lifts off dead skin daily encouraging active healing. For eczema, it can bring relief as a gentle itching/cleansing tool as you stand under a cool shower. Nice.

For acne, especially bacne, you can use the stretchy African sapo with one of our clay bars to rid the back of dead skin, dirt, and excess oil to get it smooth and clear.

Sustainable

Made using robust and durable Nylon, the African Sapo is fully recyclable, so once you’re done with it you pop it in the plastics recycling to be reimagined.

The African Sapo can last up to two years of continued use, which means you can use it for at least 730 days before considering replacing it. Many of us use it for much longer, usually until the exfoliating qualities are significantly reduced, and the sapo feels too soft to effectively clean.

Child friendly

The African Sapo is great for children of all ages. As soon as your little Tarquin can wash himself, you hand him a bar of soap and his very own sapo. Not only will he learn how to clean himself properly, but he’ll also have fun playing with this flexible, stretchy and brightly coloured wash net. *Don’t leave him alone with it because kids can’t be trusted to keep themselves alive*.

Cost-effective

Using the African sapo can reduce how often you need to exfoliate because it does it for you for free daily. A natural soap saver, it helps build a great lather using only a small amount of soap and the African Sapo itself lasts a long time.

How to Use the African Sapo

1. Wet the African Sapo with warm water.
2. Use your favourite shea butter bar to build lather on the sapo.
3. Gently scrub your skin in a circular motion, focusing on areas that need extra attention such as elbows and knees, back, (sack), crack and legs too.
4. Rinse off the African Sapo and hang to drip dry. It may be stiff and hard (lol) the next time you pick it up, that’s perfectly normal use as directed.

Warnings and Cautions

• Don’t use the Sapo on your face. It’s rough and your face skin is delicate, so from the neck down you can go HAM but not the face!
• Do not leave it with an unattended child in the bath. You shouldn’t be leaving them alone in the bath anyway, so for safety reasons always supervise children under 12 when they are in the bath or shower.
• Don’t add heat it will melt. No tumble drying, no ironing no direct, or indirect heat.
• Don’t share your African Sapo, it’ll be like sharing your toothbrush…

How to Clean the African Sapo

You can put it in the washing machine weekly / monthly / annually (though I have never done this) with the mixed colours at 30 degrees. Do not iron it please, it is PLASTIC.

If you can’t be bothered with all that, you can rinse it daily and hang it to dry. We have sucker hooks in the shower that we use to hang ours.

In Summary

The African Sapo is an effective and efficient way to cleanse and exfoliate your skin daily. They are gentle (if you are) yet efficient in removing dead skin cells, dirt, grime and sweat whilst promoting healthy blood flow. They are also fully recyclable and cost-effective. In essence, if you don’t have one you need one, if you have one, you need a spare. Buy them here and wait for the compliments to start rolling in. You’re welcome.