Ariane's EcoLux DIY Soap Kit — Shea, Cocoa & Coconut

Craft Real Soap from Real African Ingredients. Guided by Ariane.

Ariane's EcoLux DIY Soap Kit brings together Baraka's traditionally handcrafted African botanicals — shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and palm kernel oil — with Ariane's expertise from La Fille de la Mer. This is a genuine soap-making experience: pure, traceable ingredients from Ghana paired with Ariane's copyrighted EcoLux recipe and step-by-step instructional video, delivered to your inbox after purchase. Choose your batch size and make soap that rivals anything available commercially — knowing exactly what's in it and who made the ingredients possible.

Quick Specs:

• Kit Contents: Shea Butter · Coconut Oil · Cocoa Butter · Palm Kernel Oil — your chosen weight of each
• Sizes: 50g · 100g · 250g · 500g · 1kg · 2kg of each ingredient
• Recipe & Video: Ariane's copyrighted EcoLux soap recipe and instructional video — link delivered by email after purchase
• Formulated by: Ariane, La Fille de la Mer
• Ingredients by: Baraka — fair trade, traditionally handcrafted, sourced from Ghana
• Skill Level: Beginner-friendly — Ariane's video guides you through every step
• Optional Add-Ons: Black Soap Crumbs · Kombo Butter — available separately

Perfect For:

• Anyone who wants to make real, luxurious soap from pure African botanical ingredients
• DIY beginners who want expert video guidance from an experienced soap maker
• Those who value knowing exactly what goes into every bar — no synthetic additives
• Gift-givers looking for a meaningful, premium handmade experience kit
• Soap makers who want to upgrade their ingredient quality with traceable, fair trade botanicals
• Families wanting to make large batches of pure, natural soap at a fraction of commercial cost

Key Takeaways:

• Save up to $67.97 (51%) with kit pricing compared to buying ingredients separately
• Expert guidance included — Ariane's copyrighted instructional video and recipe delivered by email
• Pure, traceable African botanical ingredients — shea, cocoa, coconut, and palm kernel oil from Ghana
• Scale your batch — six size options from 50g to 2kg of each ingredient

👉 Order now and support the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana

What Is Ariane's EcoLux DIY Soap Kit Good For?

The quick answer: This kit gives you everything you need to make Ariane's EcoLux soap at home — pure African botanical ingredients in your chosen batch size, paired with Ariane's copyrighted recipe and step-by-step instructional video. The result is a luxurious, skin-nourishing bar made from four of West Africa's finest botanicals, guided by an expert soap maker, at a fraction of what comparable artisan soap costs commercially.

What's In the Kit

Ingredient	Role in the Soap	Origin
Shea Butter	Deep moisture, skin conditioning, creamy lather	Northern Ghana — handcrafted by women's cooperatives
Coconut Oil	Hard bar structure, cleansing lather, conditioning	Ghana — traditionally processed
Cocoa Butter	Hardness, skin emollience, natural chocolate aroma	Ghana — unrefined, naturally aromatic
Palm Kernel Oil	Rich lather, hardness, conditioning	Ghana — traditionally extracted

Why These Four Ingredients Together

Ariane's EcoLux formula uses these four African botanicals because they are complementary by nature — each contributing something the others cannot. Shea butter brings deep conditioning and skin compatibility. Coconut oil contributes the cleansing power and hard bar structure that make a bar last. Cocoa butter adds firmness, emollience, and the subtle natural chocolate aroma that makes EcoLux distinctive. Palm kernel oil completes the formula with rich, stable lather and additional hardness. The result is a bar that lathers generously, rinses cleanly, and leaves skin genuinely conditioned — not stripped. Learn more about soap making with these ingredients in How to Source Shea Butter for Soap Making, the Cocoa Butter – Ultimate DIY Guide and Recipes, and Palm Kernel Oil – Ultimate DIY Guide and Recipes.

The Baraka x La Fille de la Mer Collaboration

This kit is the result of a partnership between Baraka and Ariane of La Fille de la Mer — bringing together Baraka's expertise in sourcing the finest traditional African botanical ingredients and Ariane's expertise in formulating and teaching artisan soap making. Ariane's EcoLux recipe was developed specifically to showcase what these four African botanicals can do when combined with soap-making skill — and her instructional video makes that skill accessible to anyone, at any batch size, from a first-time maker to a production-scale operation.

Who You Are & How You'll Use It

Who You Are	How You'll Use It
DIY Beginners	Start with the 50g or 100g kit — Ariane's video guides you through every step at a scale that is easy to manage for a first batch
Experienced Soap Makers	Upgrade your ingredient quality with Baraka's traceable, unrefined African botanicals — available in 500g, 1kg, or 2kg sizes for efficient production
Gift-Givers	A premium, meaningful gift — the ingredients, the expert recipe, and the story of the women who made them possible
Families	Make large batches of pure, natural soap for the whole household using the 1kg or 2kg kit — at a fraction of commercial artisan soap pricing

For more on soap making with African botanical ingredients, see Shea Butter – The Ultimate DIY Ingredient, Coconut Oil – Ultimate DIY Guide and Recipes, and How to Make DIY Body Butter.

💡 Not sure which size to choose? The 100g kit is the ideal starting point — enough to make a proper test batch of Ariane's EcoLux soap with room to experiment, without committing to a large supply before you've made your first bar. If you already make soap regularly, the 500g or 1kg kit gives you meaningful quantity at the best value per gram.

Q: What exactly is in Ariane's EcoLux DIY Soap Kit?
A: The kit contains shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and palm kernel oil — your chosen weight of each — plus a link (delivered by email after purchase) to Ariane's copyrighted EcoLux soap recipe and step-by-step instructional video. Optional add-ons — Black Soap Crumbs and Kombo Butter — are available separately to customize your batch.

How Do You Use Ariane's EcoLux DIY Soap Kit?

How to Use Your Kit: Receive, Watch, Make.

Order your kit in the size that matches your batch ambition. Your Baraka ingredients ship to you and Ariane's instructional video link arrives by email after purchase. Watch Ariane's step-by-step video, gather any additional equipment and additives you need, and make your first batch of EcoLux soap. The video guides you through every stage — from melting and measuring to pouring, curing, and cutting.

Getting Started: Five Simple Steps

1. Choose Your Size and Order
Select the kit size that matches your batch goals — 50g or 100g for a first test batch, 250g for a comfortable beginner batch, 500g or 1kg for regular production, 2kg for large batches or bulk making. All four ingredients arrive at your chosen weight of each.

2. Receive Ariane's Video Link by Email
After your order is confirmed, you will receive an email containing a link to Ariane's copyrighted EcoLux soap recipe and instructional video. Watch the full video before gathering your equipment — Ariane walks you through the process from start to finish, including tips and technique that make a real difference to your finished bar.

3. Gather Your Equipment and Any Additives
Soap making requires a few additional items beyond the ingredients — a digital scale, lye (sodium hydroxide), safety equipment (gloves and goggles), mixing containers, a stick blender, and soap moulds. These are not included in the kit and are widely available at hardware and kitchen supply stores. If you want to add Black Soap Crumbs or Kombo Butter to your batch, order these separately from Baraka before you begin.

4. Make Your EcoLux Soap
Follow Ariane's recipe and video precisely — soap making is a chemistry process and measurements matter. Use unrefined versions of all four Baraka ingredients for best results; the natural properties of unrefined shea, cocoa, coconut, and palm kernel oil contribute to the performance and character of the finished bar in ways that refined alternatives cannot replicate.

5. Cure, Cut, and Enjoy — or Gift
Cold process soap needs a curing period before use — Ariane's video specifies the exact time. Once cured, cut your bars and enjoy them or package them as gifts. Handmade EcoLux soap bars make exceptional personal gifts — each bar carries the story of Baraka's African botanical ingredients and Ariane's soap-making expertise.

Size Guide — Which Kit Is Right for You?

Kit Size	Best For	Price
50g of each	First-time makers wanting a small test batch	$24.99
100g of each	Ideal first batch — enough to practice and produce usable bars	$29.99
250g of each	Comfortable beginner batch with room for experimentation	$44.99
500g of each	Regular home production — family use or small gifting	$69.99
1kg of each	Consistent home production or small batch artisan making	$109.99
2kg of each	Large batch production — bulk gifting or artisan scale	$209.99

Pro Tips for Best Results

• Use unrefined ingredients: Baraka's shea, cocoa, coconut, and palm kernel oil are unrefined — they retain their full natural properties which contribute to the performance and aroma of the finished bar. Do not substitute refined versions
• Watch before you start: Watch Ariane's full video before gathering equipment or beginning — her guidance includes technique details that significantly affect the finished bar
• Weigh precisely: Soap making is chemistry — measurements must be exact. A digital scale accurate to 1g is essential
• Lye safety: Sodium hydroxide (lye) is required for cold process soap and must be handled carefully — gloves and eye protection are non-negotiable. Ariane's video covers safety in detail
• Cure patiently: Do not rush the curing period — it is the difference between a harsh bar and a genuinely conditioning one
• Label your bars: Note the batch date and ingredients for personal use or gifting

💡 Gift tip: The 100g or 250g kit packaged with a handwritten note makes an exceptional gift for anyone interested in natural beauty, DIY, or sustainable living — giving someone the experience of making their own soap, guided by an expert, with pure African botanical ingredients, is genuinely unlike any commercial gift available.

Q: What additional equipment do I need beyond the kit?
A: The kit contains the four soap-making ingredients and access to Ariane's recipe and video. You will additionally need: a digital scale, sodium hydroxide (lye), distilled water, safety gloves and eye protection, stainless steel or heat-safe mixing containers, a stick blender, and soap moulds. These are widely available and are covered in Ariane's instructional video.

Ariane's EcoLux Kit vs. Other Soap Making Options: Which Should You Choose?

The key difference: this kit gives you the ingredient quality and the expert guidance together — traceable, unrefined African botanical ingredients from Baraka combined with Ariane's copyrighted EcoLux recipe and instructional video. Most DIY soap kits offer basic ingredients with generic instructions. This one offers premium ingredients with expert guidance and the story of where every component came from.

How Does the EcoLux Kit Compare?

Feature	Ariane's EcoLux Kit	Generic DIY Soap Kits	Buying Ingredients Separately
Ingredient Quality	Unrefined, traceable African botanicals from Ghana — fair trade sourced	Usually commodity ingredients, unknown sourcing	Quality depends on supplier
Expert Guidance	Ariane's copyrighted recipe and step-by-step instructional video included	Generic instructions, no video	None — source separately
Formula	EcoLux — developed by Ariane specifically for these four African botanicals	Generic formula not tailored to ingredients	Recipe research required
Value	Save up to $67.97 (51%) versus buying the same Baraka ingredients separately	Comparable pricing, lower quality	Full price — no kit savings
Scale Options	Six sizes — 50g to 2kg of each ingredient	Usually one fixed size	Any quantity — no formula provided
Impact	Every purchase supports fair trade women's cooperatives in Ghana	No impact connection	Depends on supplier

Why Choose Baraka Ingredients?

• 🌍 Direct from Source: All four ingredients sourced directly from Ghana — shea butter handcrafted by women's cooperatives in Northern Ghana
• 👐 Traditional Craftsmanship: Unrefined and traditionally processed — the full natural properties that make these ingredients perform in Ariane's EcoLux formula
• ⚖️ Fair Trade Verified: Your purchase supports fair wages and community development for producers in Ghana
• 🌱 Naturally Pure: No refining, no bleaching, no deodorizing — the real ingredients in their natural state
• 📦 Six Size Options: Scale your batch from a 50g first experiment to a 2kg production run

Q: Why are Baraka's ingredients better for soap making than commodity alternatives?
A: Baraka's shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and palm kernel oil are unrefined and traditionally processed — they retain their full natural fatty acid profiles, vitamins, and properties that contribute to the performance of Ariane's EcoLux formula. Refined alternatives have been processed to remove colour, aroma, and some of the natural compounds that make these ingredients effective in both soap and on skin. Ariane's recipe was developed and tested with Baraka's ingredients specifically.

What Size of Ariane's EcoLux DIY Soap Kit Should I Buy?

Every kit size contains the same four Baraka ingredients and the same Ariane recipe and video — the only difference is the quantity of each ingredient. Choose based on how much soap you want to make and how confident you are going in.

Size Table

Size	Weight of Each Ingredient	Price	Ideal For
Starter	50g of each	$24.99	First-time makers — small test batch with minimal commitment
Beginner	100g of each	$29.99	Ideal first full batch — enough to practice and produce usable bars
Standard	250g of each	$44.99	Comfortable batch with room to experiment and refine technique
Family	500g of each	$69.99	Regular home production — family use or small gifting
Artisan	1kg of each	$109.99	Consistent production or small batch artisan making
Production	2kg of each	$209.99	Large batch making — bulk gifting or artisan-scale output

Smart Reasons to Go Bigger

• 💰 Better value per gram — the larger the kit, the lower your cost per bar
• 👐 More bars for gifting — scale up and make enough for family, friends, and seasonal gifting
• ♻️ Less packaging overall — larger orders reduce packaging per gram of ingredient
• ⏰ Long shelf life — all four ingredients store well for 2+ years when kept cool and dry
• 📈 Grow your skill — more material means more practice batches to refine your technique

If you are sourcing at production scale beyond 2kg, the Wholesale and Bulk Shea Butter: Supply for Soap Makers, Formulators, and Small Manufacturers page has pricing and options for larger quantities of any Baraka ingredient.

💰 Smart Shopper Tip: The 1kg kit offers the strongest value per gram for regular soap makers — enough for multiple production batches at the best kit price relative to ingredient quantity.

The Story Behind the Kit: From Northern Ghana to Your Soap Pot

Baraka has spent decades building direct relationships with women's cooperatives in Northern Ghana who handcraft shea butter using traditional methods unchanged for generations — cracking each nut by hand, roasting, grinding, kneading, and separating until pure butter rises. The same commitment to traceability and traditional processing applies to every ingredient in this kit. The cocoa butter comes from Ghana's cocoa-growing regions, unrefined and naturally aromatic. The coconut oil is traditionally processed in Ghana's Western Region. The palm kernel oil is extracted from Ghana's oil palm — RSPO certified at the Benso Oil Palm Plantation — by traditional methods that preserve its full natural properties.

The women behind Baraka's shea butter are members of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre — a cooperative that Baraka has supported through fair trade purchasing, infrastructure investment, and long-term partnership. Fair wages fund children's education, healthcare access, and community infrastructure. Sustainable harvesting protects the wild shea forests that have sustained these communities for generations. Watch Celebrating Mothers: Felicia Solomon to meet one of the producers whose hands make the shea butter in this kit possible.

Ariane of La Fille de la Mer is an experienced artisan soap maker whose EcoLux formula was developed specifically to showcase what these four African botanical ingredients do when combined with skilled formulation. The collaboration with Baraka is a natural one — Baraka provides the finest traceable ingredients Ghana's botanical landscape can produce, and Ariane brings the recipe and expertise to transform them into something genuinely extraordinary. Her step-by-step instructional video makes that transformation accessible to anyone, at any batch size, from a first-time maker to an experienced artisan running production batches.

When you make a bar of EcoLux soap from this kit, you are not just making soap. You are participating in a supply chain that runs from a shea tree in Northern Ghana, through the hands of a skilled artisan cooperative, through Ariane's expert formulation, to your own kitchen. Every purchase creates direct, traceable impact for the women and communities who make these ingredients possible. Read the Baraka Social & Environmental Impact Report to see exactly what your purchase creates.

Baraka is certified fair trade, naturally organic in practice, and committed to full transparency at every step of the supply chain — from shea tree to your door.

From the cooperatives of Northern Ghana — through Ariane's expertise — to your soap pot.

What's In Ariane's EcoLux DIY Soap Kit?

Ingredients & Specifications: Pure & Traceable

Product Type: Physical ingredient kit — four African botanical soap-making ingredients plus access to Ariane's copyrighted recipe and instructional video

Kit Sizes: 50g · 100g · 250g · 500g · 1kg · 2kg of each ingredient

Formulated by: Ariane, La Fille de la Mer

Ingredients by: Baraka Impact Ltd., Duncan, BC, Canada — sourced from Ghana, West Africa

The Four Kit Ingredients

Shea Butter — INCI: Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter. Handcrafted by women's cooperatives in Northern Ghana using traditional methods. Unrefined. Rich in vitamins A, E, and F with natural triterpenes. In soap: provides deep conditioning, creamy lather, and skin compatibility. Characteristic creamy ivory to light yellow colour and subtle nutty aroma — signs of genuine unrefined quality.

Coconut Oil — INCI: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil. Traditionally processed from coconut flesh, Western Region, Ghana. Rich in lauric acid and medium-chain fatty acids. In soap: primary source of cleansing lather and bar hardness — essential to the structure and performance of the EcoLux formula.

Cocoa Butter — INCI: Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter. From Ghana's cocoa-growing regions. Unrefined. Rich in polyphenols, vitamins E and K, oleic and stearic fatty acids. In soap: contributes hardness, skin emollience, and the distinctive natural chocolate aroma that characterizes EcoLux bars. Natural chocolate aroma is a sign of genuine unrefined quality.

Palm Kernel Oil — INCI: Elaeis Guineensis (Palm Kernel) Oil. Traditionally extracted from the kernels of Ghana's oil palm — RSPO certified, Benso Oil Palm Plantation. Rich in lauric and myristic acids. In soap: contributes rich, stable lather and additional bar hardness that distinguishes a long-lasting bar from a soft one.

What You'll Experience — The Finished EcoLux Bar

• Lather: Rich, creamy, and stable — the combined contribution of coconut oil and palm kernel oil in Ariane's formula
• Feel: Conditioning without residue — shea butter's moisture and cocoa butter's emollience leave skin clean and comfortable, not stripped
• Aroma: Subtle natural chocolate — the authentic signature of unrefined cocoa butter, present in every EcoLux bar
• Appearance: Ivory to light cream — the natural colour of these four unrefined African botanicals combined

Storage — Your Kit Ingredients

• Shea and Cocoa Butter: Cool, dry place — 60–70°F (15–21°C). Shelf life 2+ years when stored correctly
• Coconut Oil: Room temperature — solid below 24°C, liquid when warm. Shelf life 2+ years
• Palm Kernel Oil: Cool, dark place. Shelf life 2+ years

Signs of Quality in Your Baraka Ingredients

Premium unrefined shea butter arrives creamy ivory to light yellow with a subtle nutty aroma. Unrefined cocoa butter carries a natural chocolate scent — no aroma indicates deodorizing. Traditional coconut oil is white when solid and clear when warm. Palm kernel oil is pale yellow with a mild aroma. These are the qualities of genuinely unrefined ingredients — and the qualities that make Ariane's EcoLux formula perform as intended. Learn more in Decoding Shea Butter: A Guide to Color, Smell and Quality.

Signs of Authenticity

Baraka's unrefined ingredients are handcrafted using traditional methods — which means each batch carries its own natural character. The shea butter may vary in shade from batch to batch, from ivory to golden yellow, depending on the season of harvest and the hands that made it. The cocoa butter's natural chocolate aroma will be more pronounced in some batches than others — this is a sign of genuine, unrefined quality, not inconsistency. These variations are what authentic traditional ingredients look like, and they are what make each bar of EcoLux soap genuinely one of a kind.

Got Questions? We've Got Answers.

Q: What is Ariane's EcoLux DIY Soap Kit?
A: It is a physical ingredient kit containing shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and palm kernel oil — your chosen weight of each — plus a link to Ariane's copyrighted EcoLux soap recipe and step-by-step instructional video, delivered by email after purchase. All ingredients are Baraka's unrefined, fair trade African botanicals sourced from Ghana, available in six sizes from 50g to 2kg of each ingredient.

Q: How do I get Ariane's recipe and video?
A: After your order is confirmed, you will receive an email containing a link to Ariane's copyrighted EcoLux recipe and instructional video. The video guides you through every step of the soap-making process. Check your spam folder if you do not receive it within a few hours of purchase.

Q: Is this kit suitable for beginners?
A: Yes. Ariane's step-by-step instructional video is designed to guide makers of all skill levels through the EcoLux process. The 50g or 100g kit is ideal for a first batch. Note that cold process soap making requires sodium hydroxide (lye) — Ariane's video covers safety handling in full detail.

Q: What additional items do I need beyond the kit?
A: You will need a digital scale, sodium hydroxide (lye), distilled water, safety gloves and eye protection, stainless steel or heat-safe mixing containers, a stick blender, and soap moulds. These are not included in the kit and are covered in Ariane's instructional video.

Q: What size kit should I order?
A: The 100g kit is the ideal starting point — enough to make a proper first batch and see real results without committing to a large supply. If you make soap regularly or want to gift bars, the 500g or 1kg kit gives you the best value per gram and enough material for multiple batches.

Q: How much does the kit save versus buying ingredients separately?
A: Kit pricing saves you up to $67.97 (51%) compared to purchasing the same Baraka ingredients at full individual price. The savings apply across all six kit sizes — larger sizes offer the best value per gram of ingredient.

Q: Why are Baraka's unrefined ingredients better for soap making?
A: Unrefined ingredients retain their full natural fatty acid profiles, vitamins, and aromatic compounds — the properties that determine how a bar performs and smells. Ariane's EcoLux formula was developed and tested with Baraka's unrefined ingredients specifically. Refined alternatives have had some of these compounds removed and may produce different results.

Q: How should I store the kit ingredients?
A: Store shea butter and cocoa butter in a cool, dry place at 60–70°F (15–21°C) away from direct sunlight. Coconut oil is stable at room temperature — it is solid below 24°C and liquid when warm. Palm kernel oil keeps best in a cool, dark place. All four ingredients have a shelf life of 2+ years when stored correctly.

Q: Does buying this kit support the women in Ghana?
A: Yes. Every Baraka ingredient purchase — including this kit — supports fair trade women's cooperatives in Northern Ghana who handcraft the shea butter and source the other botanical ingredients. Read more in the Baraka Social & Environmental Impact Report.