Activated Charcoal Soap Recipe (Melt and Pour)

This activated charcoal soap recipe is super easy and quick to make. You can benefit from all the amazing skin benefits charcoal soap has to offer without having to handle lye. Make this gorgeous homemade soap in just 15 minutes!

I'm quite a serious soap maker and love making cold process soap using lye. However, who wouldn't love to make their own soap filled with natural ingredients in a matter of hours?

Jump to:

• Skin benefits of charcoal soap
• Main Ingredients
• Equipment
• Ingredients
• How to Make Charcoal Soap without Lye
• Activated Charcoal Soap Recipe (Melt and Pour)

I had gotten quite fond of my from scratch charcoal soap even for my dry skin. Until one day I ran out of it - oh no! What to do? I quickly whipped up this version of it using a melt and pour base. It's just as great and today I'm going to share it with you.

Skin benefits of charcoal soap

Activated charcoal is charcoal that heated together with oxygen to make it more porous and able to absorb toxins. It has been used for centuries in beauty products, like face masks, tooth pastes and salves. Furthermore, it has the ability to absorb excess oil and is especially beneficial for oily skin type. Used daily it can help reduce black heads, brighten skin and benefit acne-prone skin.

Main Ingredients

Let's take a quick look at the main ingredients used in this recipe

• melt & pour soap base - is a soap product where the actual soapmaking process has already been done for you. Most soap bases are made with coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter and castor oil
• activated charcoal
• tea tree oil - this essential oil has amazing anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Perfect for reducing breakouts.

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Equipment

• sharp knife
• heat resistant medium sized container
• whisk
• silicone spatula
• 2 small cups (steel or glass is best, for preparing charcoal powder and essential oils)
• Silicone soap mold (if you don't want to invest in a soap mold empty yoghurt cups or a muffin tin will do as well)
• Spray bottle (for isopropyl alcohol)
• Digital kitchen scale (optional)
• Water bath / double boiler or microwave
• Cutting board to protect your surface area

Ingredients

• Goat milk soap base: 2 lbs (907 g)
• Activated charcoal: 1 ¼ tsp
• Isopropyl alcohol: 1 teaspoon plus more for spraying top of soap bars
• Tea tree essential oil: 6 g
• Lavender essential oil: 6 g

How to Make Charcoal Soap without Lye

Step 1: Measure out 1 lb (453 g) of soap base (half of total amount) and cut into small chunks

Step 2: Mix 1 ¼ teaspoon activated charcoal powder with 1 ¼ teaspoon of isopropyl alcohol and stir

Step 3: Measure tea tree and lavender essential oils and combine them

Step 4: Melt soap base in microwave using 30-second intervals or in a water bath on medium heat

Step 5: Add charcoal and whisk well

Step 6: Add half of the amount of essential oils (eyeballing is ok) and combine

Step 7: Pour melted soap base into each soap mold cavity until half full

Step 8: Spray the top with alcohol

Step 9: Wait until 1st layer is fully cooled and hardened

Step 10: Cut rest of the soap (1 lb) into small chunks

Step 11: Melt soap base in microwave using 30 second bursts or in a water bath

Step 12: Add rest of essential oil blend and whisk

Step 13: Pour melted soap base on top of first layer filling the cavities to the top

Step 14: Spray top with alcohol

Step 15: Wait until fully cooled (at least 2 hour) and gently remove charcoal soap bar from mold by pushing from the bottom

Step 16: Wrap each bar of soap in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container