Charcoal Soap Recipe (DIY for Face and Body)

Activated charcoal soap has been all the rage for a while now. And, for good reason since activated charcoal has great skin benefits. Learn how to make this soap in 2 different ways: one is a black soap with great detox power, and the other is sporting fancy swirls and a divine masculine scent. They're both amazing!

round charcoal soaps with and without swirls.

Jump to:

Benefits of Charcoal Soap
Activated Charcoal Soap Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
How to Make Charcoal Soap for Face
How to Make Charcoal Swirled Soap (Soap Recipe for Men)

I have to say that using soap for cleansing my face wasn't always my jam. You see, back when I went to dermatology school our teachers would always say to never ever use soap on our face. I'm pretty sure that they weren't thinking about homemade soap though. Because that stuff's amazing even for my dry skin type.

Cleansing my face using my own soap is now part of my skincare routine. In the wintertime, I use my gentle facial soap. In the summer, however, when humidity is skyrocketing, definitely charcoal soap.

In this post, I've compiled two different versions of charcoal soap. The first is perfect for a beginner to tackle and is a straightforward classic charcoal soap. The second features a more advanced swirl technique with a unique woodsy essential oil blend using an upcycled mold.

You can mix and match these two recipes to your heart's desire. As long as you carefully follow the instructions and lye safety precautions.

Interested in making charcoal soap without lye? Check out my easy melt and pour charcoal soap recipe.

Benefits of Charcoal Soap

Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been through a process of high temperatures where oxygen has been forced into it. Making it more porous and able to absorb toxins. Here's what it can do for your skin:

remove impurities and help with deep cleansing
absorb excess oil from oily skin which otherwise could lead to clogged pores
help clear blackheads and blemishes
gently exfoliate and reduce pore size
may help brighten skin
in combination with tea tree oil which is anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, it can greatly improve acne-prone skin

Activated Charcoal Soap Recipe

If you've never made cold process soap before, make sure to familiarize yourself with lye safety precautions and necessary steps in my "How to make soap at home - Beginners Guide" before you dive in.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here.

Equipment

stick blender/immersion blender
accurate digital scale
round silicone soap mold or:
for upcycled mold (optional): empty Pringles can, freezer paper, tape
2-3 heat-resistant containers: one to make the lye solution, one to blend up your soap, and (a smaller one to separate out the part of the soap that will be colored black, for swirled soap)
2 small plastic cups
1 small glass cup
spatula
whisk
sharp kitchen knife

Ingredients

makes 8 bars of soap

Lye Solution:

lye (sodium hydroxide): 3 oz / 84 g
distilled water: 5.5 oz / 156 g

Solid oils:

coconut oil (30%): 6.3 oz / 180 g
shea butter (20%): 4.2 oz / 120 g
cocoa butter (14%): 3 oz / 84 g

Liquid oil:

olive oil (25%): 5.3 oz / 150 g
castor oil (6%): 1.3 oz / 36 g
sesame oil (5%): 1 oz / 30 g

Additives (facial soap):

Additives (swirled soap):

How to Make Charcoal Soap for Face

For this soap I used the round silicone soap molds for ease of use. You can use the upcycled mold and follow the instructions outlined in the swirled soap section further down.

Gear up for safety: put on gloves, goggles, wear long sleeves and make sure you're in a well-ventilated area
Measure lye into a small plastic cup

Measure water into a medium-sized container
Create a lye solution by carefully adding lye to water while stirring. Be careful not to inhale any fumes while doing this! Set aside to cool.

Measure and melt coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter over low heat in a boiler or water bath, or on 30-second intervals in the microwave

melting oils and butters in a makeshift double boiler.

Add olive oil, castor oil, and sesame oil
Add kaolin clay and charcoal powder
Measure and add essential oils

Using a stick blender mix the clay, powder, and essential oils into the base oils until you see no more clumps

Wait until lye solution and oils have cooled down to about room temperature (bowls feel warm to the touch not hot)
Combine lye water and melted oils and by stick blending until the batter starts to thicken (thin trace), continue stirring with your spatula until the batter reaches medium trace (pudding consistency)
Pour the soap batter into the mold

Let the soap rest in a safe spot
After 36 hours release soap from the mold by pulling on the sides of the mold first, then pushing from the bottom
Cure soap for 4-6 weeks, then store in an empty shoebox away from heat and humidity for up to 12 months

How to Make Charcoal Swirled Soap (Soap Recipe for Men)

Mysterious, woodsy, yet bright and refreshing is how I would describe the scent of this wonderful charcoal soap. Certainly more a masculine kind of scent, but one that might appeal to men and women alike.

In order to get the dramatic round swirl, you'll need a round deep mold, that's why I'm using the old Pringles can. You can use the round silicone mold mentioned above, but your swirl pattern will be slightly different.

Preparing the mold

Cut out a piece of freezer paper about 7 x 9 Inches
Cut the bottom of the Pringles can off using a serrated knife so that the remainder measures about 7 Inches tall
Firmly tape the cap on (you don't want any soap batter seeping out at the bottom)
Line the can with freezer paper - the waxy side facing inward. Pringles cans have an aluminum interior that can react with lye, so you don't want to skip this step

Make your first cold process soap using an empty pringles can — Line can with freezer paper

Learn to make your first cold process soap using an empty pringles can — Line can with freezer paper

Making the soap

Follow the instructions outlined above up to step 7. By then you should have your lye water solution, oils, and mold ready.

7. in a small plastic cup mix 1 teaspoon of charcoal powder with 1 tablespoon of water, safe for later

8. Into a small glass cup measure out essential oils

9. Add essential oils and kaolin clay to base oils. Using your stick blender mix until no more clumps are visible.

10. Wait until lye solution and oils have cooled down to about room temperature (bowls feel warm to the touch not hot)

11. Pour lye water into base oils (pouring down the shaft of the blender will help reduce air bubbles)

12. Stick blend until oils are just emulsified and then continue stirring using a spatula until you reach medium trace.

13. Separate out a third (280 g / 10 oz) of batter and add 1 teaspoon of activated charcoal dispersed in water, whisk thoroughly

14. Create an "in-the-pot swirl" by pouring the black batter into the white. Pouring the batter in three different spots from high up so the batter reaches all the way down. Take your spatula and go through each black spot only once moving in a circle.