If you still haven’t heard of activated charcoal, something might be wrong.
In the past several years, activated charcoal has gained popularity as an ingredient offering skin benefits.
Processed charcoal is included in many natural soaps and cleansers around the world.
Today, we will talk about the activated charcoal soap benefits, and how you can make one at the convenience of your home.
Some people use activated charcoal to cleanse their skin, and others use it to whiten their teeth.
The real value of the ingredient is in its ability to remove toxins from your body.
As an ingredient in the beauty industry, activated charcoal is used to take oil, dirt, and toxins out of your skin.
So, instead of spending a lot of money on beauty products, or buying activated charcoal soap, you can make one at your home.
But, let’s start with the benefits first.
Helps with oily skin
One of the primary benefits of activated charcoal for your skin is to treat oily skin.
Those that have oily skin, know how irritating and challenging it can get during the summer season.
Due to its ability to absorb ingredients, activated charcoal will absorb the excessive oil. And it will also absorb the dirt on your skin.
What you will receive after the treatment is oil-free and dirt-free look.
Your skin will look clean, healthy, and shiny.
Treats acne
Activated charcoal helps you get a flawless skin thanks to its ability to draw away impurities.
These impurities building up in your pores are the reason for acne.
With a charcoal face mask, you can remove dead skin cells, toxins, and other skin impurities.
You can even clears facial marks resulting from acne.
Reduce pore size
When you spend a lot of time outdoors where there is dust and pollution, you will notice dirt settling over your pores.
This makes your pores more noticeable, and bigger in appearance.
If you continue to ignore the problem, the pores will be seen clearly on your face.
Activated charcoal soap will prevent this problem.
You can use the soap to extract dirt and grime and treat clogged pores.
Makes your skin tighter and firmer
Nobody wants to have loose skin. It is one of the scariest signs of old age.
Women are especially afraid of loose skin.
If the problem is in its severe stage, you cannot reverse it.
However, if you start using activated charcoal soap on time, you will make your skin look firmer and tighter.
Even if the problem is serious, charcoal will help you look as young as possible.
No more need for those expensive anti-aging products.
Prevent premature aging
Speaking of aging, charcoal helps you in a number of ways.
First, as we mentioned, activated charcoal makes your skin looks tighter and firmer. But it also helps you get rid of wrinkles, fine lines, and other aging symptoms.
Use it regularly to prevent looking old and having a dull and tired face.
Treats psoriasis
This might seem like a far-fetched solution for some of you.
However, the activated charcoal has some of the most potent exfoliator properties on the market.
You can remove all of your dead skin cells, and extract dirt and grime.
This will help you get an effective treatment against the dry and cracked skin.
In some cases, charcoal can even prevent psoriasis from recurring.
Clear skin blemishes
Regular use of the activated charcoal soap will yield amazing results for your skin.
If your goal is to have blemish-free skin, activated charcoal is the one ingredient that can help you get there.
The soap does this by removing impurities and toxins from your skin, and exfoliating your skin in the process.
Treat dandruff
You might say that dandruff is a hair problem. But the reality is that it is a skin problem.
Dandruff happens due to dry and itchy scalp.
Activated charcoal can be also used as a shampoo to treat dandruff and other scalp issues.
Works for any skin type
One of the biggest problems with beauty skin products is that they are usually designed for a specific skin type.
That is not the case with activated charcoal.
If you want to talk about versatility, charcoal is suitable for every skin type.
For example, the charcoal soap can be used to extract excessive oil from the oily skin.
But at the same time, you can moisturize and nourish your dry skin. And it is suitable for sensitive skin, where you can use to reduce redness and skin allergies.
How does activated charcoal work?
The ingredient chemically binds other substances to its surface and then holds them there.
Therefore, a molecule adheres just to the surface of the charcoal.
The process is called “adsorption”, and it is different than absorption, where one substance is incorporated into another.
In the case of charcoal, the ingredient can adsorb thousands of times its own weight.
Just one cubic inch of charcoal has the surface area equivalent to 150,000 square foot field.
Now that is a lot of adsorption.
This is the reason activated charcoal has the ability to absorb so many toxins from your skin.
How to make activated charcoal soap?
Ingredients:
- 225g of olive oil
- 125g of coconut oil
- 100g of rapeseed oil
- 25g of castor oil
- 25g of shea butter
- 100g of distilled water
- 90g of distilled witch hazel
- 70g of lye
- 1 tablespoon activated charcoal powder
- 1 teaspoon green tea extract
- ½ teaspoon of citric acid
- 5 drops of vitamin E
- 20 drops of rosemary essential oil (optional for a smell )
Directions:
- Put facemask and gloves to protect yourself
- Put the lye into distilled water to create a reaction causing rapid temperature increase and fumes. Be careful not to inhale the fumes. Use a spoon to mix lye into the water, and when the mixture gets cloudy, put it away for 20 minutes. It will look transparent once it cools down
- Add the witch hazel into the mixture and stir for 2-3 minutes
- In a large separate bowl, combine all oils including olive, coconut, rapeseed, castor, and shea butter. You need to get a consistency of smooth and slightly thick liquid
- Pour the lye mixture into the oil mixture. Do it carefully, and then mix the ingredients using a sturdy metal spoon
- Use a hand-held blender to mix all the ingredients together for a few minutes. Once the texture is that of a light mayonnaise, your mixture is properly combined
- Add charcoal powder, green tea extract, citric acid, vitamin E, and rosemary essential oil. Blend with a hand-held blender, and continue until you get a consistency of a normal mayonnaise
- Put the mixture into soap molds, and cover them with a layer of plastic wrap. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and wait for 24 hours. Remove the plastic wrap, but leave the soap in the molds. After one week, you can take the soap out of the mold and leave it on a drying rack to dry for one month. Do not take it sooner, as it will dissolve easily and not last as long
Liquid activated charcoal soap
A facial wash made of activated charcoal brings all of the soap benefits, but it is easier to make and requires fewer ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of organic coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons of activated charcoal
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda
Directions:
- Combine the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Add the charcoal powder first, then coconut oil, and baking soda in the end
- Mix until the activated charcoal is distributed throughout the mixture, looking like a black liquid
- Pour the mixture into a clean plastic container and close it tightly with a lid. Store it out of direct sunlight for three months. After that, it is ready for usage
