How To Make Charcoal Soap For Oily Skin Without Using Lye

This charcoal soap looks amazing, it’s pure black soap, with a wonderful glow. It will be milder and kinder to the skin than any bar of soap that’s been bought off the shelf, and it’s going to be targeted to your very own skin type.

A while back I created an activated charcoal soap recipe, using cold process which most people loved. Since then I’ve been asked time and time again if you could make charcoal soap without using lye. The answer is yes, and it’s very easy as long as you make it with a readymade melt and pour soap base.

Ok so it’s not going to be as home-produced as the cold-pressed one, but don’t let that put you off. You can pick up some great natural bases these days and let’s face it MP soap can be more pleasing to the eye. In fact, this soap looks amazing, it’s pure black soap, with a wonderful glow to it.   

The Skins Benefits

So we’ve established that it’s going to look good, so what about the skins benefits. 

Firstly the base soap will be milder and kinder to the skin than any bar of soap that’s been bought off the shelf, and it’s going to be targeted to your very own skin type.

Secondly, you are in charge of everything that’s going into it, so the quality and quantity of the ingredients will be fully known to you. 

What’s In This Lye Free Charcoal Soap

Pour Soap Base

I’m using a simple clear melt and pour base for this recipe as I wanted it to have a bit of a glossy finish to it. I’ve also used the aloe Vera base which has turned pretty out well. Regardless of which soap base you decide on, try to get one that’s free of synthetics so its milder and more natural on skin.

Charcoal

The charcoal works by unblocking the pose and drawing out all the toxins and excess oils. So it’s perfect for oily skin, or on the skin that’s prone to breakouts. The benefits of putting it in a bar of soap are that you will be washing all those built-up toxins straight down the sink.

Rosehip oil 

I’ve chosen Rosehip oil for this recipe as its great for oily or spotty skin. it’s also a good one for combating any mild scars that may have been left behind from previous acne issues.  Rosehip seed oil is fast becoming a favorite of mine as its good for so many things including cell regeneration, reduction of redness or puffiness, dark circles, skin hydration, strengthening nails, and hair. 

If you can’t get hold of it or you don’t have rosehip seed oil, then Jojoba oil would be my second choice.    

Jojoba oil

Sometimes I use Jojoba oil to mix the charcoal in as it’s similar to the skins own natural sebum, its a non-greasy oil and is good at preventing acne. We will only be using a small amount of this as we don’t want the soap to be too soft so that it dissolves more rapidly when wet.

Tea tree and peppermint essential oil

Both the tea tree and mint essential oils have a fresh clean aroma which is just what you are looking for in a soap. Tea tree is well known for its antiseptic properties and is wildly used in skin products for tackling oily or spot prone skin. When used alone, Tea tree essential oil can be a little overpowering, so I’ve teamed it up with peppermint which is another great skin cleanser. Peppermint has some excellent anti-inflammatory benefits that will help to soothe and lessen the redness of spots/acne. 

Making It Shine 

If you want to achieve a glossy soap, you will need to make sure the soap mold is super clean with no markings or leftover residue from a previous soap. I’ve tried making this soap in a mold that I had originally made a salt scrub soap in and it wasn’t quite as glossy as a wanted.  Don’t get me wrong this soap still looked good and glossed up the minute I started using it.     

Lye Free Charcoal Soap Recipe

This soap looks amazing, it’s pure black soap, with a wonderful glow. It will be milder and kinder to the skin than any bar of soap that’s been bought off the shelf, and it’s going to be targeted to your very own skin type.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Active Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Yield: 12 Bars (approx)

Author: Angela Wills

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Equipment

• Heatproof Jug
• Silicone Soap Mold
• Spoon or Spatula
• Digital Scales

Ingredients

1x2x3x

MetricUS Customary

• 312 grams Melt & Pour Soap Base
• 8 grams Rosehip Oil (or Jojoba Oil)
• 1 gram Activated Charcoal Powder
• 1 gram Tea Tree Essential Oil
• 1 gram Peppermint Essential Oil
• Rubbing Alcohol

Instructions

• This is a quick recipe so gather up all the ingredients ready for use
  
• Place the rosehip/Jojoba oil into a small container and add the charcoal powder to it. Be careful when you first start to stir the charcoal in as it's so light and powdery that it can go everywhere. Once mixed, set it aside until the soap has been melted.  
  
• Cut 312g of Melt and Pour Soap Base into smallish pieces. Then pop them into a heatproof container. Place the soap into the microwave and melt using 20 to 30-second blasts until the soap is completely melted.
  
• Add the charcoal/oil mix to the melted soap, and gently mix it until its fully combined.  You will notice the soap will have a nice glossy look about it. 
  
• Add the Essential oils and give it a good stir to make sure the essential oils are fully disbursed within the soap.  
  
• Pour the soap into the molds, then give them a quick spritz with rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) to get rid of bubbles.
  
• Set the soap aside in a cool place where they won't be disturbed. Once the soap has cooled and hardened its ready to be removed from the mold and enjoyed.
  

How To Use This Soap 

This is a mild soap that can be used daily to unblock the pores and remove any excess oil.  If you are experiencing a break out of spots, then use it twice a day, morning and evening for a few days until you get them under control.