7 Reasons to Buy Charcoal Soap and Use it Every Day!

I recently decided to buy charcoal soap and am absolutely in love! Years ago, I started getting my soap from a small, local crafter. He makes it in bulk for me in whatever style I want and uses only natural ingredients. I decided to try a sample he offered of homemade charcoal soap and absolutely love it! I think I am going to have him make a full batch for me next time I need more. There are a TON of benefits of charcoal soap and thought I would share them with you. You will also find a few DIY soap recipes, as well as a few sources for activated charcoal and other soap ingredients you may need if you want to make your own detoxifying soap!

A Brief History of Charcoal for Health

People have been using charcoal for health reasons for centuries. It has been used as a poultice to clean wounds and for filtration of water. In the last couple hundred years, health practitioners realized that it provided protection from toxins. Even today, it is used in our filtration systems and as a remedy in some poisoning situations.

Recently, we have started adding activated charcoal to beauty products and it is now an important ingredient in many natural soaps and cleansers. There are a number of places where you can buy charcoal soap, but here are a few that use only natural ingredients that you can find on Amazon:

• Aspen Kay Naturals Dead Sea Mud Soap With Activated Charcoal
• Essentially Organic Soap Charcoal Lavender Essential Oil Soap Bar
• Falls River Soap Company Himalayan Pink Salt Soap with Charcoal
• A Wild Soap Bar Black Willow Vegan, All Natural, Organic Bar Soap for Acne with Charcoal

10 Reasons to Buy Charcoal Soap

So, why would you ever buy charcoal in soap? Wouldn’t it just leave your skin stained black? Nope, not at all! Most beauty products use something called ‘activated charcoal’. What is activated charcoal? Basically, it is just charcoal that has been heated to improve it’s absorptive powers. It isn’t just wood ash from your fireplace. Activated charcoal is a fine black powder made from bone char, coconut shells, peat, petroleum coke, coal, olive pits or sawdust. Heating it makes it more porous and (as a result) more absorptive.

 

There are a ton of health benefits to using activated charcoal soap. It is often added to soaps, shampoos, natural face wash, and other beauty products. Why add charcoal to skin and hair products? Well, it can help detoxify your skin, as well as:

• Treats oily skin:  The charcoal helps absorb oil and dirt from the skin while you wash.
• Clears your complexion:  Charcoal soap helps remove oil and buildup from pores, helping improve your complexion. This helps reduce acne and blackheads.
• Reduce pore size:  As charcoal removes impurities and treats clogged pores they become smaller and less visible.
• Firms skin:  As we age, our skin loses some elasticity and firmness. If you want to firm your facial skin, buy charcoal soap and use it daily! It is a good way to prevent premature aging and give you a more youthful appearance.
• Great way to exfoliate:  Activated charcoal is slightly rough and a great way to exfoliate your face and remove dead skin cells.
• Treats psoriasis and eczema:  Activated charcoal soap may help improve symptoms of psoriasis and eczema. It may even help prevent flareups when used regularly.
• Treats dandruff: When used as a shampoo, charcoal helps treat skin conditions like dandruff and dry scalp. Charcoal shampoo is a great scalp treatment.

How does Activated Charcoal Work?

Okay, so, I am a total science geek and love to know the ‘how and why’ of just about everything. How does activated charcoal work? Watch the video below to learn more from SciShow!

You can make activated charcoal at home if you are really into the whole DIY survivalist type of thing! It isn’t quite the same sort of activated charcoal that you buy already premade but it will probably get the job done in a pinch. It seems like a slightly complicated process of making charcoal, rinsing with calcium chloride and water, and then air drying the resulting paste. Check out Survival News Online if you want to make your own activated charcoal.

How to Make Charcoal Soap

I have never tried making homemade soap, other than the basic melt and pour types. The idea of playing with lye slightly terrifies me, although I have always wanted to try it. Here are basic directions for a melt and pour charcoal soap recipe:

• Cut the melt and pour soap base into small chunks and melt over a double boiler.
• Remove a small amount of melted soap and place it into a cup. Let it cool slightly and mix in your activated charcoal powder, then add it back into the rest of the melted soap base.
• Add essential oils as desired.
• Pour into soap molds and let cool.

DIY Charcoal Soap Recipes

 

If you want to try more exotic DIY soap recipes rather than buy charcoal soap already made, here are a few soap recipes to try:

• Charcoal & Clay Facial Soap Recipe from Wellness Mama.
• Activated Charcoal Cold Process Facial Soap with essential oil from Rebooted Mom.
• Peppermint Charcoal Soap Recipe from Bulk Apothecary.
• Tea Tree & Charcoal Facial Soap recipe from Soap Queen.

If you are concerned about assorted skin care issues or want to detoxify your skin, I definitely recommend you buy charcoal soap. Or, if you are the crafty sort, buy homemade soap ingredients and try making it yourself!

Have you ever used charcoal soap?