Easy DIY Activated Charcoal Soap Bars Recipe

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This DIY activated charcoal soap bars recipe is made with shea butter melt and pour soap and essential oils for an easy, deep clean.

Are you looking for an easy DIY activated charcoal soap bars recipe? Our natural detox soap is made with shea butter melt and pour soap and essential oils.

These charcoal soap bars do an amazing job of cleansing skin. It’s the activated charcoal that makes them work so well!

I love that it lasts a long time since you don’t need a whole lot of it at once. It comes in a powder form so be aware that it can get messy if you’re not cautious. However, like all of the messy ingredients I have stocked in my DIY cabinet, it is well worth it.

I have also added two essential oils. They both have uplifting properties, so this makes for a great combination in the soap.

While these soaps are crazy easy to make, if you’d prefer, you can purchase pre-made charcoal soap bars.

3 bars of activated charcoal soap in a stack

DIY Charcoal Soap Bars

These natural charcoal soaps are made with shea butter, melt and pour soap and essential oils.
4.67 from 6 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Active Time: 25 minutes
Drying Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 40 minutes
Makes: 4

Supplies

  • 1 Silicone mold
  • 1 teaspoon activated charcoal powder
  • 8 to 10 ounces shea butter melt and pour soap - more if you’re making full size soap bars
  • 1 tablespoon jojoba oil
  • 10 drops lemon essential oil
  • 8 drops tea tree essential oil
  • Double boiler

Tools

  • Cutting Board
  • Knife

Instructions

  • It is a good idea to start by leaving your molds sitting out at this point, so that they are ready to fill. Measure our your shea butter soap. How much you need is going to vary based upon the silicone mold you choose. The best way I have found to gauge how much to use is to chop up the soap first into small square pieces and then set them into the molds to see how much you need (see photo below). It ends up being about 10 ounces for 4-6 of the smaller bars like I made. I always add a couple extra pieces to the end amount so that it ends up being about 1.5 pieces per mold and it comes out great. For the larger molds you should get 2 of them filled instead of 4-6 of the smaller size.
    Measuring out how much shea butter soap base is needed to make these activated charcoal soap bars.
  • Once you’ve gotten your soap base all chopped and measured out, place the soap base into a double boiler over medium heat, stirring frequently until the soap base is completely melted.
    Chopped up soap base in a glass measuring cup
  • Next, go ahead and measure out the jojoba oil and add it to the soap base and stir until well combined. It may take some extra work to get the oil worked into the soap.
    Adding jojoba oil to melt and pour soap
  • Remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the essential oils. Do this carefully and slowly. Both of these oils are very runny and if you tip the bottle over fully, you’ll have easily twice the drops you intended to.
    Stir essential oils into the shea butter melt and pour soap
  • Next, measure out and add the charcoal powder, stirring it well to work the powder in all the way. Be sure to get down into the sides and bottom and be sure the whole mixture turns the dark gray color throughout before you stop stirring. If you need to return the pan to the heat, please do so.
    Measuring out activated charcoal over the melt and pour soap mixture
  • The activated charcoal soap mixture should be fully melted and smooth at this point. Unless you see any lumps in it, it works best not to stir it now, but just to go ahead and pour it. When you stir, you tend to create lumps that have to be re-melted.
    Melted soap with activated charcoal stirred in
  • Pour the base into the molds slowly to just below the top edge and to keep them smooth, be sure not to touch or move them unless you have to. I like to keep my mold on a baking sheet or cutting board to keep it more stable.
    Activated charcoal soap bars in a silicone mold cooling off
  • At this point, all that you need to do is to allow them to fully cool off. Leave the soap out on the counter and give it about 45 minutes to an hour to cool. Partly this timing will depend on the thickness of the molds. Feel the bottoms to see if they are still warm in the center, and if they are cooled, then you are ready to pop the soaps out of them. Carefully pull the corner of the mold with one hand, while pulling the soap out with the other and they normally come out with no problems, nice and smooth.
    Are you looking for an easy DIY activated charcoal soap bars recipe? Our natural detox soap is handmade with shea butter melt and pour soap and has the added awesome benefits of tea tree oil. There are many uses for a black soap bar, including cleansing and detoxifying faces and skin. Safe for vegans.

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