Charcoal soap has become extremely popular, and for good reason – it has amazing skin benefits. Its powerful absorption properties make it especially beneficial for oily facial skin. Learn more about the skin benefits of charcoal here.

This Lavender & Charcoal Soap was designed primarily for use on the body, but it’s also suitable for the face. In particular, the olive oil and cocoa butter are moisturizing so they make it suitable for combination or drier skin. If you have oily facial skin, the Charcoal Facial Soap is for you.

The activated charcoal gives part of the soap a striking gray color, while the rest of the soap is left uncolored. The two are poured into the mold in layers and then swirled together using the Hanger Swirl Tool. The lack of precision in the swirling technique creates different bars each time. It also makes it a great swirl for beginners because there is no right or wrong way to do it.

To help the activated charcoal mix into the batter smoothly, we dispersed it in a lightweight liquid oil. Sweet almond oil, sunflower oil, and avocado oil work well. For this recipe, mix 1 tablespoon charcoal with 1 tablespoon oil. Add the entire mixture at trace.

10” Silicone Loaf Mold
Hanger Swirl Tool
3.3 oz. Cocoa Butter (10%)
8.3 oz. Coconut Oil (25%)
13.2 oz. Olive Oil (40%)
8.3 oz. Palm Oil (25%)
4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
9.8 oz. Distilled Water (10% water discount)
1.75 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
1 Tbsp. Activated Charcoal
Optional: 2 tsp. Sodium Lactate

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Lavender & Charcoal Soap DIY

This Lavender and Charcoal Soap is made with relaxing Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil and features a black and white swirl.

Course Cold process soap

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 2 -3 pounds of soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 10 ” Silicone Loaf Mold
• Hanger Swirl Tool
• 3.3 oz. Cocoa Butter 10%
• 8.3 oz. Coconut Oil 25%
• 13.2 oz. Olive Oil 40%
• 8.3 oz. Palm Oil 25%
• 4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 9.8 oz. Distilled Water 10% water discount
• 1.75 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Activated Charcoal
• Optional: 2 tsp. Sodium Lactate

Instructions

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.75 ounces of Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil into a small glass container and set aside.

COLORANT PREP: Disperse 1 tablespoon of the activated charcoal into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Use a mini mixer to get rid of any clumps.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, other distractions, and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.

• Slowly and carefully add 4.6 ounces of lye to 9.8 ounces of water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add sodium lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add 2 teaspoons sodium lactate.
• In a large glass bowl, combine and melt the coconut oil, cocoa butter, olive oil, and palm oil (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of palm oil before portioning).
• Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.
• Whisk in the Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil. Split off about 300 mL of soap into a separate container.
• To the large container, add all of the dispersed activated charcoal and use a whisk to mix in.
• Alternate pouring the white and black soap into the mold, until all the soap has been poured into the mold.
• Insert the Hanger Swirl Tool into the soap, and create 5-6 loops within the soap. Remove the Hanger Swirl Tool and tap the mold on the counter to help get rid of bubbles.
• Use a spoon to create a textured top. There is no right or wrong way to do this, so have fun with it! If the soap does not hold its shape, allow it to harden in the mold for several minutes and try again.
• Once you’re happy with the look, spritz the top with alcohol to prevent soda ash. Allow it to stay in the mold for 2-3 days. Cut into bars and allow it to cure for 4-6 weeks before using. Enjoy!

The post Lavender & Charcoal Soap DIY appeared first on Soap Queen.

Turmeric is a bright yellow powder commonly used in cooking, dyeing fabrics, and beauty products. It gives cold process soap a range of color from soft yellow to burgundy depending on how much is used. Turmeric can be added directly to cold process soap at trace, or it can be infused with oil.

If you’re curious how to incorporate turmeric into your cold process soap recipe, this post is here to help. We tested adding the turmeric powder to soap versus a turmeric oil infusion.  The soaps in these experiments were gelled to help the color pop.

First, let’s review how to infuse soapmaking oils. Infusing oil with herbs and powders is a simple process. To avoid potential contamination by bacteria, completely dry herbs and powders are always recommended. A usage rate of at least 2 tablespoons of herbs for every 4 ounces of oil is common. For a stronger color, use 1 tablespoon of herbs or powder per ounce of oil.

The type of oil is up to you. In this instance, we used sweet almond oil. Liquid oils are recommended to prevent hardening during the infusion process. If the purpose of your infusion is color, a light-colored oil is recommended. If you make large batches, an oil with a longer shelf life is best. Learn more about various soapmaking oils here.

For this turmeric infusion, we wanted the color to be nice and strong, so we used 1 tablespoon of turmeric per ounce of oil. In this instance, that meant 6 tablespoons of turmeric for 6 ounces of sweet almond oil.

Place the turmeric powder into the Large Sealable Tea Bag, and use an iron to seal it shut. Measure 6 ounces of sweet almond oil (or oil of your choice) into a heat-safe container. Heat the oil in the microwave using 20-to 30-second bursts until it reaches about 140° F. Be careful when removing the container from the microwave. Place the turmeric into the hot oil.

Allow the turmeric to stay in the oil for 2-3 hours. Then, microwave the container for 30-60 seconds until the oil is hot again. Keeping the oil warm or hot during this process allows the turmeric to color it faster. You could also use a Crock-Pot, as demonstrated here. After the turmeric and oil have infused for at least 6 hours, remove the turmeric and gently squeeze out excess oil. The oil is now ready to use! Handle with care, because turmeric-infused oil can stain various surfaces.

Below, you can see how the turmeric-infused oil behaves in cold process soap when added at trace, giving it a very soft, orange color. The soap below did go through gel phase, which helps the color to become more saturated.

Turmeric Infusion in Cold Process Soap

Top row, left to right: 1 tsp. turmeric infusion per pound of soap, 2 tsp. turmeric infusion per pound of soap
Bottom row, left to right: 4 tsp. turmeric infusion per pound of soap, 8 tsp. turmeric infusion  per pound of soap

We also tested adding turmeric powder directly to the soap at trace. The powder was dispersed in sweet almond oil to help get rid of clumps, with a rate of 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder into 1 tablespoon of oil. To clarify, the results below are not 1 teaspoon of dispersed turmeric. Rather, we dispersed 1 teaspoon of turmeric and added the entire dispersion into 1 pound of soap.

Dispersed Turmeric Powder in Cold Process Soap

Top row, left to right: 1 tsp. turmeric per pound of soap, 2 tsp. turmeric per pound of soap
Bottom row, left to right: 4 tsp. turmeric per pound of soap, 8 tsp. turmeric per pound of soap

You can see that adding turmeric powder into cold process soap batter adds a deeper color to the soap than the turmeric infusion. The turmeric infusion did give the bars a smooth color, without speckles. How do you like to incorporate turmeric into your cold process soap?

The post Turmeric Cold Process Soap Color Tests appeared first on Soap Queen.

We also shared the beautiful Juicy Orange and Sweet Rose Cold Process Tutorial. Made with 10x Orange Essential Oil and colored with Paprika, this cold process tutorial looks as fresh and juicy as it smells! Paprika is a fantastic way to naturally color your soap, as seen in the Indigo Spoon Plop Cold Process Tutorial. If you’d like to learn more about natural colorants, the Sunday Night Spotlight: Natural Colorants is full of info.

Speaking of natural color and additives, our Facebook Photo of the Week from Katie of Thumbprint Handcrafted Soap utilizes products from nature to give her soap lots of personality. Made with walnut shells, honey and cocoa powder, this Honey Walnut Hand and Foot Scrub Soap gently exfoliates the skin, leaving it silky smooth.

Walnut shells are also great in scrubs, like in the Rough Patches Wash Tutorial. If you’d like to learn more about exfoliant options, the Scrub Up with Exfoliants post gives more information regarding the new Exfoliant Sampler Pack. The sample pack is a great way to try out different scrubby additives!

Shown above (from top left to right, clockwise)  is Katie’s Black Raspberry & Vanilla Soap, Blue Moon Beer Soap, Sourpuss Lemongrass & Calendula Soap and the Tutti Frutti Vegan Citrus Soap. With its bright colors separated with a contrasting mica line, the Tutti Frutti Soap is perfect for summer! If you’d like to make your own, the Tutti Fruity Fragrance Oil is fruity, sweet and great for the summer months.

Find Thumbprint Handcrafted Soaps:

On the web
On Facebook

Post pictures of your crafty creations on the Facebook page each week for a chance to be featured on the Soap Queen blog and receive a sweet soapy package from Bramble Berry. Photos are chosen based on consensus from the Bramble Berry staff, so the best way to increase your chances of winning is to show us lots of photos!

The post Facebook Photo of the Week (May 24th ~ May 30th) appeared first on Soap Queen.

The Havana Classic Series came to an end last week. It included a variety of projects featuring our Tobacco & Bay Leaf Fragrance Oil. This scent is a great choice for another upcoming holiday, Father’s Day. Colored with a masculine palette of blue, deep red and mustard, the Neptune Column Pour Cold Process Tutorial would make the perfect soap for men and women alike. If you are looking for more manly projects, check out this Easy Whipped Shaving Soap or this cute Golf Ball Melt and Pour Tutorial.

Speaking of beautiful color palettes, the Facebook Photo of the Week features five gorgeously colored scrubs that really pop! These natural scrubs from Stripped Soap Co. use clays to achieve these vibrant colors.

Made with Patchouli Essential Oil, Tea Tree Essential Oil, and Spirulina, the green scrub on the left looks incredibly refreshing. Pictured from top to bottom are scrubs made with Red Clay, Zeolite Clay, Australian Olive Green Clay, and Cambrian Blue Clay.

If you’d like to create your own scrub using clay, check out the Rose Clay Sugar Scrub Tutorial or the Cleansing Clay Masks on Soap Queen TV. Using clays in scrubs gives them a fantastic thick texture, and they’re great for soaking up excess oils in the skin. Clay can also be used in bath bombs as a natural colorant, like in the Mini Heart Bath Bombs Tutorial. For more on using clay and natural colorants in soap, check out the Sunday Night Spotlights on Natural Colorants and Brazilian Clays.

Stripped Soap Co. not only creates colorful scrubs,they also have a wide variety of beautiful cold process soaps. Shown above (from top left, clockwise) is the Tea Tree Lavender Soap, Charcoal Facial Soap, Summer Fling Soap, and the White Tea Ginger Soap. Thanks to the Stripped Soap Co. for being a beautiful part of our soapy community!

Find Stripped Soap Co.:

On Facebook
On Etsy 

Would you like your photo or project to be featured on the blog? Come join us for soap talk, contests and lots of crafty inspiration on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page and share a photo of your latest project. Your handmade soap might be next week’s feature!

The post Facebook Photo of the Week (March 22nd ~ March 28th) appeared first on Soap Queen.