Icelandic black sand comes from a volcanic beach on the South Coast of Iceland. In this Volcanic Sand & Charcoal Face Scrub, it provides a mild yet effective exfoliation. It’s best suited for combination to oily skin.
The base is a combination of gentle kaolin clay and Natural Castile Liquid Soap Base. The liquid soap base is made from olive oil, which creates a gentle lather that won’t dry out the skin. The liquid soap also helps the clay and charcoal wash off the skin completely. A touch of seaweed extract adds extra skin-loving properties.
This scrub is lightly scented with Coastal Rain Fragrance Oil, which is a great unisex option. This scrub makes a great gift – download the free labels here.
Volcanic Sand & Charcoal Face Scrub
What You Need:
Five 4 oz. Jars
11 oz. Kaolin Clay
3 oz. Icelandic Black Sand
0.6 oz. Activated Charcoal
10 oz. Natural Castile Liquid Soap Base
1 oz. Seaweed Extract
6 mL Coastal Rain Fragrance Oil
0.2 oz. Optiphen
Volcanic Sand & Charcoal Scrub Labels – Free PDF
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ONE: In a large bowl, mix together 11 ounces of kaolin clay, 3 ounces of Icelandic black sand, and 0.6 ounces of activated charcoal.
TWO: Add 1 ounce of seaweed extract and 10 ounces of Natural Castile Liquid Soap Base. Stir until all the ingredients are completely combined.
THREE: Add 6 mL of Coastal Rain Fragrance Oil and 0.2 ounces of Optiphen. Stir the mixture thoroughly.
FOUR: Pour or scoop the mixture into jars. To use, apply the scrub to clean, wet skin. Gently scrub in circular motions for about 30-60 seconds and wash off. Enjoy.
- Five 4 oz. Jars
- 11 oz. Kaolin Clay
- 3 oz. Icelandic Black Sand
- 0.6 oz. Activated Charcoal
- 10 oz. Natural Castile Liquid Soap Base
- 1 oz. Seaweed Extract
- 6 mL Coastal Rain Fragrance Oil
- 0.2 oz. Optiphen
- Volcanic Sand & Charcoal Scrub Labels – Free PDF
- In a large bowl, mix together 11 ounces of kaolin clay, 3 ounces of Icelandic black sand, and 0.6 ounces of activated charcoal.
- Add 1 ounce of seaweed extract and 10 ounces of Natural Castile Liquid Soap Base. Stir until all the ingredients are completely combined.
- Add 6 mL of Coastal Rain Fragrance Oil and 0.2 ounces of Optiphen. Stir the mixture thoroughly.
- Pour or scoop the mixture into jars. To use, apply the scrub to clean, wet skin. Gently scrub in circular motions for about 30-60 seconds and wash off. Enjoy.
Will it be ok to add of the following three oils to make it a bit moisturizing for dry skin: carrot seed oil, avocado oil or sweet almond oil? I don’t have jojoba oil.
Yes, I think any of those oils would work well to add some more moisturizing properties to this scrub. Just keep in mind the consistency will be slightly different, most likely a bit thinner.
My personal favorite of those 3 oils is Avocado Oil:
https://www.brambleberry.com/shop-by-product/ingredients/oils/avocado-oil/V000524.html
Hi,
I am from Malaysia, Icelandic Sand will be very difficult to find locally, can I change it to something else? Will it change whole texture? Thank u for your help
You can substitute a different salt. For a similar feel you would want to use a very fine salt. Just keep in mind you final color may be slightly different as well.
with same amount?
Yes, you’ll use it at the same ratio. You can always adjust it a little though, depending on how you like things.
If I wanted to make a slightly harsher scrub for more exfoliation would I simply add more sand or another exfoliant and less Castile soap?
Yes, you can just add more sand and reduce the amount of Kaolin Clay for a stronger scrub.
If i reduce the kaolin clay and exchange the charcoal for sea clay or rose clay, will it be more suitable for people with normal to dry skin? any suggestions on anything else i should change or add?
Those sound like nice changes. If you have you have very dry skin you could also try adding in small amount of a liquid moisturizing oil, like Jojoba Oil. Just keep in mind this will also make the recipe a little thinner. I would recommend a small test batch to make sure you like the results.
Jojoba Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Jojoba-Oil-Golden-P3219.aspx
Thanks for your suggestion, ill def try it out. for about 2 x 4oz would the below recipe work? want to make sure im putting the right amount of otiphen . dont want too much or too little..
4.4 oz Kaolin Clay
1.2 oz Pumice sand
0.24 oz Activated Charcoal
4 oz Natural Castil Liquid soap base
0.4 oz Seaweed Extract
2.4 ml Coastal Rain FO
0.25 oz Jojoba oil
0.1 oz Otiphen
Optiphen is suggested for usage levels of 0.5 – 1.5%. In your recipe you can use .05oz to 0.15oz., so your mid-range 0.1oz should be just fine. 🙂
I made this face scrub today and it is very thin. I measured out ingredients just like the recipe says. I’ve had all the ingredients sitting at room temperature before I made. Is there something else that I could of done wrong.
This scrub may stay thinner in warmer climates. You can try adding more of the Kaolin Clay and Activated Charcoal to help thicken up that batch.
Ok thank you. Also could you give me an example of how thick it is supposed to be? Like is it as thick as regular hand soap?
It should be a bit thicker than that, more like a conditioner or shampoo?
Are these measured in weight or liquid oz?
We recommend measuring by weight.
will it get separated after long time ? will kaolin and charcoal settle down ?
We haven’t noticed it separating as of yet!
How do you get yours to look so runny? Mine was really thick and hard to get into the containers and had to spend a fair amount of time cleaning up the inside of the lip of the jar.
It is definitely a thicker scrub but it will be a bit more runny at warmer temperatures. You can also try adding a bit more liquid soap to thin it up.
My daughter and her friends all love this recipe. The one complaint they have (19 year olds, thankful for just one complain) is the difficulty getting the charcoal off their faces. What would you recommend adjusting first? should I half the amount of charcoal in the recipe?
Hi! I was wondering how could I make this more suitable for dry skin. Or if you have a recipe for another face scrub that can be use for that skin type, Thanks
If you have drier skin I would use quite a bit less of the Kaolin Clay or even omit that part of the recipe. You could also try adding in a more moisturizing oil/butter like Jojoba Oil or Shea Butter. Just keep in mind these options will change the consistency.
Jojoba Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Jojoba-Oil-Golden-P3219.aspx
Shea Butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Shea-Butter-P3220.aspx
I would recommend a small test batch to make sure you like the results.
what are the percentages for this recipe?
We didn’t measure this recipe in percentages because it isn’t cold or hot process soap. To find the percentages you can add all of the ingredients together then divide each ingredient separately by that total.
Can I substitute the Castile liquid soap? Volcanic Sand & Charcoal Face Scrub
You can try substituting the Natural Castile Liquid Soap with another liquid soap base for similar results. I would recommend a small test batch to make sure you like how it turns out with that substitution.
do you know the shelf life of this product
It has a shelf life of 1 year.
Hi, can you recommend an essential oil alternative to the FO? Also, how do you create the smear on the last pic? lol I been wanting to do this, Thanks
Tea Tree Essential Oil or Lavender Essential Oil would be nice alternatives.
We just use a spoon to create the smear. Sometimes it take a lot of effort to get that “just messy enough” look, but it’s worth it.
Can i use seaweed powder instead of seaweed extract? Same amount. Thanks in advance
Seaweed Powder isn’t a good substitute for Seaweed Extract. You can substitute it with any extract you would like though. This post has some information on extracts: https://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/sunday-night-spotligh-extracts/
Can I omit the seaweed? Or what can I use to replace it. Thank you
You can replace it with another extract. Aloe Extract might be nice.
Aloe Extract: https://www.brambleberry.com/Aloe-Extract-P4938.aspx
can we replace the icelandic sand by pumice/salt/sugar/ other particles? thanks. Barbora
Yes, you can replace the sand with another exfoliant.
I’m just curious: why do you add a preservative if all the liquid products added don’t need one? I always appreciate all you folks do here. I’ve learned so much over the years and I ALWAYS mention soapqueen and brambleberry in my youtube videos when I make a soap or even a soap variation I saw on soapqueen.
We add a preservative when water might be introduced to the final product. Since with is a face scrub, it’s likely to come in contact with water. If that happens, bacteria and mold could start to grow.