Patchouli essential oil has an earthy, smoky scent. It can elicit strong opinions because it’s an assertive fragrance, but what many people don’t know is how versatile patchouli essential oil is. It adds depth and complexity to a variety of scents. It blends wonderfully with floral, citrus, vanilla, and minty notes.

In this Patchouli & Bentonite Clay Soap, it’s blended with a touch of lime essential oil. Together they create a bright and earthy scent that’s sure to please. Patchouli is the defining scent of the blend, so if you prefer you can add more lime and less patchouli.

In addition to essential oils, the bars are made with natural activated charcoal, indigo powder, and bentonite clay. Bentonite clay is created from volcanic ash. It gives bath and beauty products a nice slip. This texture is great for shaving soaps, as it helps the razor glide over the skin. Bentonite clay also has strong oil absorbing properties, making it a great choice for oily skin.

Indigo powder creates the lovely gray-blue shade. Promoting gel phase helps the color pop a bit. If you’re looking for a natural blue color, jagua extract is a great option. You can also add a touch of Ultramarine Blue Oxide.

Patchouli & Bentonite Clay Soap

What You Need:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
33 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
10.9 oz. Distilled Water
1.5 oz. Patchouli Essential Oil
0.5 oz. Lime Essential Oil
Bentonite Clay
Activated Charcoal
Indigo Powder
Titanium Dioxide

Click below to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

If you’ve never made cold process soap before, stop here. We highly recommend checking out our FREE four-part SoapQueen.tv series on cold process soapmaking, especially the episode on lye safety. And if you’d rather do some reading, Bramble Berry carries a wide range of books on the topic, including Pure Soapmaking.

COLORANT PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of titanium dioxide into 1 tablespoon of a lightweight liquid oil such as sunflower or sweet almond. In a separate container, disperse 2 teaspoons of indigo powder into 2 tablespoons of lightweight liquid oil. Disperse 1 teaspoon of bentonite clay into 3 tablespoons of distilled water – this mixture will be quite thick. Finally, disperse 1/2 teaspoon of activated charcoal into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of clumps.
Optional: To ensure the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Use a coffee grinder to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning. 

FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass fragrance oil-safe container, measure out 1.5 ounces of patchouli essential oil and 0.5 ounces of lime essential oil. Set aside.

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.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add 4.6 ounces of lye to 10.9 ounces of distilled water. Gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set it 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.

TWO: Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix until it’s completely clear. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 33 ounces into a heat-safe bowl. 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 the mixture to a very thin trace.

THREE: Add all of the bentonite clay mixture. Pulse and stir with the stick blender to fully incorporate. Clay tends to speed up trace, so be careful to not over blend during this stage.

FOUR: Add all of the essential oil blend and use a whisk to fully mix in.

FIVE: Split the soap into 3 separate containers. One container should hold 350 mL, and the remaining 2 should hold 600 mL. Add the following amounts of dispersed powders and whisk thoroughly.

• Container A (350 mL): 1 teaspoon dispersed activated charcoal
• Container B (600 mL): 1 tablespoon dispersed indigo powder + 1/2 teaspoon dispersed titanium dioxide
• Container C (600 mL): remaining dispersed titanium dioxide

SIX: At this point you want the soap to be a medium trace – thin enough to pour, but thick enough that it slightly holds its shape. If it’s still thin, quickly pulse each container with the stick blender starting from lightest to darkest. Once you reach a good texture, begin pouring small dollops of the blue soap into the mold in different areas. Don’t worry too much about the placement of the plops or making them the same size.

SEVEN: Pour plops of the white soap on top of the blue, followed by dollops of the black soap. Because you have less black soap, make these plops slightly smaller.

EIGHT: Continue to layer the various colors into the mold. The more dollops the more layers your soap will have. Alternating the spots you pour and the amounts will also create more variety in your bars. There’s really no right or wrong way to layer the colors, so have fun with it.
TIP: If your soap gets grainy, whisk until it’s smooth. If it gets too thick to pour, use a spoon to layer the soap. 

NINE: Once all the soap is in the mold, use a spoon to create texture on top. We created a side wave pattern by moving the spoon in one direction vertically down the mold.

TEN: Once you’re happy with the top, spritz it with 99% isopropyl alcohol. To help the indigo powder pop, we placed this soap on a heating pad set to medium high for about 2 hours to promote gel phase. Learn more about gel phase here.

Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days. Unmold and cut into bars. Allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

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Patchouli & Bentonite Clay Soap

Course Cold process soap

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 3 pounds of soap

Author Bramble Berry

Ingredients

• 10 ″ Silicone Loaf Mold
• 33 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
• 4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 10.9 oz. Distilled Water
• 1.5 oz. Patchouli Essential Oil
• 0.5 oz. Lime Essential Oil
• Bentonite Clay
• Activated Charcoal
• Indigo Powder
• Titanium Dioxide

Instructions

COLORANT PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of titanium dioxide into 1 tablespoon of a lightweight liquid oil such as sunflower or sweet almond. In a separate container, disperse 2 teaspoons of indigo powder into 2 tablespoons of lightweight liquid oil. Disperse 1 teaspoon of bentonite clay into 3 tablespoons of distilled water – this mixture will be quite thick. Finally, disperse 1/2 teaspoon of activated charcoal into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of clumps. Optional: To ensure the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Use a coffee grinder to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning.

FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass fragrance oil-safe container, measure out 1.5 ounces of patchouli essential oil and 0.5 ounces of lime essential oil. Set aside.

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 10.9 ounces of distilled water. Gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set it 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.
• Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix until it’s completely clear. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 33 ounces into a heat-safe bowl. 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 the mixture to a very thin trace.
• Add all of the bentonite clay mixture. Pulse and stir with the stick blender to fully incorporate. Clay tends to speed up trace, so be careful to not over blend during this stage.
• Add all of the essential oil blend and use a whisk to fully mix in.
• Split the soap into 3 separate containers. One container should hold 350 mL, and the remaining 2 should hold 600 mL. Add the following amounts of dispersed powders and whisk thoroughly.<br>Container A (350 mL): 1 teaspoon dispersed activated charcoal<br>Container B (600 mL): 1 tablespoon dispersed indigo powder + 1/2 teaspoon dispersed titanium dioxide<br>Container C (600 mL): remaining dispersed titanium dioxide
• At this point you want the soap to be a medium trace – thin enough to pour, but thick enough that it slightly holds its shape. If it’s still thin, quickly pulse each container with the stick blender starting from lightest to darkest. Once you reach a good texture, begin pouring small dollops of the blue soap into the mold in different areas. Don’t worry too much about the placement of the plops or making them the same size.
• Pour plops of the white soap on top of the blue, followed by dollops of the black soap. Because you have less black soap, make these plops slightly smaller.
• Continue to layer the various colors into the mold. The more dollops the more layers your soap will have. Alternating the spots you pour and the amounts will also create more variety in your bars. There’s really no right or wrong way to layer the colors, so have fun with it. TIP: If your soap gets grainy, whisk until it’s smooth. If it gets too thick to pour, use a spoon to layer the soap.
• Once all the soap is in the mold, use a spoon to create texture on top. We created a side wave pattern by moving the spoon in one direction vertically down the mold.
• Once you’re happy with the top, spritz it with 99% isopropyl alcohol. To help the indigo powder pop, we placed this soap on a heating pad set to medium high for about 2 hours to promote gel phase. Learn more about gel phase here. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days. Unmold and cut into bars. Allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

The post Patchouli & Bentonite Clay Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

This Lingonberry Spice Soap has a rustic-chic look that’s perfect for the holidays and beyond. The bars have a white base and activated charcoal pencil lines. To make the top look festive, there are rose hips and dried leaves.

It’s scented with Lingonberry Spice Fragrance Oil, which is a comforting mix of apple, cedarwood, lemon, balsam fir, cinnamon, and mountain air. It’s a part of the new Hygge Collection. Click here to explore all the new products, which include oils, packaging, and fragrances.

Of course, how the soap feels is just as important. The recipe is made with new lingonberry seed oil, which has a silky and lightweight texture on the skin. The soap also features skin-loving shea butter and cocoa butter.

Due to the large amount of titanium dioxide, the recipe has a 15% water discount to prevent glycerin rivers. The slow-moving oils keep the soap workable, but be ready to work quickly.

[bb_recipeKit link=”https://www.brambleberry.com/BRAMcustom/kitrecipehandler.ashx?recipe=lingonberryspicecp”]

5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
Silicone Liner for 5 Pound Wood Mold
2.8 oz. Shea Butter (5%)
7 oz. Canola Oil (12.6%)
1.1 oz. Castor Oil (2%)
2.8 oz. Deodorized Cocoa Butter (5%)
14 oz. Coconut Oil (25.1%)
2.8 oz. Lingonberry Seed Oil (5%)
14 oz. Palm Oil (25.1%)
11.2 oz. Sunflower Oil (20.1%)
7.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
15.6 oz. Distilled Water (15% water discount)
3 oz. Lingonberry Spice Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide
Activated Charcoal
Rose Hips
Dried Leaves

Click below to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

[/bb_recipeKit]

[sq_products]

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Lingonberry Spice Cold Process Soap

This recipe is perfect for the holidays and beyond.

Course Cold process

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour

Author Bramble Berry

Ingredients

• 5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
• Silicone Liner for 5 Pound Wood Mold
• 2.8 oz. Shea Butter 5%
• 7 oz. Canola Oil 12.6%
• 1.1 oz. Castor Oil 2%
• 2.8 oz. Deodorized Cocoa Butter 5%
• 14 oz. Coconut Oil 25.1%
• 2.8 oz. Lingonberry Seed Oil 5%
• 14 oz. Palm Oil 25.1%
• 11.2 oz. Sunflower Oil 20.1%
• 7.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 15.6 oz. Distilled Water 15% water discount
• 3 oz. Lingonberry Spice Fragrance Oil
• Titanium Dioxide
• Activated Charcoal
• Rose Hips
• Dried Leaves

Instructions

FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass container, measure out 3 ounces of Lingonberry Spice Fragrance Oil and set aside.

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 7.8 ounces of lye to 15.6 ounces of distilled water. Gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set it 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 3.5 teaspoons sodium lactate.
• Melt and combine 2.8 ounces of shea butter, 7 ounces of canola oil, 1.1 ounces of castor oil, 2.8 ounces deodorized cocoa butter, 14 ounces of coconut oil, 2.8 ounces of lingonberry seed oil, 14 ounces of palm oil (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of palm oil before portioning), and 11.2 ounces of sunflower oil into a large mixing bowl. Add 4 teaspoons of titanium dioxide into the oils and use the stick blender to mix in the colorant thoroughly. Make sure there are no clumps.
• 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 the mixture to a thin trace.
• Add 3 ounces of Lingonberry Spice Fragrance Oil. Use the stick blender to stir in the fragrance and pulse sparingly.
• Once the soap is thick enough to support layers on top, spoon ¼ of it (about 20 ounces) into the mold. Tap down, and use a small spoon to create peaks and divots down the length of the mold.
• Very carefully, spoon a small amount of activated charcoal into the powder duster. Then, use your finger to gently “tap” the duster, allowing a small amount of powder to fall onto the soap. Working quickly but carefully, cover the soap with a thin layer of charcoal.
• Use a spoon or spatula to plop another 20 ounces of soap into the mold, covering the charcoal layer below completely. Use a spoon to smooth out the layer and create peaks and divots. Lightly cover this layer of soap with activated charcoal.
• Repeat this process with another 20 ounces of soap, and one more layer of activated charcoal.
• Plop the remaining soap into the mold. Use a large spoon to evenly distribute the soap and create a smooth top.
• Use a fork to create texture from one side of the mold to the other width-wise until you have covered the complete length of the mold.
• Place dried rose hips in the center of the mold. Place them where you want the center of your bars to be. Where you place the rose hips will decide how big you’d like the bars. Then, place 1-2 myrtle leaves next to the rose hip.
• Spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. If you live in a very hot climate, place the soap in the fridge or freezer for several hours to prevent gel phase. If not, the soap can stay on the counter uncovered.
• Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days. Unmold, and cut into bars. Clean up the activated charcoal lines if necessary. Allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

The post Lingonberry Spice Cold Process Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

There are so many design options for cold process soap. This Tomato Garden Soap has a few that create a truly unique bar. There are melt and pour embeds, a charcoal pencil line, and a sprinkle of poppy seeds on top.

The recipe is made with ingredients from the new Farmers Market Collection. Tomato powder and red palm oil are used for the orange-red color and carrot seed oil gives the bars a silky feeling. It’s scented with Cucumber Garden Fragrance Oil, which has notes of grapefruit, green vines, white flowers, and wood.

What You Need:
Embeds:
Two Mini Square Silicone Column Molds
8 oz. LCP Melt & Pour Soap Base
Chrome Green Color Block

Soap Base:
10” Silicone Loaf Mold
1.8 oz. Avocado Oil (5%)
1.8 Carrot Seed Oil (5%)
0.7 oz. Castor Oil (2%)
1.8 oz. Deodorized Cocoa Butter (5%)
10.1 oz. Coconut Oil (28%)
10.8 oz. Olive Oil (30%)
7.2 oz. Palm Oil (20%)
1.8 oz. Red Palm Oil (5%)
5.1 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
10.2 oz. Water (15% water discount)
2.2 oz. Cucumber Garden Fragrance Oil
1 Tbsp. Tomato Powder 
½ tsp. Brick Red Oxide
Activated Charcoal
Poppy Seeds

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Tomato Garden Soap Tutorial

There are so many design options for cold process soap. This Tomato Garden Soap has a few that create a truly unique bar.

Course Cold process soap

Cook Time 5 hours hours

Total Time 5 hours hours

Servings 3 pounds of soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

Embeds:

• Two Mini Square Silicone Column Molds
• 8 oz. LCP Melt & Pour Soap Base
• Chrome Green Color Block

Soap Base:

• 10 ” Silicone Loaf Mold
• 1.8 oz. Avocado Oil 5%
• 1.8 Carrot Seed Oil 5%
• 0.7 oz. Castor Oil 2%
• 1.8 oz. Deodorized Cocoa Butter 5%
• 10.1 oz. Coconut Oil 28%
• 10.8 oz. Olive Oil 30%
• 7.2 oz. Palm Oil 20%
• 1.8 oz. Red Palm Oil 5%
• 5.1 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 10.2 oz. Water 15% water discount
• 2.2 oz. Cucumber Garden Fragrance Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Tomato Powder
• ½ tsp. Brick Red Oxide
• Activated Charcoal
• Poppy Seeds

Instructions

Make the Embeds

• Chop 8 ounces of LCP White Melt and Pour Soap Base into small uniform pieces. Place the soap into a heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 10-20 second bursts. Split the soap in half (it’s okay to eyeball it). To one container, add a chunk of Chrome Green Color Block and stir to mix in.
• Pour the white soap into one of the Mini Square Silicone Column molds and the green soap into the other. Place the molds in a sturdy and tall container so the soap doesn’t spill. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden.
• Once the soap is cool and hard, remove from the silicone molds. Trim the sides if necessary – we like using a Clean Up Tool. Using a sharp, non-serrated knife, cut the embeds lengthwise to fit into the 10″ Silicone Mold. Then, cut the embeds into four equal pieces. Set aside to prep the cold process soap ingredients.

Make the Base

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2.2 ounces of Cucumber Garden Fragrance Oil into a small glass container and set aside.

COLORANT PREP: Disperse 1/2 teaspoon of the Brick Red Oxide into 1/2 tablespoon of of avocado, sunflower, or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Use a mini mixer to get rid of any clumps. Have 1 tablespoon of tomato powder and a few tablespoons of activated charcoal nearby.

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 5.1 ounces of lye to 10.2 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, add 2 teaspoons sodium lactate.
• In a large glass bowl, combine and melt 1.8 ounces of avocado oil, 1.8 ounces of carrot seed oil, 0.7 ounces of castor oil, 1.8 ounces of deodorized cocoa butter, 10.1 ounces of coconut oil, 10.8 ounces of olive oil, 7.2 ounces of palm oil, and 1.8 ounces of red 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 110-130 degrees F (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add 1 tablespoon tomato powder directly into the oils and use the stick blender to fully mix in. Then, add the lye water to the oils and stick blend the mixture to a thin trace.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon dispersed Brick Red Oxide and use a whisk to mix in.
• Add the Cucumber Garden Fragrance Oil and use the stick blender to mix in the fragrance oil.
• The soap needs to be thick enough to suspend the embeds. If it’s still thin, continue to stick blend the soap to thicken. Once it’s a pudding-like texture, spoon in a layer of soap into the mold – a little bit less than 1/3 of the soap batter. Tap on the counter to get rid of bubbles, and use a spoon to create troughs and texture down the length of the mold.
• Add a few teaspoons of activated charcoal to a powder duster or mesh strainer and lightly tap over the soap to apply a thin layer. Be careful to not dust on too much charcoal or the layers may separate.
• Use a spoon to cover the charcoal layer with more soap. Don’t add too much soap – the layer just needs to cover the charcoal. Place three melt and pour soap embeds down the length of the mold. We positioned them so half of the mold had green soap in the center and white on the outside, and the other half had the opposite.
• Cover the embeds with another layer of soap. Use a spoon to create troughs and texture into the soap.
• Use the powder duster to apply another thin layer of charcoal. Spoon the remaining soap on top. Tap the mold on the counter to get rid of bubbles. Use a spoon to create texture on top. There is no right or wrong way to do this, so just have fun with it.
• Sprinkle the top of the soap with poppy seeds. Spritz with alcohol to prevent soda ash. If you’d like the colors to be darker, promote gel phase by placing the soap into a small area like a drawer or microwave. If you want to prevent gel phase, place the soap into the freezer for at least 5 hours. Remove from the freezer and allow it to harden in the mold for 2-3 days.
• Unmold the soap, and cut into bars. If you find the charcoal lines drag, use a towel and rubbing alcohol to clean them up. Allow the soap to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

The post Tomato Garden Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

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.

The lore of children receiving a lump of coal for Christmas occurs in many cultures. While the origin stories are all slightly different, one aspect is consistent: bad children receive a lump of coal and good children receive a present. These Lump of Coal Soaps put a fun spin on holiday gifts. Your friends and family will actually want these in their stockings.

They’re created with rebatch soap base. Rebatching refers to melting grated cold process soap over low heat. The soap can then be customized with color and fragrance. The Luxury Grated Rebatch Soap used in this project contains a skin-loving blend of oils and butters such as shea butter and olive oil. It’s made fresh so it’s easy to melt down.

Rebatch soap can be melted using a few different heating methods. In this video, the rebatch soap is melted using a double boiler. You can also use a Crock-Pot, as shown in this tutorial. For this project we used a Presto Pot, which is similar to a fondue pot. The key is low, consistent heat.

Once the soap is melted, activated charcoal is added to give a coal-like appearance. Then Sandalwood Vanilla Fragrance Oil is mixed in for a sultry and delicious scent. The soap is allowed to cool slightly and formed into balls using your hands. Finally, a touch of Snowflake Sparkle Mica and a bit more activated charcoal are sprinkled on top. Because of the large amount of charcoal, these bars do lather gray.

What You Need:
48 oz. Grated Luxury Rebatch Soap 
3-4 oz. Distilled Water
2 Tbsp. Activated Charcoal
1.2 oz. Sandalwood Vanilla Fragrance Oil
Snowflake Sparkle Mica

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

ONE: Place the Luxury Rebatch Soap into your Crock-Pot, double boiler, or fondue pot. If using a Crock-Pot or fondue pot, turn the temperature on low and add about 1 ounce of water. Allow the soap to “cook” for a few minutes to gauge the temperature. If you see the soap starting to melt slightly, you can increase the temperature to low-medium and stir frequently.

TWO: As the soap cooks, add small splashes of water to help it melt down smoothly. Continue stirring frequently so the soap at the bottom of the pot doesn’t burn.

After a few minutes, the soap will look like very thick mashed potatoes, as shown below. Continue cooking slightly past this point to melt down any pieces of soap still present. Add a bit more water if necessary.

THREE: Once the soap is smooth, add 1.2 oz. Sandalwood Vanilla Fragrance Oil and thoroughly mix in for several minutes.

FOUR: Add the activated charcoal 1 teaspoon at a time. Stir thoroughly between each addition.

FIVE: Once all the charcoal is added, the soap will have a gray color. If it’s still very thick, add small amounts of water to achieve a smoother consistency. We don’t recommend adding more than 4 ounces of water. If you still see large chunks of rebatch, let the soap continue to cook for several minutes. Turn up the heat if necessary, just be careful to not let the soap burn!

SIX: Lay down several pieces of wax or parchment paper down on your work surface. Then spoon dollops of soap onto the paper. You can make them whatever size you like. Our soaps weighed about 2-3 ounces each.

SEVEN: As the dollops of soap sit, they will cool and harden. Once they are still soft but cool to touch, use your gloved hand to form them into the lump of coal shape you prefer. We made some of ours round, and some more oblong.

EIGHT: Sprinkle Snowflake Sparkle Mica and a touch of activated charcoal onto each soap. Use your hands to press the colors into the soap. There is really no right or wrong way to do it, and don’t worry about making them perfect. If the soap is still too warm and not holding its shape, allow it to cool for a few more minutes.

NINE: Allow the soap to fully cool and harden on the paper for a few hours. Once they are completely firm, transfer them to an area where they can cure for at least a week. Rebatch soap is ready to use once it’s cool, but we find letting it cure for at least a week allows any excess water to evaporate and creates a longer-lasting bar. Enjoy.
NOTE: These bars do lather gray due to the charcoal content. 

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Lump of Coal Soap Tutorial

Your friends and family will actually want these skin-loving lumps of coal in their stockings.

Cuisine Rebatch Soap

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 2 pounds of soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 48 oz. Grated Luxury Rebatch Soap
• 3-4 oz. Distilled Water
• 2 Tbsp. Activated Charcoal
• 1.2 oz. Sandalwood Vanilla Fragrance Oil
• Snowflake Sparkle Mica

Instructions

• Place the Luxury Rebatch Soap into your Crock-Pot, double boiler, or fondue pot. If using a Crock-Pot or fondue pot, turn the temperature on low and add about 1 ounce of water. Allow the soap to “cook” for a few minutes to gauge the temperature. If you see the soap starting to melt slightly, you can increase the temperature to low-medium and stir frequently.
• As the soap cooks, add small splashes of water to help it melt down smoothly. Continue stirring frequently so the soap at the bottom of the pot doesn’t burn. After a few minutes, the soap will look like very thick mashed potatoes, as shown below. Continue cooking slightly past this point to melt down any pieces of soap still present. Add a bit more water if necessary.
• Once the soap is smooth, add 1.2 oz. Sandalwood Vanilla Fragrance Oil and thoroughly mix in for several minutes.
• Add the activated charcoal 1 teaspoon at a time. Stir thoroughly between each addition.
• Once all the charcoal is added, the soap will have a gray color. If it’s still very thick, add small amounts of water to achieve a smoother consistency. We don’t recommend adding more than 4 ounces of water. If you still see large chunks of rebatch, let the soap continue to cook for several minutes. Turn up the heat if necessary, just be careful to not let the soap burn!
• Lay down several pieces of wax or parchment paper down on your work surface. Then spoon dollops of soap onto the paper. You can make them whatever size you like. Our soaps weighed about 2-3 ounces each.
• Sprinkle Snowflake Sparkle Mica and a touch of activated charcoal onto each soap. Use your hands to press the colors into the soap. There is really no right or wrong way to do it, and don’t worry about making them perfect. If the soap is still too warm and not holding its shape, allow it to cool for a few more minutes.
• Allow the soap to fully cool and harden on the paper for a few hours. Once they are completely firm, transfer them to an area where they can cure for at least a week. Rebatch soap is ready to use once it’s cool, but we find letting it cure for at least a week allows any excess water to evaporate and creates a longer-lasting bar. Enjoy. NOTE: These bars do lather gray due to the charcoal content.

The post Lump of Coal Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

Black tea has been renowned for centuries as a potent source of powerful antioxidants. This Black Tea Cold Process Soap recipe harnesses those properties by replacing water with black tea. It’s also scented with the new Bergamot Black Tea Fragrance Oil. The fragrance is a complex blend of smoky tea leaves and bright bergamot with a subtle base of amber. It’s a fantastic uni-sex fragrance oil.

If you’ve never replaced water in your recipe with tea, it’s easier than you think. Simply brew the tea, allow it to cool and mix in the lye like you would with water. The lye solution will become a dark brown, so this recipe contains titanium dioxide to lighten the color. Purple Brazilian clay adds a natural purple hue, while activated charcoal gives a deep grey color.

Because this recipe does contain plenty of titanium dioxide, it has a 20% water discount. The first time we made the soap without a water discount, we got a lot of glycerin rivers (Learn more about glycerin rivers here.) The water discount — or in this case, tea discount — eliminated them completely. The discount also helps to achieve a thick, easy-to-layer texture.

What You Need:
5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
Silicone Liner for 5 Pound Mold
2.7 oz. Cocoa Butter (5%)
13.5 oz. Coconut Oil (25%)
2.7 oz. Matcha Green Tea Butter (5%)
16.2 oz. Olive Oil (30%)
13.5 oz. Palm Oil (25%)
5.4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil (10%)
14.3 oz. Brewed Black Tea (20% water discount)
7.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
2 oz. Bergamot Black Tea Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide
Activated Charcoal
Purple Brazilian Clay
Black Tea Leaves (for the top & to brew tea)
Large Sealable Tea Bag (for brewing tea)

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

If you’ve never made cold process soap before, stop here! I highly recommend checking out our FREE four part SoapQueen.tv series on Cold Process Soapmaking, especially the episode on lye safety. Or if you’d prefer to read, Bramble Berry carries a wide range of books on the topic, including my newest book, Pure Soapmaking. You can also checkout the digital downloads for that instant gratification factor.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices! That means goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, and 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.

COLOR PREP: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Please note this is an optional tip but it does help with the titanium dioxide clumping in the soap.To micronize colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend the colorant to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable, stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning. Then, disperse 3 teaspoon of the colorant into 3 tablespoons of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Disperse 1 teaspoon of activated charcoal into 1 tablespoon of liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to work out any clumps. Then, disperse 3 teaspoons of purple Brazilian clay into 3 tablespoons of distilled water. Because clays absorb moisture, we recommend dispersing them in water rather than oil. Use a mini mixer or small spoon to disperse the clay.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2 ounces of Bergamot Black Tea Fragrance Oil into a glass container that is safe for use with fragrance oil. Set aside.

BLACK TEA PREP:  First, boil 16 ounces distilled water to prepare the tea. It’s best to prep more tea than you need, because you will lose some during the steeping process. Add 4 tablespoons of black tea into the Large Sealable Tea Bag. If you’d like the tea to be stronger or lighter, you can use more or less tea. Iron the tea bag closed, and place in the hot distilled water.

Allow the tea to steep and cool for about 1 hour. Remove the tea bag and wait for the tea to cool to about 70 ° F. The cooler the mixture, the lighter the color of the lye mixture will be.If you’d like, you can also freeze the tea and add the lye to the frozen tea, similar to adding lye to milk, as shown here.

Measure out 14.3 ounces of tea. If you don’t have enough, add more distilled water. Save the tea leaves to place on top of the soap if you’d like. Place them on a paper towel to dry until you’re ready to use.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the black tea and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. The mixture will be a brown color. Do not panic. That’s what the titanium dioxide is for. Set aside to cool.

TWO: Fully melt the coconut oil, olive oil, cocoa butter, matcha green tea butter, sweet almond oil, and palm oil. Remember to fully melt and then mix your entire container of palm oil before portioning. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye to the oils and stick blend until you have a thin trace. 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 about 3.5 tsp. of sodium lactate.

THREE: Once you reach a very thin trace, add all the Bergamot Black Tea Fragrance Oil. It’s okay to add the fragrance at the beginning because it behaves very well in soap.

FOUR: Split off about 26 ounces of soap into a separate container. Add 2 teaspoons of dispersed activated charcoal, and use a whisk to fully mix in. Set aside.

FIVE: Add all the dispersed titanium dioxide into the large amount of remaining soap. Use the stick blender to fully incorporate the titanium dioxide. Then split the batch in half. Each should weigh about 26 ounces. Add all the dispersed purple Brazilian clay to one container. Use the stick blender to incorporate the clay. Leave the other container of soap uncolored.

SIX: Now it’s time to start layering! First, make sure all the colors of soap are a medium to thick trace.  Stick blend each from lightest to darkest until a medium to thick texture is achieved. Because they all have different amounts of various colorants, they may thicken at different rates.

SEVEN: Once you’re happy with the texture of each color, pour half of the uncolored soap into the mold and use a spoon to even it throughout the mold. Use the spoon to give the layer texture, because this design does not need exact straight layers.

EIGHT: Pour half of the black soap onto the white. Be careful not to let the black soap fall through the first layer of white. Use a spoon to gently cover the white soap. Use the spoon to spread it evenly, and to give it texture.

NINE: Cover the black soap with half of the purple soap. Again, use a spoon to spread it evenly and create texture. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to help evenly disperse the soap and get rid of bubbles.

TEN: Continue to layer the soap into the mold with the same color sequence: white soap, black soap, purple soap. Use up all of the remaining soap for the second layer.

ELEVEN: Once the last of the purple soap is poured into the soap, use a spoon to mound the soap in the center and create peaks. There is no right or wrong way to do this, so just have fun with it!

TWELVE: Once you’re happy with the top, sprinkle the used black tea leaves down the center of the soap. Lightly press them (with gloves on) into the soap to help them stick once cut. Spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Because this soap has a tendency to form glycerin rivers, keep it cool. Do not cover or insulate. If you live in a hot climate, consider placing the soap in the fridge or freezer for several hours to keep it cool. After about 2-3 days, unmold the soap and cut into bars. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. Because it does have a heavy water discount, 4 weeks should do the trick. Enjoy!

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Black Tea Soap Tutorial

This soap is made with black tea in place of water, and is topped with black tea leaves.

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
• Silicone Liner for 5 Pound Mold
• 2.7 oz. Cocoa Butter 5%
• 13.5 oz. Coconut Oil 25%
• 2.7 oz. Matcha Green Tea Butter 5%
• 16.2 oz. Olive Oil 30%
• 13.5 oz. Palm Oil 25%
• 5.4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil 10%
• 14.3 oz. Brewed Black Tea 20% water discount
• 7.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 2 oz. Bergamot Black Tea Fragrance Oil
• Titanium Dioxide
• Activated Charcoal
• Purple Brazilian Clay
• Black Tea Leaves for the top & to brew tea
• Large Sealable Tea Bag for brewing tea

Instructions

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices! That means goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, and 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.

COLOR PREP: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Please note this is an optional tip but it does help with the titanium dioxide clumping in the soap.To micronize colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend the colorant to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable, stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning. Then, disperse 3 teaspoon of the colorant into 3 tablespoons of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Disperse 1 teaspoon of activated charcoal into 1 tablespoon of liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to work out any clumps. Then, disperse 3 teaspoons of purple Brazilian clay into 3 tablespoons of distilled water. Because clays absorb moisture, we recommend dispersing them in water rather than oil. Use a mini mixer or small spoon to disperse the clay.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2 ounces of Bergamot Black Tea Fragrance Oil into a glass container that is safe for use with fragrance oil. Set aside.

BLACK TEA PREP: First, boil 16 ounces distilled water to prepare the tea. It’s best to prep more tea than you need, because you will lose some during the steeping process. Add 4 tablespoons of black tea into the Large Sealable Tea Bag. If you’d like the tea to be stronger or lighter, you can use more or less tea. Iron the tea bag closed, and place in the hot distilled water.<br>Allow the tea to steep and cool for about 1 hour. Remove the tea bag and wait for the tea to cool to about 70 ° F. The cooler the mixture, the lighter the color of the lye mixture will be.If you’d like, you can also freeze the tea and add the lye to the frozen tea, similar to adding lye to milk, as shown here.<br>Measure out 14.3 ounces of tea. If you don’t have enough, add more distilled water. Save the tea leaves to place on top of the soap if you’d like. Place them on a paper towel to dry until you’re ready to use.

• Slowly and carefully add the lye to the black tea and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. The mixture will be a brown color. Do not panic. That’s what the titanium dioxide is for. Set aside to cool.
• Fully melt the coconut oil, olive oil, cocoa butter, matcha green tea butter, sweet almond oil, and palm oil. Remember to fully melt and then mix your entire container of palm oil before portioning. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye to the oils and stick blend until you have a thin trace. 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 about 3.5 tsp. of sodium lactate.
• Once you reach a very thin trace, add all the Bergamot Black Tea Fragrance Oil. It’s okay to add the fragrance at the beginning because it behaves very well in soap.
• Split off about 26 ounces of soap into a separate container. Add 2 teaspoons of dispersed activated charcoal, and use a whisk to fully mix in. Set aside.
• Add all the dispersed titanium dioxide into the large amount of remaining soap. Use the stick blender to fully incorporate the titanium dioxide. Then split the batch in half. Each should weigh about 26 ounces. Add all the dispersed purple Brazilian clay to one container. Use the stick blender to incorporate the clay. Leave the other container of soap uncolored.
• Now it’s time to start layering! First, make sure all the colors of soap are a medium to thick trace. Stick blend each from lightest to darkest until a medium to thick texture is achieved. Because they all have different amounts of various colorants, they may thicken at different rates.
• Once you’re happy with the texture of each color, pour half of the uncolored soap into the mold and use a spoon to even it throughout the mold. Use the spoon to give the layer texture, because this design does not need exact straight layers.
• Pour half of the black soap onto the white. Be careful not to let the black soap fall through the first layer of white. Use a spoon to gently cover the white soap. Use the spoon to spread it evenly, and to give it texture.
• Cover the black soap with half of the purple soap. Again, use a spoon to spread it evenly and create texture. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to help evenly disperse the soap and get rid of bubbles.
• Continue to layer the soap into the mold with the same color sequence: white soap, black soap, purple soap. Use up all of the remaining soap for the second layer.
• Once the last of the purple soap is poured into the soap, use a spoon to mound the soap in the center and create peaks. There is no right or wrong way to do this, so just have fun with it!
• Once you’re happy with the top, sprinkle the used black tea leaves down the center of the soap. Lightly press them (with gloves on) into the soap to help them stick once cut. Spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Because this soap has a tendency to form glycerin rivers, keep it cool. Do not cover or insulate. If you live in a hot climate, consider placing the soap in the fridge or freezer for several hours to keep it cool. After about 2-3 days, unmold the soap and cut into bars. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. Because it does have a heavy water discount, 4 weeks should do the trick. Enjoy!

The post Black Tea Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

Nature is full of inspiration. This Cactus Flower Soap was inspired by the colors and textures of a blooming cactus, along with our new Cactus Flower Fragrance Oil. It’s fresh and green take on a floral scent, with notes of violet petals, lemon, and white musk. It behaves wonderfully in soap and gives these bars the perfect floral scent.

This beautiful photograph led us in designing the colors, layers, and textures of this soap. The first layer is created using Bright Blue Jean Colorant, with poppy seeds to mimic the texture of a cactus. An activated charcoal line separates the white and blue layers. Finally, green melt and pour embeds and soap “flowers” add color and interest.

The melt and pour embeds do need to be created several hours in advance to allow them to cool and harden. We recommend using LCP White Melt and Pour Soap Base when embedding into cold process soap. LCP stands for “like cold process” and refers to melt and pour soap that contains less glycerin. It melts at a slightly higher temperature, which helps prevent some morphing or melting if the soap goes through a hot gel phase. LCP bases are also less likely to develop glycerin dew.

This recipe should be kept cool to prevent the embeds from melting. A slightly lower soaping temperature will also prevent glycerin rivers from forming in the white layer. This recipe does use a 10% water discount to further prevent glycerin rivers. Lower soaping temperatures also help achieve a thicker texture and prevent the soap flowers from melting. If you live in a very hot climate, you’ll probably want to place this soap in the fridge for several hours.

What You’ll Need:
Embeds
7 oz. LCP White Melt and Pour Base
Chrome Green Color Block

Base
5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
Silicone Liner for 5 lb Wood Mold
65 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
9.3 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
19.3 oz. Distilled Water (10% water discount)
4 oz. Cactus Flower Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide
Bright Blue Jean Colorant
Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant
Fizzy Lemonade Colorant
Green Chrome Oxide
2 tsp. Activated Charcoal
2 tsp. Poppy Seeds
1M Frosting Tip
Disposable Frosting Bag
Powder Duster

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

Make the Embeds:

ONE: Chop and melt 7 ounces LCP White Melt and Pour Soap in the microwave using 15-second bursts. Add shavings of the Chrome Green Color Block to achieve a soft green color. Pour the soap into a mold of your choice. The exact shape is not super important because the soap will be chopped into small pieces. We used the 12 Cavity Rectangle Silicone Mold and filled up two cavities. Wait for the bars to cool and harden.

TWO: Once the melt and pour has fully cooled and hardened, remove from the mold. Use a sharp, non-serrated knife to chop the soap into long, rectangle pieces. The exact size of each embed is up to you. Set pieces of soap aside until you’re ready to use.

Make the Base

If you’ve never made Cold Process soap before, stop here! I highly recommend checking out our FREE four part SoapQueen.tv series on Cold Process Soapmaking, especially the episode on lye safety. And if you’d rather do some reading, Bramble Berry carries a wide range of books on the topic, including my newest book, Pure Soapmaking. You can also check out the digital downloads for that instant gratification factor.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices! That means goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, and 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.

COLOR PREP: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Please note this is an optional tip but it does help with the titanium dioxide clumping in the soap. To micronize colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend the colorant to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable, stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning. Then, disperse 4 teaspoons of the colorant into 4 tablespoons of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Then in separate containers, disperse 1/2 teaspoon Fizzy Lemonade Colorant, Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant and Chrome Green Oxide into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. The disperse 1 teaspoon Bright Blue Jean Colorant into 1 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 4 ounces of Cactus Flower into a glass, fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.

MOLD & TOOL PREP: Insert the silicone liner into the wood mold.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool.

TWO: Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix until completely clear with no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 65 oz. into your soaping bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. 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 4 tsp. sodium lactate.

THREE: Once you’ve reached a thin trace, add all the Cactus Flower Fragrance Oil to the batter. Use your stick blender to stir in the fragrance and then use short bursts to further incorporate.

FOUR: Pour 200 mL of soap into two separate containers. To one container, add 1/2 teaspoon dispersed Fizzy Lemonade Colorant. To the other, add 1/2 teaspoon dispersed Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant. Use a whisk or spoon to fully incorporate the colors. Set the soap aside.

FIVE: Pour 30 ounces of uncolored soap into a separate container. To this container, add 1 tablespoon of the dispersed Bright Blue Jean Colorant and 1/8 teaspoon dispersed Chrome Green Oxide. Use the stick blender to mix in the colorants. If the soap is still at thin trace, stick blend until you reach medium trace.

SIX: Whisk 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds into the blue soap.

SEVEN: Pour all of the blue soap into the mold. Tap the mold on the counter firmly to release air bubbles. If the soap is thick enough to hold its shape, slide a spoon down the length of the mold several times to create a wavy texture in the soap.
NOTE: If the soap is not holding its shape, allow it to thicken in the mold and proceed to step nine. After mixing the white soap, return to this step to create texture and create the mica line. 

EIGHT: Put a few teaspoons of activated charcoal into the powder duster. Lightly dust the charcoal onto the blue soap. Apply only a light layer to the soap, or the layers may separate once cut. Set the mold aside.

NINE: To the remaining soap, add all of the dispersed titanium dioxide. Adding the extra oil will cause the trace to thin. The soap needs to be a thick texture to support the embeds. Use the stick blender to thicken the soap, and then pour it into the mold. Save a small amount of white soap for the next step. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to help disperse any bubbles. Use the back of a small spoon to spread the soap evenly into the mold.

TEN: Begin placing the melt and pour embeds into the soap. We placed ours randomly, but you can concentrate the pieces on the side of the soap flowers if you’d like. Continue inserting pieces until the entire soap is filled. Use the small amount of your leftover white soap to cover the green pieces. Use a spoon to smooth the top.

ELEVEN: Transfer the yellow soap into the pink soap, and use a spoon to very gently stir them together. Don’t mix the colors together completely.

TWELVE: Cut off the tip of the disposable frosting bag and insert the frosting tip. Test the consistency of the pink and yellow soap. It should be a thick trace, and able to hold its shape. If it’s not thick enough, let the soap sit in the container for 5-10 minutes and check the consistency again. We waited about 15 minutes for the soap to thicken before piping the flowers.

THIRTEEN: Once the soap is thick enough to pipe, transfer it into the frosting bag. Pipe little flowers down the length of the mold, concentrating them on one side. If you’d like, you can space them out, placing a flower in the center of each bar. Once you’re done piping flowers, pipe the leftover soap onto a silicone mold or onto any nonstick surface.

FOURTEEN: Spritz the top of the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Because you don’t want the flowers or melt and pour embeds to melt, keep this soap in a cool area. Don’t cover and insulate. If you live in a hot climate, you can place the mold into the fridge for about 3-4 hours. Then remove the soap to sit and harden overnight. After about 2-3 days, unmold the soap and cut into bars. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy!

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Cactus Flower Soap Tutorial

This fun and funky soap is inspired by cactus flowers.

Course Cold process soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 7 oz. LCP White Melt and Pour Base
• Chrome Green Color Block
• 5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
• Silicone Liner for 5 lb Wood Mold
• 65 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
• 9.3 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 19.3 oz. Distilled Water 10% water discount
• 4 oz. Cactus Flower Fragrance Oil
• Titanium Dioxide
• Bright Blue Jean Colorant
• Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant
• Fizzy Lemonade Colorant
• Green Chrome Oxide
• 2 tsp. Activated Charcoal
• 2 tsp. Poppy Seeds
• 1 M Frosting Tip
• Disposable Frosting Bag
• Powder Duster

Instructions

Make the Embeds

• Chop and melt 7 ounces LCP White Melt and Pour Soap in the microwave using 15-second bursts. Add shavings of the Chrome Green Color Block to achieve a soft green color. Pour the soap into a mold of your choice. The exact shape is not super important because the soap will be chopped into small pieces. We used the 12 Cavity Rectangle Silicone Mold and filled up two cavities. Wait for the bars to cool and harden.
• Once the melt and pour has fully cooled and hardened, remove from the mold. Use a sharp, non-serrated knife to chop the soap into long, rectangle pieces. The exact size of each embed is up to you. Set pieces of soap aside until you're ready to use.

Make the Base

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices! That means goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, and 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.

COLOR PREP: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Please note this is an optional tip but it does help with the titanium dioxide clumping in the soap. To micronize colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend the colorant to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable, stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning. Then, disperse 4 teaspoons of the colorant into 4 tablespoons of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Then in separate containers, disperse 1/2 teaspoon Fizzy Lemonade Colorant, Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant and Chrome Green Oxide into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. The disperse 1 teaspoon Bright Blue Jean Colorant into 1 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 4 ounces of Cactus Flower into a glass, fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.

MOLD & TOOL PREP: Insert the silicone liner into the wood mold.

• Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool.
• Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix until completely clear with no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 65 oz. into your soaping bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. 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 4 tsp. sodium lactate.
• Once you've reached a thin trace, add all the Cactus Flower Fragrance Oil to the batter. Use your stick blender to stir in the fragrance and then use short bursts to further incorporate.
• Pour 200 mL of soap into two separate containers. To one container, add 1/2 teaspoon dispersed Fizzy Lemonade Colorant. To the other, add 1/2 teaspoon dispersed Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant. Use a whisk or spoon to fully incorporate the colors. Set the soap aside.
• Pour 30 ounces of uncolored soap into a separate container. To this container, add 1 tablespoon of the dispersed Bright Blue Jean Colorant and 1/8 teaspoon dispersed Chrome Green Oxide. Use the stick blender to mix in the colorants. If the soap is still at thin trace, stick blend until you reach medium trace.
• Whisk 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds into the blue soap.
• Pour all of the blue soap into the mold. Tap the mold on the counter firmly to release air bubbles. If the soap is thick enough to hold its shape, slide a spoon down the length of the mold several times to create a wavy texture in the soap. NOTE: If the soap is not holding its shape, allow it to thicken in the mold and proceed to step nine. After mixing the white soap, return to this step to create texture and create the mica line.
• Put a few teaspoons of activated charcoal into the powder duster. Lightly dust the charcoal onto the blue soap. Apply only a light layer to the soap, or the layers may separate once cut. Set the mold aside.
• To the remaining soap, add all of the dispersed titanium dioxide. Adding the extra oil will cause the trace to thin. The soap needs to be a thick texture to support the embeds. Use the stick blender to thicken the soap, and then pour it into the mold. Save a small amount of white soap for the next step. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to help disperse any bubbles. Use the back of a small spoon to spread the soap evenly into the mold.
• Begin placing the melt and pour embeds into the soap. We placed ours randomly, but you can concentrate the pieces on the side of the soap flowers if you'd like. Continue inserting pieces until the entire soap is filled. Use the small amount of your leftover white soap to cover the green pieces. Use a spoon to smooth the top.
• Transfer the yellow soap into the pink soap, and use a spoon to very gently stir them together. Don't mix the colors together completely.
• Cut off the tip of the disposable frosting bag and insert the frosting tip. Test the consistency of the pink and yellow soap. It should be a thick trace, and able to hold its shape. If it's not thick enough, let the soap sit in the container for 5-10 minutes and check the consistency again. We waited about 15 minutes for the soap to thicken before piping the flowers.
• Once the soap is thick enough to pipe, transfer it into the frosting bag. Pipe little flowers down the length of the mold, concentrating them on one side. If you'd like, you can space them out, placing a flower in the center of each bar. Once you're done piping flowers, pipe the leftover soap onto a silicone mold or onto any nonstick surface.
• Spritz the top of the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Because you don't want the flowers or melt and pour embeds to melt, keep this soap in a cool area. Don't cover and insulate. If you live in a hot climate, you can place the mold into the fridge for about 3-4 hours. Then remove the soap to sit and harden overnight. After about 2-3 days, unmold the soap and cut into bars. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy!

The post Cactus Flower Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

A few weeks ago I shared a recipe for Charcoal & Tea Tree Facial Bars made with cold process soap. I got quite a few requests to create something similar with melt and pour, so these Pure Charcoal Melt & Pour Bars were created! They are made in the brand new Pure Soap Silicone Tray Mold, which was specially designed by the Bramble Berry team. The details in each cavity are deep enough to make filling in each space as easy as possible. This new mold is suitable for cold process and melt and pour as well as lotion bars.

This soap is created with Aloe Vera Melt and Pour Base which contains 5% aloe vera gel. It has a slight green tint, but the activated charcoal covers that right up. Tea tree essential oil gives the bars a refreshing and earthy scent. The soap contains two full teaspoons of charcoal so they’re great for oily skin. The charcoal does create a gray lather but it’s very faint. If you prefer, you can reduce the amount of charcoal to prevent any color in the lather. Learn more about charcoal here.

Want to see this recipe in action? Scroll down to the bottom of this post to watch Anne-Marie make these bars!

What You’ll Need:
Pure Soap Silicone Tray Mold
32 oz. Aloe Vera Melt and Pour
3 oz. White Melt and Pour Soap Base
2 tsp. Activated Charcoal
0.8 oz. Tea Tree Essential Oil
99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle
Clean Up Tool
Injector Tool

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

ONE: Chop 3 ounces of White Melt and Pour Soap Base into small chunks. Place them in a small heat safe container and melt in the microwave using 5-10 second bursts. Melt and pour is easy to burn when melting such a small amount, so use short bursts and do not let the soap boil.

TWO: Cut a very small amount off the tip of the Injector Tool. You still want the hole of the Injector Tool to be small, but making it slightly larger helps prevent it from clogging. Fill a small cup with very hot water. Have the hot water nearby while you fill in the details of the mold with white soap. Use it to clear the Injector Tool if the soap begins to cool and harden in the tool.

THREE: Spritz the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Spritzing the mold allows the soap to spread easily into the details. Fill up the Injector Tool with the white soap and carefully fill in the details of the mold. Have the spray bottle filled with alcohol nearby to get rid of any bubbles. Work carefully but quickly to prevent the soap from hardening in the Injector Tool.

FOUR: Continue filling in the details of each cavity. If you make a mistake, allow the soap to fully cool and harden and use the Clean Up Tool to get rid of imperfections.

FIVE: While the white soap fully hardens, chop 32 ounces of Aloe Vera Melt and Pour Soap Base into small chunks. Place them in a large heat safe container and melt in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts. Between each burst, stir the soap to help it melt evenly. It can take a few minutes to fully melt depending on the strength of your microwave.

SIX: Mix 2 teaspoons of activated charcoal with 2 tablespoons of 99% isopropyl alcohol. Stir together to help get rid of large clumps. Add all of the dispersed charcoal into the melted soap and stir to fully combine.

SEVEN: Add the tea tree essential oil to the soap and stir to fully combine. Take the temperature of the soap. If the soap is poured into the mold when it’s hotter than 130 ° F, it may melt the white details in the mold. Allow the soap to cool to about 125 ° F.

EIGHT: Spritz the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help the charcoal soap adhere to the white soap details. Pour the black soap into the mold, then spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to get rid of any bubbles. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden for several hours or up to overnight.

NINE: Remove from the mold and cut into bars using a sharp non-serrated knife. To avoid glycerin dew, wrap the bars in plastic wrap or another airtight packaging option. Enjoy!

Want to see this project in action? Check out the Facebook Live video below! See more Facebook videos here. 

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Pure Charcoal Melt & Pour Soap Bars DIY

These bars are made with Aloe Vera Melt and Pour Base and charcoal.

Course Melt and Pour

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• Pure Soap Silicone Tray Mold
• 32 oz. Aloe Vera Melt and Pour
• 3 oz. White Melt and Pour Soap Base
• 2 tsp. Activated Charcoal
• 0.8 oz. Tea Tree Essential Oil
• 99 % Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle
• Clean Up Tool
• Injector Tool

Instructions

• Chop 3 ounces of White Melt and Pour Soap Base into small chunks, place them in a small heat safe container and melt in the microwave using 5-10 second bursts. Melt and pour is easy to burn when melting such a small amount, so use short bursts and do not let the soap boil.
• Cut a very small amount off the tip of the Injector Tool. You still want the hole of the Injector Tool to be small, but making it slightly larger helps avoid the tool from becoming clogged. Fill a small cup with very hot water. Have the hot water nearby while you fill in the details of the mold with white soap. Use it to clear the Injector Tool if the soap begins to cool and harden in the tool.
• Spritz the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Spritzing the mold allows the soap to spread easily into the details. Fill up the Injector Tool with the white soap and carefully fill in the details of the mold. Have the spray bottle filled with alcohol nearby to get rid of any bubbles. Work carefully but quickly to prevent the soap from hardening in the Injector Tool.
• Continue filling in the details of each cavity. If you make a mistake, allow the soap to fully cool and harden and use the Clean Up Tool to get rid of imperfections.
• While the white soap fully hardens, chop 32 ounces of Aloe Vera Melt and Pour Soap Base into small chunks. Place them in a large heat safe container and melt in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts. Between each burst, stir the soap to help it melt evenly. It can take a few minutes to fully melt depending on the strength of your microwave.
• Mix 2 teaspoons of activated charcoal with 2 tablespoons of 99% isopropyl alcohol. Stir together to help get rid of large clumps. Add all of the dispersed charcoal into the melted soap and stir to fully combine.
• Add the tea tree essential oil to the soap and stir to fully combine. Take the temperature of the soap. If the soap is poured into the mold when it's hotter than 130 ° F, it may melt the white details in the mold. Allow the soap to cool to about 125 ° F.
• Spritz the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help the charcoal soap adhere to the white soap details. Pour the black soap into the mold, then spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to get rid of any bubbles. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden for several hours, up to overnight.
• Remove from the mold, and cut into bars using a sharp non-serrated knife. To avoid glycerin dew, wrap the bars in plastic wrap or another air tight packaging option. Enjoy!

The post Pure Charcoal Melt & Pour Soap DIY appeared first on Soap Queen.

Charcoal face soap seems to be everywhere right now, along with charcoal face masks and bath bombs. It’s easy to understand why – charcoal is fantastic for the skin. It binds to dirt and oil and pulls it out of pores, leaving skin clean and refreshed. Because of its oil absorbing properties, it’s especially fantastic for oily skin.

This Tea Tree and Charcoal Facial Soap was formulated with combination to oily skin in mind. It contains activated charcoal, which gives the bars a rich black color. It does produce a slightly gray lather due to the large amount of charcoal, but does not stain washcloths. This recipe also uses tea tree essential oil, which has an earthy scent. Because this product is meant for the face, a small usage rate for the essential oil is used.

The oils in this recipe were specially chosen for facial skin. A high percentage of olive oil makes the bars gentle. Palm oil makes the bars firm, while coconut oil adds cleansing properties. Usually, I don’t use more than 2-3% castor oil in cold process soap recipes. But, in this recipe, a slightly larger amount of castor oil adds lather and cleansing properties. It also helps draw moisture to the skin to keep it hydrated. The soap is formulated with a 15% water discount to prevent stickiness and help it release from the mold faster. I also highly recommend sodium lactate for this recipe to aid in unmolding.

Last, but certainly not least, is tamanu oil. It is an incredibly unique oil with a dark color and nutty odor. If you search “tamanu oil,” you’ll find it is widely thought to benefit skin scarring, stretch marks and sores, and has anti-fungal properties. However, this recipe hasn’t been tested to prove it helps cure those ailments. We added it because it helps moisturize the skin. Learn more about tamanu oil here. Speaking of medical claims, making claims that this soap treats acne or other skin conditions qualifies classifies it as a drug by the FDA. This requires additional testing and approval. Learn more about cosmetic vs. drug claims here.

What You’ll Need:
12 Bar Rectangle Silicone Mold
1.8 oz. Castor Oil (5%)
9 oz. Coconut Oil (25%)
14.4 oz. Olive Oil (40%)
9 oz. Palm Oil (25%)
1.8 oz. Tamanu Oil (5%)
5.1 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
10.1 oz. Distilled Water (15% water discount)
1.7 oz. Tea Tree Essential Oil
2 Tbsp. Activated Charcoal
Optional: 2 tsp. Sodium Lactate
Optional: Charcoal Soap & Scrub Label Template -Free PDF

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

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How to Make Charcoal Facial Soap

These charcoal facial bars are great for oily, or blemish prone skin.

Course Cold process soap

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12 bars

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 12 Bar Rectangle Silicone Mold
• 1.8 oz. Castor Oil 5%
• 9 oz. Coconut Oil 25%
• 14.4 oz. Olive Oil 40%
• 9 oz. Palm Oil 25%
• 1.8 oz. Tamanu Oil 5%
• 5.1 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 10.1 oz. Distilled Water 15% water discount
• 1.7 oz. Tea Tree Essential Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Activated Charcoal
• Optional: 2 tsp. Sodium Lactate
• Optional: Charcoal Soap & Scrub Label Template -Free PDF

Instructions

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices! That means goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, and 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.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.7 ounces of Tea Tree Essential Oil into a glass, essential oil safe container. Set aside.

• Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool.
• Fully melt the castor oil, coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil and tamanu 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 or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. 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. Stick blend the soap until it’s at a thin trace.
• Add 2 Tbsp. activated charcoal to the soap. Use your stick blender to "tap down" the charcoal to start to mix it into the batter. If you turn on the stick blender immediately, the charcoal may "poof" into the air. Slowly pulse the stick blender to incorporate the charcoal.
• Add the tea tree essential oil to the soap, and use the stick blender to blend and stir the essential oil until completely mixed in.
• Continue to stick blend for just a few seconds, to make sure the ingredients are completely combined. When the soap is a medium trace and is still pourable, pour the batter into the individual cavities of the 12 Bar Rectangle Mold. Tap the mold on the counter to even the soap and get rid of bubbles.
• Spritz the top of the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Place on a heating pad set to medium heat, and insulate the soap for about 30 minutes. Turn off the heating pad, and leave the soap insulated for 24 hours.
• Allow the soap to stay in the mold for at least 3-4 days. Because this soap has plenty of soft oils, it may need up to a week in the mold. Don't rush it! Once the soap is firm enough, unmold and allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy!

The post How to Make Charcoal Facial Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

Activated charcoal has become a popular ingredient for skin care products in the past few years. But it’s not new – charcoal has been used in the beauty and medical industries for years. Charcoal is known for its ability to absorb and draw out oil from the skin. This makes charcoal a fantastic addition to soaps, scrubs, masks and more.

There are various types, including activated charcoal, sugar charcoal and Japanese charcoal (aka white charcoal). The different types of charcoal have various origins and production methods. “Regular” charcoal usually comes from wood, coal or peat. This type of charcoal is often used as fuel. Activated charcoal, on the other hand, is most commonly used for medical, beauty or purification processes. To become “activated,” the charcoal goes through a high temperature steam activation process. This process increases its surface area, which increases the charcoal’s ability to absorb and filter. This makes activated charcoal the proper choice for medical and cosmetic use.

In particular, activated charcoal is fantastic for oily skin. Its ability to absorb oil and dirt from pores leaves skin feeling balanced. If you have dry skin, activated charcoal may be a little bit too drying. Some use charcoal in their hair care to add volume, and some even use it in their tooth care regimen (keep in mind the charcoal at Bramble Berry is not meant to be consumed in anyway).

Want to add charcoal to your bath and body products? Interestingly, activated charcoal is not water soluble. A great example of this was in the Black Bath Bombs Test; the bath bombs made with activated charcoal left plenty of residue on the tub, because the charcoal did not want to mix with the water. A touch of Polysorbate 80 helped the activated charcoal blend in better with the water.

Activated charcoal is not water soluble, and does not work well in bath bombs without an emulsifier as shown in this post.

If you’re adding charcoal to your project, dispersing it in oil helps it mix in easier. Use 1 teaspoon charcoal to 1 tablespoon 99% isopropyl alcohol for melt and pour soap and a lightweight liquid oil for cold process soap. Activated charcoal can be added directly to melt and pour or cold process soap batter, but dispersing does help get rid of clumps. If you’d like to try adding it to emulsified projects like lotion, I recommend a small test batch first. We actually tried adding it to the clay mask recipes (which are essentially lotions) and found the charcoal did not mix in very well, even with plenty of stick blending (see photo below).

In our tests, activated charcoal did not mix in very well to emulsified clay masks. 

In addition to the skin benefits, activated charcoal gives products a beautiful black color. Charcoal can create a gray lather and transfer color to a washcloth if a lot is used in a recipe. In my experience, I have not found charcoal soap stains washcloths permanently. If you use enough charcoal to create a dark black color, chances are it will give your lather a little color. For cold process and melt and pour soap, start with 1 teaspoon of dispersed charcoal per pound of soap. Add more color until you get the shade you like. A light to dark gray shade in soap will most likely not create a gray lather.

Charcoal is dispersed in oil and added to the soap batter in the Charcoal & Cedar Beer Soap Tutorial. 

Now, let’s talk about handling activated charcoal. There is no way around it – this stuff is messy. It’s a very small and light powder, so it has a tendency to “poof” up into the air. If you’ve used activated charcoal, you know it can have a tendency to get everywhere. When working with it, I recommend closing windows and shutting off any fans to help avoid an unnecessary mess. If you do get charcoal on your hands while working with it, I recommend washing it off with water and soap. Once, I left activated charcoal on my knuckles for about an hour while formulating recipes. My knuckles were extremely dry for about a week! It has some serious absorbing properties.

Looking for some charcoal recipe inspiration? Check out the tutorials below, and be on the lookout for more recipes this week!

• Rose Clay & Charcoal Soap Tutorial
• Gold Mine Cold Process Soap
• Wild Leopard Print Cold Process Soap
• Honey Bee Funnel Pour Cold Process Soap
• Creamy Cow Milk Cold Process Soap
• Charcoal & Cedar Beer Cold Process Tutorial
• Rose Gold & Charcoal Heart Soap
• Honey Bee Soap Tutorial
• Dragon’s Breath Cold Process Soap
• Charcoal and Rose Clay Spa Bar
• Minty Clay Melt & Pour Bar
• Natural Colorant Taiwan Swirl

The post Activated Charcoal Skin Benefits & Tips for Use appeared first on Soap Queen.