Activated Charcoal and Tamanu Oil Cold Process Soap
What makes a special handmade soap? One of them is the ingredients! I have not made a lot of soap with either of these ingredients. But I have been wanting to use activated charcoal for a while, not only for being a wonderful ingredient but for the black color which looks wonderful in most designs. And Tamanu oil is a very expensive luxurious oil that I typically save for a facial serum or cream where it will be sure to deliver all of its benefits. But today I decided to splurge and make two very nice soaps!
A customer was recently looking for an activated charcoal soap at our local farmer’s market. That was the push I needed to make some very special luxurious facial soaps. Both of these soaps are serious detox facial soaps! I formulated these two soaps to be gentle enough to be used as a daily facial soap, but like all of my soaps they can also be used as a hand or body soap. Both of these face soaps arr packed full of amazing skin friendly ingredients, but with two extra special ingredients to help clear up your complexion and manage skin impurities.
The first is the activated charcoal. It has become very popular recently and it is well known for its ability to draw out and trap impurities. I use charcoal made from coconut shells, but there are other sources of charcoal. The charcoal goes through a high temperature steam activation process to make it very porous giving it a larger surface area to attract and adsorb more toxins and chemicals. Basically, it acts like a magnet to attract and suck out dirt, gunk, oil and other skin impurities from the skins surface and below the skins surface to deep clean. It will leave your skin with a clean fresh feel. If you have oily skin that is prone to acne and blackheads, ditch the expensive chemical laden face washes that dry out and irritate your skin and use this as your daily soap instead.
Tamanu oil is the second amazing ingredient. This remarkable, glistening greenish-brown oil has a distinctive nutty and earthy aroma. And it is a must have for skin issues. However, it is a lesser known oil. It is believed to help reduce and relieve reddened, irritated, skin prone to blemishes. Its soothing and repairing properties benefit scarred skin, shrink stretch marks and has anti-fungal properties too. Tamanu is gentle and effective. It promotes restoration and healthy skin growth, which will leave the skin soft and feeling better than new. It is fantastic in topical lotions and creams and absorbs easily without leaving a greasy feel. Today I felt reckless and I am using this wonderful oil in soap!
Other wonderful ingredients, such as, kaolin clay were added to these soaps. Kaolin clay also helps to detox and clear pores. It is able to cling to impurities and gently cleanse and exfoliate your skin while increasing the silkiness, slip and absorbency to the soap. It is very gentle and cleanses the skin without causing irritation, inflammation or redness. It is so gentle that it is used on baby’s sensitive skin.
The other ingredients, such as, olive oil, responsibly sourced palm oil, coconut oil, castor oil and rice bran oil are all oils that we are more familiar. A high percentage of olive oil makes the bars gentle. Palm oil makes the bars firm, while coconut oil adds cleansing properties. Castor oil a-supports lather and cleansing properties. Rice bran oil is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, and it has a thick and moisturizing consistency that’s similar to olive oil. Cocoa butter adds a luxurious moisturizing feeling to cold process soap. It is also very conditioning helping to create a barrier between your skin and harsh environments, keeping the moisture in your skin where it belongs.
All of these ingredients contribute to a moisture rich, gently cleansing and hard bar of soap. I have also added sodium lactate to help harden the bar due to the high percentage of olive oil, so it will last longer in the shower. Sodium lactate sounds like a horrible chemical to avoid, but it is actually a natural salt derived from the fermentation of sugars found in corn and beets. So it is a common ingredient in natural soaps.
Both are rich in Koalin clay and activated charcoal to help soothe and detoxify, but I also wanted to make them different.
One is a goat’s milk soap, a rich black soap with only a small white design on the top to make it pretty. We like pretty! The goat’s milk is a great addition to this soap. It is rich in fatty acids, cholesterol and minerals, such as, selenium, which prevent skin damage and protect the upper layers of your skin. It is also a good source of vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin shown to have anti-aging properties. It may even improve psoriasis symptoms like dry skin. Bottom line, using a gentle, fat-rich soap like goat milk soap can support and replenish the skin’s moisture. It also does not strip your skin’s natural lipids or healthy bacteria, so the skin’s natural microbiome is maintained improving its barrier against pathogens. This can help to prevent various skin disorders like acne and eczema. These are only a few of the benefits in using goat’s milk in soap!
This soap is fragranced with an earthy moss and amber scent. It goes really well with the earthiness of the Tamanu oil and it appeals to both men and women.
The second soap has Tussah silk added. This silk fiber is cruelty free and collected after the worms have left their cocoons. It adds a little shine, increased lather, more slip and a luxurious soft silky feel to the soap which is perfect for a pampering facial soap.
This soap is fragranced with Tea Tree essential oil which is generally acknowledged to have anti-microbial properties making it a natural fit for use in this soap. The many exceptional properties, such as, anti-septic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial of the tea tree make it a great natural additive in soap making. Its fresh clean earthy scent also goes nicely with the earthiness of the Tamanu oil.
Both of these soaps are made with all natural oils that your skin will love and appreciate. They can soothe and detoxify, resulting in clearer skin with fewer breakouts. It will have a silky, creamy lather due to the kaolin clay, tussah silk and goat’s milk. The lather will have a gray color due to the activated charcoal, but it should not stain or discolor your washcloths permanently. You are going to love the way my soap rinses clean away without leaving any film or feeling of dryness or tightness in your skin. If you have never tried handmade cold processed soap before you are denying yourself and your skin something wonderful that you deserve. Not to mention this beautiful black and white soap will look lovely in your bathroom!