Ultimate Detox Salt Bar Recipe with Activated Charcoal

Learn how to make salt bars with activated charcoal to draw toxins and other impurities from skin. Perfect for acne and other problem skin issues, this ultimate detox salt bar recipe combines pink Himalayan salt with coconut derived activated charcoal for the ultimate detox salt bath!

Salt Bar Soap with Activated Charcoal

I love salt bars! They’re such an exquisite skin care product that make you feel like you’re indulging in an at home spa day in the comfort of your own home. However, as I tend to suffer from acne during the summer months in addition to hormone breakouts, I formulated this cold process soap recipe with both salt and activated charcoal. Both of these ingredients help to draw out dirt and toxins from skin, similar to your favorite DIY clay masks!

As salt can be overly drying, I compensated for this by using a 20% superfat for my salt soap recipe. In addition to the extra fats, my activated charcoal soap also contains coconut, castor, and safflower oils as well as mango butter. This combination of soap making ingredients were chosen for their lather and skin conditioning properties.

Ultimate Detox Salt Bar Recipe

© Rebecca D. Dillon

Salt Bar Ingredients:

These are the ingredients you will need to make this salt bar with activated charcoal:

Soap Ingredients:

12.8 oz. refined coconut oil
1.6 oz. mango butter
.8 oz. castor oil
.8 oz. safflower oil

Lye-Water Solution:

5.6 oz. distilled water
2.2 oz. lye/sodium hydroxide

At Trace:

8 oz. pink Himalayan salt, finely ground
.5 oz. activated charcoal powder
1 oz. fragrance oil or .5 oz. essential oil, if desired

Cold Process Detox Soap Making Notes:

This salt bar recipe with activated charcoal follows the rule of 50% salt, 80% coconut oil, 10% butter and 10% (liquid at room temperature) oil. I chose to use finely ground pink Himalayan salt in lieu of sea salt for it’s higher mineral content. Castor oil was used at 5% to boost the bubbles, and safflower and mango butter were used for their skin conditioning and moisturizing properties in addition to the 20% superfat. (The higher superfat counteracts the cleansing effect of the coconut oil so it doesn’t over dry skin and it helps the soap to lather well in the presence of so much salt.)

The activated charcoal, should you desire to re-size my detox salt bar recipe, was used at 3.125% of the total oil weight. I specifically used the coconut activated charcoal powder for this salt bar recipe. However, you can also use hardwood activated charcoal powder that you based on your preference as a natural remedy for bloating and gas, detoxification, hangovers and food poisoning.

In addition, because salt creates such a hard bar, I discounted my water to 35% rather than 33% which is what I typically use. This will make you soap easier to cut once unmolded if you are using a loaf mold. For silicone molds – I used a combination of Wilton’s 6-Cavity Silicone Heart Mold and Crafter’s Choice Basic Guest Round Silicone Soap Mold – wait an extra day or two to unmold to ensure the soaps come cleanly out of the mold especially if your detox salt bar soaps do not gel. (My ultimate detox salt bar recipe yielded six heart shaped soaps and four mini round guest soaps.)

Following is a screenshot from SoapCalc’s lye calculator which I used to determine the amount of lye and water needed for my ultimate detox salt bar recipe. (To learn how to use a lye calculator to create your own custom cold process soap recipes, visit this blog post.)

How to Make a Detox Salt Bar with Activate Charcoal

You will need to follow my basic instructions on how to make cold process soap here in order to recreate my ultimate detox salt bars.  (If you’ve never made cold process soap before, you can find a good, inexpensive beginner’s cold process soap recipe here.) Be sure to take all proper safety precautions when working with lye including goggles and gloves.

Here is how to make my activated charcoal and salt soap recipe:

1. Begin by measuring out the distilled water in fluid ounces. Pour into a heat safe pitcher. Next, using a digital scale weigh out the lye. Slowly pour the lye into the water in a well ventilated area and stir until all the lye has dissolved completely. Set aside to cool.

2. Next, weigh out the soapmaking oils and butters using a digital scale. Combine in a stainless steel pot then heat over medium heat on the stove until all the oils and butters have melted. Once melted, remove the soapmaking oils and butters from heat and set aside.

3. You can mix the lye/water and soapmaking oils at any point in which your lye solution and soapmaking oils have cooled to around 95°F. I chose to add my salt and activated charcoal to my soapmaking oils before I added the lye/water to ensure it was evenly distributed, along with the fragrance oil as this is such a small batch. Alternately you may also add them at a light trace. Simply weigh out the charcoal powder and salt and use a stick blender to mix them into the soapmaking oils. Now pour in the lye/water and mix until you reach trace.

4. Once your soap has traced, pour the soap batter into your prepared mold. (If you’re using a wooden loaf mold you will need to line it.) Once poured, cover the soap to insulate. I used silicon molds so I covered the tops of them with foodservice film.  (For a wooden loaf mold, you can cover the mold with a piece of cardboard cut to fit.)

5. After 24 – 48 hours have passed, you can unmold your detox salt bar soaps. Set your soaps aside in a cool, dry location to cure for 4 – 6 weeks prior to use.

For even more of my cold process soap recipes, as well as my bath and beauty DIY’s and other favorites from across the web, be sure to follow my boards on Pinterest. You can also find and follow me on Blog Lovin’, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.