Natural Clay Cleansing Bar Recipes
These natural clay cleansing bar recipes are soap free and contain ingredients that are not only kind to skin but also help to prevent acne! My friend, Bambi, joined me in creating these clay cleansing bar recipes. I formulated my recipe with bentonite clay and activated charcoal for my combination acne prone skin. Bambi created hers for normal but maturing skin. You can make both for your ever changing skin or simply make the one that best fits your skin type!
We used a Crafter’s Choice Basic Guest Round Silicone Soap Mold for our clay cleansing bars. Each recipe yields three bars. So you can double your favorite clay cleansing bar recipe to make six bars or make both recipes to fill your mold completely. Once you have your mold, you’ll also need a digital scale as well as graduated transfer pipettes if you’d like to add essential oils to your clay cleansing bars.
Natural Clay Cleansing Bar Recipes
Clay Cleansing Bar Recipe for Acne Prone Skin
© Rebecca D. Dillon
Ingredients:
1 oz. bentonite clay
1.5 oz. kaolin (white cosmetic) clay
2.5 oz. rhassoul clay
.2 oz. activated charcoal powder
.25 oz. refined shea butter
.3 oz. neem oil
.35 oz. jojoba, argan or rosehip seed oil
.95 oz. Mountain Rose Herbs’ witch hazel extract
.5 mL tea tree oil
1 mL lavender essential oil
Instructions:
See below.
Clay Cleansing Bar Recipe for Maturing Skin
© Rebecca D. Dillon
Ingredients:
2.3 oz. kaolin (white cosmetic) clay
2 oz. rhassoul clay
.8 oz. sea clay
.25 oz. refined shea butter
.35 oz. jojoba, argan or rosehip seed oil
.3 oz. hemp seed oil
.95 oz. Mountain Rose Herbs’ witch hazel extract
Instructions:
Begin by using a digital scale to weigh out the shea butter. Melt in a double boiler or at 40-50% power in the microwave in a glass Pyrex measuring cup.
Once the shea butter has melted weigh out the carrier oils and stir into the melted shea butter. If your oils are cold you may need to gently reheat the mixture until it’s liquid again.
Next, weigh out the witch hazel extract and stir into the oils.
If you are adding any essential oils, measure them out using a graduated transfer pipette and stir into the melted shea butter and oil mixture. Set aside.
In a separate glass container weigh out and combine the clays and the activated charcoal if applicable. Mix well. If you are using bentonite clay, you do not want to use metal utensils for mixing.
Once you’ve thoroughly mixed the clays, slowly mix into the melted shea butter/oil/witch hazel extract mixture. You may need to wear gloves and mix with your hands as it’s going to be very thick and almost dough like.
Once you are sure all the ingredients are thoroughly combined, press the clay cleansing bar mixture into the cavities of your mold. Each of these clay cleansing bar recipes will yield three guest sized bars.
Now set the mold aside in a safe location to allow your clay cleansing bars to fully harden.
After several days you should be able to unmold your clay cleansing bars. Gently press them out of the mold’s cavities. If they don’t seem to want to come out intact, you may need to wait a little longer. (Humidity can slow down the drying time for these.)
Your clay cleansing bars are now ready! Package and label as desired for storage or gifting. Or if you are making my clay cleansing bar recipes recipe to sell, you’ll need to label your bars appropriately to meet state and federal laws. If you’re unsure about the rules and regulations regarding labeling cosmetics, I highly recommend the book, Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English, by Marie Gale.
To use your clay cleansing bars, simply run the bar of your choice briefly under water then massage onto your face. Repeat the process as necessary until you’ve covered your entire face. Once the clay on your face has dried, gently rinse and pat dry. Then follow with your favorite moisturizer or serum!
Be sure to store your clay cleansing bars in a cool, dry location away from water and humidity to extend its shelf life. Wasn’t that easy?!
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5 Comments
Charmaine Townsend
February 9, 2017 at 3:13 pm
What is the normal shelf life of these things and all of the items made with sugar?
Rebecca D. Dillon
February 9, 2017 at 5:58 pm
Your shelf life is always going to be the same as the ingredient with the shortest shelf life. This varies based on when you purchased your ingredients and manufacturer’s given shelf life for your materials. 6 months to 1 year is typical with proper usage/storage.Although some products may have a shorter shelf life.
Ann
March 5, 2017 at 5:56 pm
Have you found that these are safe to use without a preservative as you do mention that they can be gifted or sold.
Rebecca D. Dillon
March 6, 2017 at 9:57 am
I can’t say for sure one way or the other without lab testing, therefore I would use a preservative to be safe. Via the Naked Chemist they state that in a commercial setting clay is sterilized before it is used as clay carries the risk of introducing bacteria into a formula. Because clay is an organic material, clay is the perfect environment for organisms and microbes grow. Therefore if you are introducing ingredients – such as water – during use it increases the risk of this happening. (source.) However, this product also does contain witch hazel, which contains a percentage of alcohol. In products with a high percentage of alcohol, the alcohol will kill the microbes via Chemist Corner. (source.) For personal use, I’d allow the clay to dry fully between uses and use it up all in one go and make sure it is stored properly until use. As you don’t know how others may use this product, adding a preservative covers the uncertainty. However, proper usage and storage instructions should be provided with the product.
Ann
March 6, 2017 at 5:43 pm
Can you recommend a natural preservative for this?
Comments are closed.