Comments on: Charcoal & Clay Facial Soap Recipe

By: Ellen Plock

Ellen Plock — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 22:25:00 +0000

My batch came out as a paste (after 2 days.. still paste. Obviously, there is too much oil in my batch. I was pretty sure I measured everything correctly so I don’t know how much extra oil I have. Any suggestions on how to rematch this? I’m not sure how much lie I could add to it to fix the problem.

By: Natasha

Natasha — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 21:10:20 +0000

In reply to Lesa. Hi! Just made this recipe and placed in a cool dry place. After it was bubly in the crock, I stared it and put into a mold. It Seemed kinda lumpy, not very smooth texture to it at all. Is this normal? My hubby followed along and it seems that we followed the recipe as stated.

By: Max

Max — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 12:12:19 +0000

Great and informative article.

By: Brittany

Brittany — Sun, 06 Jun 2021 18:07:45 +0000

Hi can I turn this into cold process?

By: Andre Robichaud

Andre Robichaud — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 11:43:08 +0000

I have been making CP soap for 10+ years. I super fat at 5%. So therefore if charcoal (alkaline) is added, doesn’t the extra oils (acid) combine the charcoal and produce more soap? Leaving with no charcoal?

By: Siham

Siham — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 22:45:59 +0000

In reply to Wellness Mama. Hi.. thank you for the recipe.. but can i make it on stove.. i dont have a crockpot..

By: Esra Duff

Esra Duff — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 09:32:44 +0000

Hiya! I am really grateful for all of the recipes you share! I want to make charcoal soap but using the cold process. Can I add active charcoal and Bentonite clay in your cold process soap recipe? I am not a chemist and I feel quite hesitant when it comes to soap making. I find the soap calculator to be very confusing. TIA!

By: Fiona Cherukara

Fiona Cherukara — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 15:04:13 +0000

Do you have any recommendations where we could buy charcoal soap besides MLM’s? I would like to try making this but maybe in a different season of my life. Thanks!

By: Brittany

Brittany — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 19:26:25 +0000

In reply to ariel. How much soap does it make?

By: Frank Wick

Frank Wick — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 01:13:46 +0000

Thanks for all of the detail and information! I love what you are providing.

Question (and I think I know the answer):
Can hot process soap be re-melted once it has cooled? If I don’t have enough molds ready to pour into I assumedI’d simply have to pour the hot soap into a box or form to cut it up later. OR I would simply need a bunch of form molds ready for a larger volume of soap. Can you weigh in on this? Thanks so much! Keep up the great work!

By: Katie Wells

Katie Wells — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 17:52:19 +0000

In reply to Erin.

Great question… the saponification process does change the oils. Even though coconut can be problematic for a lot of skin types, it can actually be drying and not cause breakouts once saponified, depending on the percentage. There are definitely soap recipes that don’t include either of these oils, and you can play with ratios using a tool like this http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

By: Erin

Erin — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 21:27:59 +0000

Hi Katie. I’m new to soap making and have very sensitive acne-prone skin. At this point I’m looking into making my own facial bar cleanser, but I notice this recipe has both coconut and olive oil in it – both of which are not good for skin like mine due to their high rating on the comedogenic scale (olive isn’t that bad, but it makes me breakout). My question is – is there anyway to make soap without including these comedogenic oils? It seems every recipe I look at for acne skin includes them. Maybe I’m just misunderstanding the chemistry of the sopanification reaction and these fats somehow get eaten up in the process? Thanks for your help.

By: Mary

Mary — Sat, 03 Aug 2019 14:03:12 +0000

In reply to Rachel. Can I make this as a CP soap and just let it cure for 6 weeks? I don’t want to wreck my crock pot. Thanks!?

By: Aviva Bergman

Aviva Bergman — Sun, 14 Jul 2019 17:33:14 +0000

In reply to Nicole. Hello Nicole, did you try this? I don't have a crock pot so I'm looking for alternatives. Also, does anyone have any idea how to make an exfoliating charcoal bentonite face wash in a tube?

By: ariel

ariel — Mon, 13 May 2019 15:18:25 +0000

hi Katie i love your recipes, thank you so much for sharing.
i’m getting ready to try soap for the first time, i have a question about the clay? if i have added clay to the oils then the lye and water mix should i not use a metal spoon to stir that because of the clay? would it be ok to use wood?

By: Alexis

Alexis — Fri, 03 May 2019 21:37:53 +0000

In reply to Melissa. Different oils have different SAP values (the amount of lye it takes to turn the oil into soap), so you can't substitute oils and expect to use the same amount of lye. Any changes you make to the recipe MUST be run through a lye calculator to ensure you don't end up with a "gelatinous mess." Also, it's recommended to only use castor oil up to 10% in your recipe.

By: Marta

Marta — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 21:05:22 +0000

Hello! can I make this soap by cold process instead of hot? I do have bad experience with controlling heat 🙂

By: Katie Wells

Katie Wells — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 14:32:09 +0000

In reply to Lucy Young. I don't sell it... You can make it using the recipe above though :)

By: Lucy Young

Lucy Young — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 14:27:31 +0000

Where can I buy your soap

By: Carrie

Carrie — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 23:00:45 +0000

Thank you so much. Was wondering if you could add the clay and charcoal at the end of the cook instead of in the oil’s ?