Activated Charcoal Soap

February 21, 2012 by Alia 12 Comments

Activated charcoal has long been known to have medical uses.  The most well known use dates back over 100 years.  In 1831, Professor Touery of the French Academy of Medicine drank a lethal dose of strychnine and lived to tell the tale.  Unknown to his colleagues, he had combined the poison with activated charcoal.

Characteristics of Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal has long been used an emergency treatment for specific kinds of poisonings and drug overdoses.  It has the ability to attract other substances to its surface and hold them there by adsorption.  One teaspoon of activated charcoal has a surface area of more than a football field.  When taken orally, activated charcoal can extract and neutralize many more times its own weight in gases, heavy metals, and toxins.  No doubt this is best administered under a doctor’s supervision.

Activated Charcoal in Soap

There is an application for the use of activated charcoal in soap.  It is used to effectively cleanse skin, unclog pores, and remove impurities and dead skin cells.  Activated charcoal soap has been known to have positive effects on acne and at clearing up troubled skin.

I started mixing activated charcoal into my melt and pour soaps last year.  It gives the soap a lovely dark color.  It also works well at removing impurities from the skin.  Finally, these tiny black granules act as a gentle exfoliant in each bar of soap.

 

Learn More!

To learn more about activated charcoal, check out these websites:

http://store.destinyboutique.com/009.html

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/activated_charcoal/article_em.htm

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/charcoal.html