Activated Charcoal as a Skincare Ingredient

Cleansing with Charcoal?

It does sound like a bit of an oxymoron, doesn't it? How can applying a black substance cleanse anything at all?

Let's take a closer look at the ins and outs of activated charcoal.

One of the more recent buzzwords making the rounds in the beauty (and health) industry is 'detoxify'. It's understandable actually. We are all exposed to more than our fair share of unwanted chemicals via both air and water in most modern environments. And as a natural extension, our first line of defence - our skin - is going to take a bit of a beating.

That is where detoxifying comes in.

Imagine finding something we could use that just cleared away all of the toxins and unwanted chemicals.

The Good News

The good news: that something exists.

Activated charcoal has the (documented) ability to draw out and adsorb unwanted chemicals when taken internally.

And before I continue, let's just clarify the difference between absorb and adsorb.

ABsorb vs ADsorb

An item that absorbs integrates a substance into itself (kind of like a sponge takes up water).

An item that adsorbs attracts and keeps the substance exclusively on its surface area.

Activated charcoal is great at adsorbing because it is extremely porous (read: loads of surface area). (LINK)

The Less Good News

Now for the less good news: (some) science says activated charcoal may not be all that with topical use.

Instead of being able to give you a long list of links to dozens of studies proving activated charcoal clears up acne, brightens skin, helps heal wounds, and erases 20 years of wrinkles, it appears the jury is still out on how well activated charcoal works when applied topically. (some links below).

While researching this, I read many of the cons as well as the pros on activated charcoal's abilities with topical use and decided to share my conclusion with you.

Seeing as activated charcoal has been used for water purification, preservation and wound treatments (!) since ancient Egyptian times (link) , I am of the opinion that (some) modern science really needs to catch up with what history has already shown.

You: Lise, you're questioning science again

Me: Of course I am. Proper science welcomes questions.

In truth, it is up to every individual to decide whether or not activated charcoal works for them.

Now let's examine what this black substance comes from and what we can use it for in a cosmetics/personal care setting.

Activated Charcoal Production

Activated Charcoal is also called activated carbon. The raw material can come from various types of sources - from petroleum pitch to wood, coconut husk or even bamboo.

The activated charcoal you can purchase from many cosmetic ingredient suppliers is often from coconut.

To transform charcoal to activated charcoal, it is heated using a special process that results in increased porosity and adsorption capabilities. (read more about the process here)

It may come as a surprise to some that there are different processes to producing activated charcoal and it is available in different shapes, with different pore structures, and even with different purities (LINK)

A gram of activated charcoal can have a specific surface area (SSA) ranging from 500 m2 to 3,000 m2. The higher the number, the better the adsorption. (LINK)

What is Activated Charcoal Used in?

I'm sure you remember a wave of activated charcoal toothpastes that swept the beauty and personal care scene a few short years ago. It seemed everyone was introducing a fashionably black toothpaste for whitening, brightening and supporting overall oral health.

I have yet to try this in one of my tooth powders, but writing about it has prompted me to add this to my to-do list.

Apart from oral care, you might find activated charcoal a useful ingredient in your

• Face Masks

• Face Cleansers

• Soaps

• Exfoliating sponges

• Hair masks

• Shampoo Bars

• Deodorants

Do Tell

Have you worked with activated charcoal? What did you use it in and what were the results?

Please share in a comment below.

More Links:

This is a short list of some of the places I visited while researching this— the ‘titles’ are not written out. Each link is instead paired with a short description of the article’s conclusion.

Internal adsorption (LINK)

Ability to Bind salicylic acid (aspirin) (internal use) (LINK)

Activated charcoal may be functional in battling bacterial toxins and aid wound healing (LINK)

Activated charcoal dressing for diabetic foot ulcers (LINK to Chrome Extension PDF file)

For oral use (inconclusive evidence of detoxification used as tooth cleanser) (LINK)

For oral use: no increased erosion of tooth enamel (LINK)

For topical use on skin: inconclusive (LINK to Chrome Extension PDF file)

Inconclusive, not FDA approved, anecdotal (LINK)

Possible benefits for skin (Medical News Today) (LINK)

Short History of activated charcoal (from a supplier of activated charcoal) (LINK)

Below is my book formulation template on how to make your own tooth powders.

Botanical Tooth Powders

The Versatility of Formulating Bi-Phase Products

I’ve gotten some great feedback as well as questions from folks since my latest e-book on Bi-Phase Cleansers came out. Thank you all for your input! A few people have asked if I had any additional bi-phase publications in mind (read on) but I’ve also gotten questions along the line of ‘what does bi-phase mean?’

That’s a perfectly relevant question, so let’s start with what bi-phase means.

In ‘formulator speak’, cosmetics are made with phases. Now, I suppose the term could have been steps, sections, or anything else, but as it happens, phases won.

How Phases Work

If you look at a formula for any cosmetic, each phase is described as a step to be followed as part of the process of making that product.

Some cosmetic products consist of only one phase. These are often products that are cold-mixed (mixed together at room temperature). Some examples: bath salts, (some) exfoliating scrubs, skin mists, body oils etc.

Some cosmetics are made with numerous phases.

A cream, lotion or any kind of emulsion consists of both a water phase (with water soluble ingredients) and an oil phase (with oil soluble ingredients). Each phase is dealt with separately until they are ready to be combined into the finished product.

And as we all know, oil and water don’t voluntarily mix, so every lotion or cream has an ingredient (or 2) to help the oily bits mix with the watery bits and stay mixed.

How Bi-Phase Works

Any bi-phase product (cleanser, eye-makeup remover, serum) consists of two visible phases: one with oily ingredients and one with watery ingredients.

What makes a bi-phase product stand out from most other oil-and-water containing cosmetics is there are purposefully no ingredients added to bind the oils with the waters, so the 2 phases will stay separated unless they are shaken together.

Bi-phase products are meant to be shaken together just before use, where the oils and waters will mix just enough to be dispensed from the bottle. As soon as the bottle is left to stand, on the oils and waters immediately separate.

And that’s where the formulating fun comes in.

Color Play

The visual experience is an important part of creating any bi-phase product. Apart from choosing ingredients for their efficacy, the formulator must also consider the way the 2 phases are going to look – both when they are separate as well as when they are shaken together.

If you have a red oil phase and a blue water phase, you’re going to get a cool shade of purple when you shake the product until it magically separates again when you put the bottle down.

Pictured above are a few of the bi-phase cleansers I created while writing the book. It was really hard not to get carried away with the color combinations! There are so many possibilities for both oils and waters that I ran out of containers long before I was finished playing working.

Easy to Make - Even Bi-Phase Serums

Bi-phase products have additional advantages: not only are they are easy to make, but there are endless ways of customising them. Depending on the ingredients you choose, a bi-phase product can be anything from an eye make up remover to a cleanser - and even a face serum.

Because the Bi-Phase Cleanser book is a formulation template, it already contains the information needed to create any bi-phase product - even a serum.

What separates a cleanser from a serum? The choice of ingredients! A serum will in all likelihood contain pricier and more luxurious oils and waters, but can also feature any actives you may choose to include.

So, although it could be tempting to publish more e-books about bi-phase formulating, I fear I would be repeating myself with a book on bi-phase serums, but perhaps a single formula of some type could be considered. Hmm, that’s not a bad idea.

Thanks for your questions and inspiration!

Do Tell

Have you ever made a bi-phase product? What did you make? Please share in a comment below.

Bi-Phase Cleansers

Make Your own Bi-Phase Cleansers - a New Publication

I’m very excited to share the latest LisaLise publication with you! We’re playing with plant colorants and making a bit of fun-loving, colorful cleansing magic in the form of bi-phase cleansers.

I had a blast putting this one together with all of the different colorful options there are to try.

And guess what? This is all about being able to customise!

It’s a Formulation Template

The astute observer may notice that the cover design features a band of color along the left side (which isn’t very common in my publications). That’s a visual indication that this e-book is (what I have decided to call) a Formulation Template.

This is something I have been wracking my brains about for quite a while: how to create a formula that is fully customisable yet contains enough information to ensure as successful a result as humanly possible.

This self-appointed challenge came about because of the many questions I get on ingredient substitutions. And because not everyone can get every ingredient all over the planet (well, duh), I wanted to try and accommodate that situation by creating a kind of ‘ open formula with a set of guidelines for a successful outcome’.

So it became a Formulation Template.

What does all this mean? It means you get a ‘toolkit’ of ingredient information and additional useful stuff, a formulation template with instructions on how to use it, and some example formulas to show you a few possible variations and get you comfortable with the whole process.

The first formulation template was the tooth powder e-book and I’ve gotten so much positive feedback on it that I just had to do another one. (And if you have suggestions for additional e-books you’d like to see of this type, please feel free to drop a comment below - I’m all ears!)

3 Bespoke Formulas Included

While developing an e-book of this type, I make and test a lot of formulas in several different versions. I decided to include 3 of the formulas in this book. So apart from the template (which shows you how to create your own formulas), you can also dive right in and get busy making one of my formulas if you like.

Bi-Phase Cleansers are Both Versatile and Easy to Make

What I love most about this type of product is the absolute versatility it offers. You can use these as eye makeup removers or cleansers, dress them up with fancy ingredients or dress them down to the bare basics. You can create specifically for certain skin types or just have fun with color mixing for the sheer playfulness of it.

The book is illustrated with several of the versions I made and I better warn you right now. If you like playing around with colors, you might get little addicted to making and using these.

Click the picture below to learn more about this publication.

Bi-Phase Cleansers

Do Tell

Which kinds of products would you like to see available as Formulation Templates?? Please feel free to pop in a comment below!

Below is the first Formulation Template.

Botanical Tooth Powders

Easy Double Cleansing Tip

Pictured above: my current cleansing oil and my oatmeal and milk ‘syndet’ (read: synthetic detergent) cleansing bar. The bar has a skin friendly pH and consists of my fave super-mild ingredients for sensitive and dry skin. The oil is a blend of castor, coriander seed (carrier) oil and açai oil.

Today, I’m going to share a tip on how to combine traditional oil cleansing with a cleansing bar and create your own 2-in-one easy peasy double cleansing routine. This is great for sensitive and dry skin (and for those who love oil cleansing but hate the cleanup).

Here’s how I double cleanse using these 2:

1. Apply cleansing oil to dry skin. Massage skin gently using circular movements

2. Wet hands and create lather with bar. Notice how extra creamy the lather is with the addition of the oil on your hands.

3. Apply lather to face and massage skin gently using circular motions. The lather will become even more creamy as you massage your skin.

4. Rinse off with comfortably warm water

There are 2 things you achieve with this method

1. Super gentle cleansing for sensitive skin

2. Super easy cleanup

I tried taking a picture of the latheriness of this combination but this picture doesn’t really do it justice. By the time I had rinsed and dried my one hand to take the photo, a lot of the lather was already gone. But you can get an idea. The lather does look a little green because the açai oil really colors a lot.

Make it Your Own

Use your cleansing oil of choice and combine it with any gentle face cleansing bar you like.

The book below is beginner friendly (available in Spanish) and has formulas for cleansing oils for all skin types.

How to Make an Ivy Leaf Hair Cleanser

Pictured above: an all natural sudsy liquid that will cleanse your hair and scalp beautifully.

You've probably seen this plant many times and in many places: parks, gardens, fields, forests, and urban areas.

I seem to remember hearing it referred to as 'the architects comfort' somewhere. Perhaps this is because it seems to grow just about anywhere (like, up brick walls) and adds a touch of green and a cozy atmosphere wherever it grows.

While it is both decorative and hardy, Hedera helix - otherwise known as Common ivy – is also a very useful plant for cleansing due to its natural content of saponins. (The word saponin comes from Latin: sapo means soap).

Ivy leaves can be transformed into an all natural cleanser for numerous things: dishes, laundry, and even your scalp and hair.

There is a slight difference in the method for making laundry and dishwashing liquid (which is more concentrated) as compared to a scalp and hair cleanser.

Today, I'm going to show you how to make your own hair and scalp cleanser with nothing more than a few freshly picked ivy leaves and some water.

Did someone say sustainable, planet-friendly effective hair and scalp magic?

Ivy Leaf Picking Tips

• Select leaves that are growing up (and not along the ground)

• Select healthy looking leaves

• If you are picking leaves from someone’s garden, remember to ask first

• Bring a small scissors to cut the leaves instead of tearing them off

Batch Size

I usually make a liter at a time (to last about a week), but feel free to make a smaller batch (which will also allow you to leave out the preservative and use regular tap water instead of distilled water)

For a 1 liter batch, you'll need:

1. Handful of fresh-picked ivy leaves (enough to fill about a third of a container that holds 1 liter)

2. Demineralised water

3. Broad spectrum preservative

For a use-the-same-day batch, you'll need

1. Small handful of ivy leaves (enough to fill about half of a container that holds 200 ml / 16,7 fl oz)

2. Tap water

Method

1. Inspect leaves and discard any unhealthy looking specimens.

2. Place leaves in container (do not pack them tightly, just drop the whole leaves into the container)

3. Boil water

4. Pour freshly boiled water over leaves

5. Cover container and allow to steep until the liquid reaches room temperature

6. Strain (and use same day if you made a single use portion). Otherwise continue with the next 6 steps below.

If you are making 1 liter:

1. Weigh the strained liquid

2. Weigh out appropriate amount of preservative and add to liquid.

3. Stir to thoroughly incorporate

4. Check pH (this infusion measured pH 6.0)

5. Adjust pH if necessary (I generally add a splash of herb-infused vinegar to function both as pH adjuster and hair-shine booster)

6. Bottle

I used phenonip as the preservative for this 1 liter batch.

How To Use the Ivy Leaf Hair Cleanser

1. Enter shower

2. Wet hair

3. Apply about 100 ml of liquid (for short fine hair -- you may need more if your hair is longer/thicker)

4. Massage scalp and hair lightly (as you would if you were using a shampoo).

5. Allow the liquid to sit in hair for about 4-5 minutes (while you finish showering)

6. Rinse hair

7. Do a 'squeak test' on your hair. If it doesn't feel clean enough, repeat steps 2 and 3.

8. Dry and set as usual

No Lather I Gather?

We’ve been taught for generations to equate lather with cleansing, but it is possible to cleanse thoroughly and completely without any lather or sudsing action.

This cleanser may foam up beautifully when you shake the bottle, but it goes on like water and rinses off like water.

Doing a squeak test will reveal that it really cleanses your hair. I’ve experimented a bit with how much it can handle, and can attest that this latherless cleanser even removes my pre-poo hair oil treatment with a mere 2 applications. The secret to optimal cleansing action is letting the liquid sit on the scalp for about 4-5 minutes after massaging and before rinsing off.

Enjoy!

Do Tell

If you decide to give this cleanser a try, I’d love to hear your feedback!

Find More Information

About Saponin Synthesis and Function (LINK)

Saponins and flavonoids in Ivy Leaf extracts (LINK)

Saponin content of ivy leaves (LINK)

Triterpenoid biosynthesis and engineering in plants (LINK)

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If you prefer lather in your hair cleanser, then maybe the book below is for you.

Make Your Own Naturally Balanced Shampoo Bars

How to: Green Beauty Soap-Free Facial Cleanser

We're going to be making a soap-free facial cleanser today. Even if you've never tried making your own skincare products before, this cleanser might be the perfect project to start with. And if you are a practiced artisan, you may still want to give it a whirl because it's such an effective and skin-pampering cleanser.

The green beauty cleanser features green clay, spirulina, green tea, and chamomile and is great for normal to dry skin types. I'm betting it also may perform well with combination skin.

Here's how to make 100g.

LisaLise's Green Beauty Soap Free Cleanser

Phase	Ingredient	% / Grams
A	Cocoa Butter	8.0
A	Refined Palm Oil	24.0
A	Castor Oil	31.0
B	Green Clay	12.0
B	Chamomile Powder	8.0
B	Green Tea Powder	8.2
B	Spirulina	8.0
C	Broad Spectrum Preservative*	0.8

*I used phenonip, but preservative can be optional - read more below

Method

1. Slowly melt phase A ingredients over a water bath until they are thoroughly melted

2. Remove from heat

3. Add Phase B (dry ingredients), stir to combine thoroughly

4. Add phase C (this can be optional - read more below)

5. Pour into container

6. Chill for 15-30 minutes until set

7. Add a label (remember the date)

8. Store at room temperature

9. Use with unabandoned joy

About the Ingredients

This combo of fats and oils works beautifully on my (mature) skin, and also usually makes the perfect texture (not too runny and not too stiff), but you can replace these with your preferred combination of fats and butters. If you do make substitutions, expect to do a bit of tweaking to get the texture and spreadability to what you like.

The same goes for any clays and dry ingredients you want to replace. In cleansers of this nature, the dry ingredients are going to behave differently depending on what you are using, and the texture of the final product can change dramatically.

You'll have to experiment with what works best for you, but if you're brand new to making this kind of cleanser, I recommend trying the original formula first and then making any desired adjustments or changes in the second batch.

If you have no other options but to substitute one ingredient with another, replace with ingredients that have similar density and/or weight. Example: the refined palm oil might be substituted with illipe, sal or shea butter.

TIP: Be prepared that almost ANY replacement can affect the final texture.

Here’s the cleanser right after pouring up.

Preservative in a Water-Free Product?

Even though this is an anhydrous formula, I chose to add a preservative because of the intended use of this product: moisture does have a chance of being introduced to the mixture during use - most especially if you dip wet fingers into the jar.

If you are willing to be meticulous about using and storing the face cleanser so that no moisture gets in the jar, feel free to leave out the preservative.

I wrote a post about how to know when to use a preservative right here if you want to read more about this.

Using the Cleanser

For a single application, use approximately 1 teaspoon of cleanser

1. Apply to moistened skin

2. Massage gently using circular motions

3. Wipe away with a moistened cloth or cotton rounds

Because there is no emulsifier in this formula, trying to rinse the cleanser away with nothing but water is going to be a bit of a chore (and won't do your water pipes any favours either). For best results, gently wipe off, then finish with a spritz of skin mist.

In my experience, using non-emulsified cleansers allows for a few extra (precious) moments of self pampering, and that just makes the whole cleansing process an enjoyable ritual.

Do Tell

Have you ever made and used a soap free cleanser? What did you think of it? PLease feel free to share in a comment below.

If you’re interested in making self-preserving cleansers and your own self-preserving glycerine extracts, you might be interested in the bundle offer below.

Course Enrolment for Emulsions Essentials at Tisserand Institute now open!

Classes start August 30th, so be quick as a bunny and click the button below to sign up and join me for this 4-week course on hand-stirred emulsions!

Self Preserving BUNDLE