I've been wanting to play with activated carbon for a while and do a lime based soap. I haven't tried either Phoenix & Beau's Citra Royale or Meissner Tremonia's Dark Limes but they are the sort of soaps that this idea stems from.
The soap was jet black during the cook but has toned back to a charcoal colour which then lathers into a creamy light charcoal lather. The base started from the MnM formula with a few changes being introduced i.e. sunflower oil replacing olive oil and the addition of Tamanu and Avocado oils. I wanted a harder soap for Little Black hence the MnM as starting point as it contains Palm oil and has a higher percentage of NaOH. As typical with Palm oil soaps the lather is not extremely creamy/glossy but provides a very satisfying base to shave off.
I think I will adjust the scent profile as I added Galbanum to provide a background edge to the scent but even after toning the dosage down by 75% from the test scent strength it is still too forward. Lime is the dominant scent with May Chang, Petitgrain, Patchouli and Vetiver providing some depth, strength and colour variations.
Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Palm Oil, Tallow (Beef), Sunflower Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Argan Oil, Avocado Oil, Tamanu Oil, Shea Butter, Filtered Water (RO), KOH, NaOH, Glycerine, Bentonite, Tussah Silk, Activated Carbon (cosmetic grade), essential oils.
Essential Oils: Lime, May Chang, Petitgrain, Patchouli, Vetiver, Galbanum.
