Activated Charcoal Bath – DIY Charcoal Bath Salts {Gift + Printable Label}

This 5-minute easy activated charcoal bath will have you glowing and relaxed! See how to make a DIY floral bath soak recipe packed with natural ingredients and essential oils. A black salt bath is excellent for relaxation and stress relief, detox and to soothe sore muscles.

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Activated Charcoal Bath – Herbal DIY bath salts recipe with black salt

What do you use black bath salt for? You can make an activated charcoal bath! A while ago I shared my Hawaiian black lava bath salts recipe and you LOVED it – THANK YOU so much for your pins,  shares and kind comments! While working on this post, I had ideas for more floral bath salts with black salt, and today I’m excited to share 3 new herbal bath soaks with you!

I’m sure that you have heard all of the amazing activated charcoal benefits, right? If not, don’t worry, I’ll share all the details (and how to make charcoal bath salts). But first, I want to tell you more about this DIY herbal bath salts recipe! It’s full of detox bath benefits and excellent for wellness bath rituals, self care and relaxation.

Activated charcoal bath salts benefits – Do charcoal baths work?

The intention of this activated charcoal bath salts recipe is to be used in a hot bath, so black salt relaxes you and rejuvenates your body as soak in the tub. The idea here is that sea salt draws out toxins from the body and activated charcoal then binds these toxins.

Want to know how I took this activated charcoal bath to the next level? I added other salts, dried flowers and essential oils to it! The Hawaiian sea salt paired with fragrant EOs makes a great essential oil bath without Epsom salt.

Ingredients for activated charcoal bath salts

Tap or click the links below to shop the ingredients I used to make this activated charcoal bath:

Black salt

Can you bathe in activated charcoal? You sure can. But instead of stirring food-grade activated charcoal into our bathwater, we use Hawaiian black lava salt, a sea salt enriched with charcoal.

What are the health benefits of Hawaiian black salt? Is black lava salt healthy? The black salt composition is comparable to other types of sea salt and mainly comprised of sodium chloride and over 70 trace minerals, like magnesium and potassium, electrolytes and natural elements. To learn more, check out this post.

Magnesium flakes

Magnesium is essential to the body’s function and regulates many bodily reactions. Taking a bath with magnesium flakes might aid with magnesium depletion and supply your skin with this vital mineral. Magnesium is also said to soothe sore muscles and further relaxation. All good reasons to make magnesium bath salts!

Important: Magnesium flakes draw moisture and melt more so than other types of salt. If you live in a humid environment, it might be better to use Epsom salt instead of magnesium flakes. Also, make sure to keep magnesium bath salts always in an airtight container.

You can learn more about why are my bath salts in my peppermint bath salt recipe.

Pink Himalayan salt

Pink Himalayan salt  is a rock salt mined from the Punjab region of Pakistan near the Himalayas. Himalayan salt is unrefined and shares a higher content of trace minerals and electrolytes than refined table salt and is said to have many benefits. You can learn more about the possible benefits of this salt in my pink Himalayan salt bath bombs recipe.

Essential oils

Essential oils provide not only a natural scent but also skincare and aromatherapy benefits in these charcoal bath salts recipes. You can find 3 suggestions for relaxation, muscle relief and detox bath salts below. Or create your own essential oil blends for bath salts and tell me all about it in the comment section.

PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate

Essential oils aren’t water-soluble, meaning if you add them to bathwater, they will pool on the surface, which can cause skin irritation and even rashes. To use essential oils safely in a bath salt, we have to use an emulsifier. PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, a coconut-based product, is a natural emulsifying agent for essential oils.

Dried flowers

I used dried lavender buds, forget-me-nots, rosebuds, globe amaranth, jasmine and marigold. I found this dried flower kit, which has all the florals you need for this DIY bath soak recipe and is a lot cheaper than buying all flowers individually. You can use leftovers for other craft and beauty projects.

Mica powder

Mica powder is a cosmetic-grade colourant. It’s an optional ingredient. I used tiny amounts to make the magnesium flakes and Himalayan salt crystals visually more appealing, but my DIY bath salts recipes also work without mica.

How do you make charcoal bath salts?

Now let me show you how to make activated charcoal bath salts! This DIY bath salts recipe is straightforward to make and just takes a few minutes. The best part is you only need 4 easy steps for this black salt bath DIY.

• Mix the PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate and essential oils in a small mixing bowl.
• Put the black Hawaiian salt to a large mixing bowl. Add the essential oils from step 1 and combine thoroughly.
• Add the dried flowers and other optional ingredients, stir to combine.
• Transfer the charcoal bath salts recipe into glass jars or storage containers

That’s all there is to it!

3 activated charcoal bath ideas

I love being creative and coming up with homemade bath salt recipes. Here are a few ways you can customise your charcoal bath salts:

DIY bath salts for relaxation and stress relief

How does a charcoal spiritual bath or black salt bath ritual sound for stress relief? Taking a luxurious bath is a wonderful way to end a long, busy day. This relaxation bath salts recipe is enriched with a soothing lavender essential oil blend that will make you feel calm and relaxed.

To pretty up the black salt bath, I added dried forget-me-nots and lavender buds. Both flowers provide colourful accents and a lovely scent. And as a finishing touch, I dusted magnesium flakes with blue mica. The light blue crystals contrast so beautifully with the black salt, right?

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Essential oil blend for relaxing bath salts

The following essential oils can help to promote relaxation and sleep:

• 24 drops lavender essential oil
• 7 drops petitgrain essential oil
• 6 drops bergamot essential oil
• 3 drops sandalwood essential oil

Detox bath salts

Is activated charcoal good for your skin? Yes! The topical use of charcoal is said to bind toxins and impurities, which contribute to skin issues or insect bite reactions. Pair that with the rejuvenating and cleansing properties of sea salt and you have a fantastic DIY detox beauty product.

I also added Himalayan salt to the recipe for added skincare benefits. Research suggests that this salt helps the skin absorbing important minerals and nutrients and may boost the body’s natural cleansing processes.

For visual appeal, I coloured part of the Himalayan salt with pink mica and threw in a handful dried amaranth and rosebuds.

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Essential oils for DIY detox bath soak

To enjoy the best detox bath benefits, add a blend of these essential oils to your activated charcoal bath:

• rose otto essential oil
• rose geranium essential oil
• bergamot essential oil
• styrax benzoin essential oil

Calming bath soak for sore muscles

My last recipe is a calming bath soak for sore muscles and achy joints. This homemade bath salt is great to unwind in the tub after a day of activity or an intense workout. I used magnesium flakes in this recipe as well. Magnesium flakes are said to help increase the magnesium levels and reduce muscle tension.

Dried marigold and jasmine buds turn this DIY wellness product into a beautiful bath salt worth of gifting. For some extra sparkle, I dusted the magnesium flakes with gold mica, which is optional of course.

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Essential oil mix for muscle relief bath salts

The following essential oil blend is beneficial to calm sore muscles and aching joints:

• 20 drops balsam fir essential oil
• 12 drops chamomile essential oil
• 8 drops lavender essential oil

How to use black bath salts – How to make black bath water

Is black salt good for you? Here is how to make a bath with DIY peppermint bath salts:

• Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup bath salt for a standard-size bathtub.
• Add the homemade bath salt into warm, running water and stir with your hand to help the salt crystals dissolve.
• Soak in the tub for 15 to 20 minutes

Does the black salt turn the water black? What about staining the tub?

Yes, this charcoal bath soak recipe will turn the bath water black or grey, depending on how much you use. White the salt melts, the charcoal doesn’t dissolve in the water and will eventually sink to the bottom of the tub.

I didn’t notice the black salt staining my tub, but a little cleanup is required after you’re done with your bath. You may have to wash down the tub to remove the charcoal and dried flowers.

DIY activated charcoal foot soak

Instead of using the product to take a black salt bath, you can also use my recipe to make a DIY activated charcoal foot soak. A foot bath can be beneficial to relax swollen feet and ease cramps.

Here is what you do to enjoy a black salt foot bath:

• Fill a bowl large enough for your feet with cool or warm water.
• Add 1/3 cup of the black bath salts and stir.
• Let your feet soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Rinse and dry your feet afterwards.

How do you store homemade activated charcoal bath salts with essential oils?

Store DIY peppermint bath salts in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Be sure to keep the black salt bath dry as salt crystals attract moisture, which will dissolve the DIY bath salts recipe.

Black salt bath shelf life

The activated charcoal bath salts recipe has a shelf life on 1 year. The essential oils may evaporate over time, but you can replenish the black bath soak with fresh EOs if necessary.

Packaging and gifting activated charcoal bath salts + Free printable bath salt labels

Once you have whipped up gorgeous activated charcoal bath salts, we need to package our skincare recipe. Since you guys seem to love DIY Christmas gifts, and homemade gifts in general, let’s talk about bath salt packaging ideas.

As I mentioned above, always pick an airtight container. Moisture is the #1 enemy of bath salts, so we need to make sure our bath salts are stored dry. For this post, I tried a few different ideas that all make super cute gifts for your friends, Mother’s Day, teacher appreciation week and the holiday season. The blue and gold charcoal bath salts are also great wellness gifts for men.

Mason jars of any kind are a beautiful way to package and present bath salts. I filled my herbal bath salts into 8-oz wide mouth jars, but you could also use 2 4-oz jelly jars. 2-oz mini jars or favour bottles are perfect for making bath salt favours. Other ideas are mini milk bottles, clip top jars or test tubes.

And don’t forget to download our free printable bath bomb salts labels at the end of the post!

Have more bath soak packaging ideas? Sound off in the comment section and tell me more!

More DIY bath soak recipe

I love a shower as much as the next person, but sometimes it’s nice to have a relaxing bath to get the day started – or finished. For more natural bath salts, try some of these ideas:

• Hawaiian black lava bath salts
• lavender bath salts
• rose baths soak
• pumpkin spice bath soak
• peppermint bath salts
• pink Himalayan salt bath bombs

And for more ideas with activated charcoal powder, check out my black bath bomb, DIY charcoal toothpaste and activated charcoal soap recipe.

Over to you!

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Irena xx