My Favorite Charcoal Mask

Skincare is important, especially if you have skin like mine that is always covered with blackheads. There are many things that can be done when you are trying to take better care of your skin, and facial masks are just one of the options available.

I love facial masks. They are fun, easy, and effective at helping me maintain my skin and putting a boost on my overall skin care routine. My favorite types of masks are activated charcoal masks. These masks are seriously effective at removing blackheads and getting a deep clean in my pores.

Activated charcoal masks are a mask that sits on your skin, hardens, and washes away to remove any debris left in the pores on your face. These masks are also great for oily skin since they soak up excess oil to prevent breakouts.

With so many benefits, it is no wonder that charcoal masks are my new favorite skincare item. I would love to show you everything I love about charcoal masks, why they are beneficial, and how you can make your own activated charcoal mask at home.

The Benefits of Charcoal Masks

There are many benefits to using charcoal in your routine, and I don’t mean the stuff you use to barbecue with on the weekends. Activated charcoal is a form of charcoal that has been treated to be better at absorbing various things.

Activated charcoal is often used in the emergency room for overdose and poisoning treatments, though you should try it for those reasons without a doctor present. Activated charcoal also absorbs other things as well, getting rid of any substances before they enter the individual’s bloodstream.

This is why many people, myself included, love, putting charcoal on their face. It absorbs all the toxins, bacteria, dirt, oil, chemicals, and even micro-particles from the skin, leaving it healthy and fresh. It carries the various particles away when you wash off the charcoal.

Wash Don’t Peel

I have seen many people with the fad of peeling off a charcoal mask, and I’ve been there. I’ve peeled off my charcoal mask. However, peeling it off is painful, and when it comes to pain on your face, it usually means something is amiss.

The charcoal is absorbing the dead skin cells and dirt on your face, and it can pull away from things that shouldn’t be peeled away like hair and even the top layer of your skin. However, when you wash away the mask, you are not washing away your hair or your top layer of skin. You are just washing away the bad stuff.

With all of the major trends right now leaning toward peel away charcoal masks, it can be tempting to simply pull the black mask from your skin to see the best results. It’s going to leave your face red and irritated in the end, and I promise it hurts.

The best way to take your charcoal mask off is to wash it away with warm water. Avoid hot water since the heat can further dry out your face. Charcoal masks are already drying, so you need to use warm or even cool water to wash it away.

Making Your Own

There are tons of charcoal masks on the market that you can purchase, apply yourself, and use on a regular basis. However, I choose to use homemade charcoal masks simply because I know what I am putting in them, and I know what is best for my skin.

My favorite charcoal mask is a simple one with a little added clay to the mix. The charcoal helps remove the toxins from my skin, while the clay helps shrink the pores on my face. I mix just one tablespoon of the activated charcoal powder with a ½ tablespoon of a face clay. Just a pinch of water to mix it all together, and I apply it to my face.

It doesn’t matter how long you leave this mask on because it doesn’t have any chemicals inside that could damage your skin. Instead, I just wait for the clay to harden up before rinsing it away. Sometimes it takes about 15 minutes, but other times it can be ready for washing in half the time.

Once the mask has hardened, I splash just a bit of water on my face to loosen up the crackly mask. Then, I start washing off my face just a little section at a time, starting with my cheeks and ending with my nose. It does take a while to get it off, and you can do this one trouble areas of your skin instead of your entire face if you want.

If you want just a simple charcoal mask, you can blend in a little activated charcoal with some clean gelatin and water to make a plain mask. This does great work as well, and it is easy to rinse off when you wash your face.

If you find that you have any irritation on your skin, you can add just a bit of rose water to your mask to help relieve some of the redness and irritation. It can even help calm your skin down a bit to avoid getting redness all over your face after washing the mask off.

Other uses for Activated Charcoal

Did you know there are other uses for this activated charcoal in your beauty routine as well? Many people do not realize it, but activate charcoal is a beauty-lovers’ best friend. Not only is it beneficial for your skin, but it can help your hair and teeth as well.

To get whiter teeth, try mixing in some activated charcoal with your regular toothpaste and toothbrush. Put your toothpaste on your toothbrush, and dip it in some activated charcoal powder. Brush your teeth as normal, and wash your mouth out when you are done brushing your teeth. It might take a few tries to help notice a difference in your teeth.

You can also add activate charcoal to your shampoo to help remove any buildup and dirt from your hair. Just add a little bit of the charcoal powder with your shampoo, scrub your hair like normal, and rinse it away. The charcoal has also been known to help with redness, itching, and dandruff. It also rinses out rather easily and doesn’t stain.

Conclusion

Activated charcoal is beneficial for many different reasons. The absorbing abilities of the product make it easy to help clean the skin, teeth, and hair. It is also used in the ER to help with overdoses. Activated charcoal can often be found in your local health and wellness store or drugstore.

This product also comes in two different forms: pill form and loose powder form. Either one works for making a mask. If you get the pills, all you need to do is empty the capsule into the mask mix, in your shampoo, or on your toothpaste. The powder tends to be quite messy, so be prepared.

Activated charcoal has made quite the statement in the health and beauty industry recently. I personally love using the product to help with my blackheads and pores. Remember to wash away any charcoal mask instead of peel away to get the best results and healthy skin.