Charcoal masks have exploded in popularity all over the Internet. People are opting for these masks as a way to ease all their skincare woes. All that’s needed is to apply a mask to their face, let it set, and then peel the mask back after leaving it on the face for a period of ten minutes, resulting in smooth and radiant skin!
Why Charcoal Masks are All the Rage
The reason these masks are so popular is due to the countless charcoal mask benefits. The following guide will explain the benefits of using charcoal products, what to look for in a charcoal mask, and how to make your own.
What is Activated Charcoal?
Skin can become clogged from pollution and impurities from makeup and other products. Using masks will help you to remove dirt and completely cleanse your skin.
In addition to purifying your skin, you’ll be able to control your skin’s oil secretions and limit your acne and blackheads.
If you’ve never heard of using a charcoal mask before, it’s likely that you’ve envisioned rubbing a piece of coal on your face. However, this isn’t the type of charcoal that is used in charcoal masks.
The real secret ingredient in charcoal face masks is activated charcoal. This activated charcoal is really a carbon that has been treated to increase its absorbency.
This absorbency is what makes it so effective as a treatment in hospitals. This characteristic of activated charcoal is coincidentally what makes it so effective as a face mask.
The activated charcoal acts in the same way a magnet would to absorb and attract oil and dirt. When the dirt in your skin makes contact with the activated carbon, you’ll be able to wash away all the impurities in your skin.
Charcoal Mask Benefits for Skincare
There is a reason that activated charcoal has become a popular choice for skin care. For years, charcoal has been used as a way to treat the body for overdoses and poisoning. Now, activated charcoal is a great way to treat the skin.
The activated charcoal works to bring out bacteria, dirt, chemicals, oil, and toxins by absorbing foreign substances. This excess will then be removed once the charcoal is washed off.
Uses for Charcoal Masks
When getting into the nitty-gritty of charcoal masks, you will find that most people use them to:
- Cleanse their pores
- Exfoliate
- Remove dirt and blackheads
- Absorb oil
- Leave skin healthier, cleaner, and smoother
Charcoal masks are easy to apply and relatively easy to get off. With peel-off masks, you will be able to exfoliate your skin when removing the mask.
Looking to harness the powers of charcoal? Keep the following things in mind:
1. Brighten Your Skin
Charcoal masks help brighten your skin after the dirt and impurities are removed. After the mask is washed off, you’ll clearly see that your skin is brighter.
Almost instantly, your skin will be revitalized.
2. Exfoliate Your Skin
As you brighten your skin with a charcoal mask, you’ll be able to exfoliate your skin with the coarse texture of the charcoal mask. This will effectively remove any dead skin cells, allowing the new skin to shine through.
3. Banish Oily Skin
Is your skin always excessively oily? Before trying out any medication for acne, consider a natural option for treating your oily skin.
Oily skin can lead to acne. With charcoal masks, you’ll be able to eliminate excessively oily skin.
4. Tighten Your Skin
Suffer from sagging skin? An activated charcoal face mask is the right option for you. Regularly using the mask will help to flatten your skin, allowing you to eliminate any sagging over time.
5. Balance Your Skin’s Appearance
Impurities in the skin can be difficult to get rid of. While there are often harsh processes that can be used to remove blemishes, an activated charcoal face mask is a good way to eliminate the defects in your skin.
The exfoliating power of the activated charcoal works to bring balance back to your skin.
Use Your Own DIY Charcoal Mask
Ready to try the power of charcoal on your skin? While you can buy some of the best charcoal masks, you can also make your own exfoliating and brightening charcoal mask with activated charcoal and other items around your home.
The best thing about making your own mask is that you control the quality of the products that go into it. To put together your charcoal mask, use the following:
- 1 teaspoon of charcoal powder
- 1 teaspoon of bentonite clay
- A small amount of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
After you put together this charcoal mask, apply it to your face using a clean brush. Leave it on your face for a 10 minute period. Rinse your face, then apply moisturizer.
For consistently clean and exfoliated skin, apply this mask once a week.
Tips for Choosing the Best Charcoal Face Mask
Not a fan of DIY? You’ll be able to find the best charcoal face masks to help keep your skin looking fresh by looking at the key ingredients in each mask.
Simply picking up any charcoal face mask won’t ensure that you’ve made the right choice for your skin type. You’ll want to think about what you really need out of a face mask.
While activated charcoal is generally used to remove toxins, you may want a little more out of your face masks. Consider the following options when looking for the right mask:
Masks to Maintain Moisture
Trends in the beauty world go as quickly as they come, but face masks are here to stay. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of pampering your skin with a face mask.
If you need to add moisture to your skin, you’ll want to find a mask with hyaluronic acid, glycerin, dimethicone, squalene, and ceramides. These ingredients will help to build barriers that will ensure your skin is as moist as possible.
Opt for an Acne-Fighting Mask
Activated charcoal is already a key ingredient in fighting acne. If you want to boost your mask’s acne-fighting abilities, consider using one with salicylic acid. This will help to decrease the amount of oil in your skin.
Choose a Mask to Reduce Signs of Aging
Masks with vitamins E and C help to eliminate signs of aging. The presence of these vitamins will help you even out any wrinkles that may be present in your skin.
Issues to Keep in Mind When Using Charcoal Face Masks
Whether you make your own face mask or you purchase one of the activated charcoal masks that are on the market, you’ll find that once you start, you too will fall in love with using charcoal face masks.
However, every popular beauty trend should be properly researched. While there are several positives to using activated charcoal, there are a few disadvantages of using these masks, depending on how you use them.
Some people find that in the removal of their face mask, they end up ripping it off. Even though there are many charcoal mask benefits, the process of peeling off a mask can cause other issues:
Removing the Mask May Clog Your Pores
While the purpose of an activated charcoal face mask is to help unclog your pores, the opposite may occur. When removing the mask, blackheads can form as a result of falling debris.
While the hope is that the mask will take the toxins with it, the reality is that the way you remove a mask may result in these toxins falling into your open pores and clogging them.
The Ingredients in the Mask May Clog Your Pores
Moreover, some of the most popular masks have ingredients that may clog your pores. If a mask is made of petrolatum, or paraffin liquid (mineral oil) it is likely that your pores will be clogged after using the mask.
Masks that are made with oils like coconut oil and shea butter may also lead to clogged pores. Additionally, you’ll want to stay away from any products with isopropyl myristate and isopropyl palmitate, as they aren’t the healthiest ingredients with which to treat your skin.
Final Thoughts on Charcoal Masks and Why We Love Them
Charcoal face masks have become a beauty world staple. With all the positives that come from using these activated charcoal products, it isn’t likely that they’ll stop being a popular choice in skincare anytime soon. While there are some concerns regarding the use of these masks, most people find that they are a godsend for their skincare routine.
As you look further into charcoal mask benefits, keep this guide in mind. With the right products and a consistent skincare routine, you’ll find that activated charcoal is your skin’s new secret weapon.
