What the Heck Is Activated Charcoal And Why Should I Add It To My Skincare Routine

Everyone wants a radiant looking complexion; I mean who wouldn’t. But what most people do not know is there are environmental factors that we are continually exposing our skin to every day, which can prevent this from happening. Instead, we end up dulling the skin, clogging our pores, all of which can lead to premature aging!

What the heck are these are environmental aggressors that we are exposing ourselves too and how can you avoid them? Well, not all of these can be avoided, you can however limit the time they are on the skin! With regards to the aggressors we are continually exposing ourselves to, they are things like…

• Pollution
• Dirt
• Excess Sebum oil
• A dirty cell phone
• Not cleaning your makeup brushes
• Going to bed with our makeup on, all of which can settle into our pores, dulling our skin's radiance and blocking our skincare products from absorbing correctly. 

But not any longer with activated charcoal. Yes, I’m sure you’ve seen those crazy looking peel-off mask images on the web, but the truth is some of these skincare masks work wonders.  Charcoal masks and activated charcoal skincare products are great for helping to remove pore-clogging impurities while minimizing the pores leaving you with a more radiant, hydrated complexion!

In addition to purchasing a charcoal mask, you can also make some of your own DIY as activated charcoal is sold as a powder and even in capsule form at many health food stores, and online.

So aside from the crazy oh my appeal, you may see when people share these products on social media, there are indeed some significant benefits to adding activated charcoal to your skincare regimen, and I am going to share a few with you today.

The Benefits Of Adding Activated Charcoal To Your Skincare Routine

Exfoliation
Embracing skincare at any age is essential, and while you may be cleansing and applying moisturizer or anti-aging creams, that is not enough. If you want healthy, glowing skin, you should also be exfoliating.

Exfoliation can be performed in many ways, from products like a Pore Cleansing Bar to using some facial scrubs and masks that contains the activated charcoal all in which will assist in slothing away those unwanted dead skin cells.

The key is to rid your skin of those dead skin cells that would gather in your pores, stretching it out, which can lead to problematic skin and premature aging. Additionally, by buffing away those dead skin cells, you are also making it easier for the skin to absorb moisturizers and other skin treatments as well as leaving the skin smooth for the perfect makeup application.

Help With Breakouts
Enlarged pores and blackheads can be very unsightly and can impact some’s self-esteem. Hence, understanding the causes along with adding activated charcoal to your routine you can help to minimize, treat and prevent these issues! Enabling you to get the smoother, brighter complexion you’ve always wanted.

What Causes Enlarged Pores and Blackheads
Enlarged Clogged Pores

In addition to the environmental aggressors we mentioned above, our own body can add to it. For example, when the skin produces too much sebum oil it can mix with the dead skin cells in the pore. This oil becomes trapped by the dead skin cells and dirt which causes the skin to swell and the pore to become congested, forming a clogged and enlarged pore.

Blackheads
The reason your pores enlarge is to provide room for the oil to flow out. However, the oil can still become trapped. If this happens the oil and dirt can collect at the end of the pore, and when it is exposed to air it will oxidize forming, you guessed it, a BLACKHEAD!

Oil Control
Absorbing the excess sebum oil is one remarkable thing that charcoal can help with as activated charcoal is known to absorb 100 to 200 times its weight in impurities, now how cool is that??

That is right, when the carbon in the activated charcoal encounters the oil and other contaminants, it will pull all these toxins out of the skin and soak it all up.

IMPORTANT: Activated charcoal can be too drying, and as I’ve said before overly dry skin can also cause problematic skin, so don’t overdo it!

To avoid over-drying, always follow up with a toner and a moisturizer.

Products
While there are some great charcoal products out there, I am going to share with you one that I have been using lately from Masqueology, the Charcoal Modeling Peel Off Mask.

Product Details
This charcoal modeling Mask helps to detoxify the skin while minimizing the pores. The charcoal powder in this mask is a wonderful exfoliant that helps with removing dirt, dead skin cells, access oil, all of which I have mentioned can clog the pores.  Bottom line, this mask is excellent for helping to leave the complexion clarified, refreshed, and hydrated.

BONUS: The bonus is the tip of the Masqueology mask.  I wanted to let you know that each package can provide you with a few uses if you employ this tip! Instead of mixing water into the entire package as they mention. I poured all the charcoal powder into a separate baggy, and then I portioned out a small amount, with a sanitary spoon, mixed it with water in a clean bowl and applied it with the applicator provided. Each package will make about 2-3 masks, doing it this way!

So, there you have it beauties, my third post in my what the heck series, with this tip focusing on “Activated Charcoal And Why Should I Add It To My Skincare Routine.”

Read more of my other what the heck tips here.