Charcoal absorbs toxins and eliminates excess oil and stubborn dirt from your skin, which helps clear acne. How often should I use a charcoal face wash? You can apply a charcoal face wash once or twice a week if you have sensitive skin.
Can charcoal be used on sensitive skin? Charcoal is ideal for dry or sensitive skin types. For all its deep-cleaning abilities, it's actually very gentle. Although being called activated charcoal, it's actually inert (meaning it's not an active ingredient), so it's unlikely to cause irritation or a reaction.
And though charcoal itself is inert and not allergenic, and is therefore typically well-tolerated by most skin types, it's often combined with other ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and AHAs, which are more beneficial for oily and acne-prone skin.
Charcoal Face Wash Benefit #1: Removes impurities.
First and foremost, charcoal cleansers can give your complexion a thorough—you guessed it—cleansing. They remove impurities, including dirt, oil, and makeup residue from your skin, unclogging pores in the process.
There's no evidence to support the use of activated charcoal in beauty or health products. That charcoal face mask isn't doing anything a regular face mask wouldn't.
The good news: Charcoal is inert, meaning that it won't cause allergic reactions or irritate sensitive skin, so even if your charcoal-enhanced product isn't actually doing much, it won't make anything worse—and you can still benefit from the other ingredients in the product that actually have been proven to help ...
"Depending on the needs of your skin, it can be used anywhere from one to three times a week, as it will cleanse your pores and neutralize some environmental toxins," Dr. Shamban tells me via email. "Do not use daily as it can soak up the natural oils and moisture in your skin."
There's currently very limited research on the risk of using a charcoal face mask. Generally, these masks appear to be safe, although overuse could cause skin dryness, redness, and sensitivity.
Even when used internally to treat poisoning, activated charcoal is generally well-tolerated, according to 2021 research . However, people with eczema have sensitive skin, and charcoal is not clinically proven to treat it.
But what activated charcoal is best known for is its ability to unclog pores, making it a highly sought-after ingredient when it comes to skin-care products like clarifying masks.
Cleansing with activated charcoal
Activated charcoal effectively cleanses the skin, unclogs pores, removes deeper impurities, and dead skin cells. The result is smooth, supple, and even-toned skin.
Much has been said about the benefit of charcoal in skincare: It draws toxins, clears your pores and sucks dirt, oil, and bacteria away from your skin in order to clear up and prevent acne breakouts. This is all true.
Although there is no solid evidence of charcoal soap lightening the colour of your skin. It is known that charcoal soap can bring out the natural colour of your skin by removing all impurities, dead skin cells and dirt.
Side effects that you should report to your doctor or health care professional as soon as possible: allergic reactions like skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, or tongue.
Basically, it's an excellent ingredient for the oily- and acne-prone among us. Of course, not all charcoal products are the same, and if you have slightly sensitive or dry skin, you might find charcoal to be too drying and harsh when used in masks, creams, and spot treatments.
While physical exfoliants may buff away dead skin cells, leaving your skin feeling smooth, the friction involved may irritate your already-inflamed skin, leading to increased redness and breakouts.
Activated charcoal is safe for most adults when used short-term. Side effects of activated charcoal include constipation and black stools. More serious, but rare, side effects are a slowing or blockage of the intestinal tract, regurgitation into the lungs, and dehydration.
Not only Activated Charcoal Soap extracts the excessive oil from the oily skin, but on the other hand, it also moisturizes and nourishes the dry skin. Furthermore, it is also suitable for the sensitive skin type. It effectively treats skin allergies and redness on the face.
Charcoal soap is good to use for sensitive skin conditions such as eczema. It can help detox the skin, remove toxins, excess oil, and bacteria. It allows the skin to feel clean without the use of harsh chemicals. As always, make sure to consult your doctor before using it for treatment.
Corticosteroid creams, solutions, gels, foams, and ointments. These treatments, made with hydrocortisone steroids, can quickly relieve itching and reduce inflammation. They come in different strengths, from mild over-the-counter (OTC) treatments to stronger prescription medicines.