My Honest Review of Beautycounter's Charcoal Mask
The Beautycounter charcoal mask is a great way to detoxify your skin and clear your pores. It’s also great for acne, to use as a spot treatment and to treat bug or mosquito bites and helps poison ivy!
I love to wash my day and then use one of my all-time favorite skin care products, the Beautycounter charcoal mask. If you follow me on Instagram you know just how much I love this face mask as you’ll see me wearing it ALL THE TIME. I swear I pop on my stories at the very least 2 times per week, getting my paint on! It is one of the products that has helped me heal my acne and I have been using it religiously for the past 2 years. If you aren’t familiar with Beautycounter, you can click here to learn more about the brand and their products.
Beautycounter Charcoal Mask
You’ve got ten minutes to create a purified complexion! There are nights where I paint my mask on (with my favorite brush) and fold a load of laundry quick while this nutrient-rich kaolin clay mask with activated charcoal purifies and balances, absorbing excess oil and drawing out impurities. Salicylic and lactic acids aid in a gentle exfoliation, giving skin a smooth, polished look with a minimized appearance of pores. It’s truly perfect for those concerned with congestion and oily skin.
It has worked wonders for my skin. I have dry, acne-prone skin, and it has been one of the best products I have found for treating my adult stressed skin acne. I use it nightly as a spot treatment, and once to twice a week as a full face mask. Plus, this mask is the best acne spot treatment I have ever found!
Did you know it also works wonders for bug bites and poison ivy?! With the bug bites, it has helped with the inflammation and itch. With the poison ivy, I’ve found it woks really well with drying up the poison ivy. The itch was decreased definitely while using the mask, and the poison ivy dried up much faster than just leaving it or using chemical based over the counter creams. This excites me!
Ingredients
Charcoal Powder: rich in natural minerals to help balance and purify
Salicylic Acid and Lactic Acid: gently exfoliate and smooth skin’s surface
Peppermint oil and peppermint extract: these give the mask a nice cooling feeling when you apply it (which is part of the reason it’s great for treating bug and mosquito bites and poison ivy!)
Benefits
Absorbs excess oil
Visibly minimizes pores
Purifies, detoxifies, and clarifies complexion
Helps calm, refine, and smooth skin
Helps to decrease the size of your acne
How to Use the Charcoal Mask
I first wash my face with this foaming gentle cleanser and then pat it dry. Then using my fingers or my favorite paint brush to the mask to my whole face. If you like, you can also use a soft eco friendly makeup brush to apply the mask. I let it dry for 10 minutes and then take a shower and wash it off. If I’m feeling like I need a little more exfoliation, I will wash it off with a washcloth. I typically wash it off in the shower as it can be a bit messy to take off in the sink. If you do wash it off in the sink, I recommend using a wet washcloth to do so.
Beautycounter charcoal mask: other uses
Let’s recap a few fun things and uses, this mask is also superb and for most we never really would expect such praise! A few other uses include:
As a treatment for mosquito bites or other bug bites – simply apply the mask directly to your insect bites. It will help take away the itch, decrease the inflammation and also seems to help them heal faster.
As a treatment for headaches – if you get a headache, apply the charcoal mask to your temples. I am a huge fan of essential oils and I have a strong feeling that the peppermint essential oils in the mask is what helps calm the headache.
As an armpit detox – this is a great way to help your arm pits clear out those toxins, especially if you are switching to a natural deodorant (read about why you should make that switch here)
Have you wanted to clean up your self-care routine?! If so, you can reach out to me, and I’d be happy to color match you or help you get started. I know it can feel overwhelming at first but if we break it down and switch to safer products one or two products at a time not only is it easier on the wallet but also a little less overwhelming.
Still have questions? That’s ok! Here are a few more thoughts:
There has been some concern that the charcoal mask will stain your sheets or pillow case if you use as an overnight spot treatment. Nope! You will be A-Okay! Once the mask is dry it stays in place, and even if it rubs off it’s just dry clay, so it doesn’t stain or ruin your bedding, clothes or pillow sheets.
I’ve also heard… Is it good for all skin types? I’m happy to announce that YES, it is! All skin types can benefit from using face masks regularly. The mask helps clear out your pores so that all your other products work that much better. It’s like polishing your skin every single week or twice! If you have dry skin I would recommend starting off using the mask once per week as charcoal can be a bit drying, and if your skin tolerates you can then work up to using it two to three times per week. You may have to change this schedule a bit as seasons change.
What do you put on your skin after a charcoal mask? I would follow your charcoal mask with your regular skincare routine. This is my favorite line where I first Cleanse, Prep, Treat and Protect. One of my all-time favorite products that I really like to combine to continue to help resurface my skin and keep my skin regenerating is the Counter+ Overnight Resurfacing Peel. When you detox your skin with the charcoal mask first, this allows your resurfacing peel to work even better!
While Beautycounter is shut down, so many of you have written to me asking what masks I would recommend in replacement of the charcoal mask and aha mask from Beautycounter. I’m so happy to help and give you my opinion on a company I have really grown to love, and the ethical farming and safety practices makes me even happier. Here’s what I recommend in replacement of the Charcoal Mask from Beautycounter:
F84 Blemish Control Face Mask helps balance, reduce reddened, stressed and hypersensitive skin. This mask is really great for someone with excessive oil, acne, and also help fight skin impurities and at the same time while helping problematic skin becomes clean and clear. It regenerates irritated and damaged skin and effectively increases skin elasticity while providing a clear and even and radiant complexion. I would recommend using this at least 1x per week.
Have you ever gone to get a facial and your aesthetician said your skin would benefit from an enzyme mask? I have an answer for you that feels absolutely wonderful on, and the results are even more amazing! Meet the F76 Honey Enzyme Face Mask, which provides, enzymatic peeling, leaving the complexion radiant and even. The honey gives your skin a warming sensation upon application, but this is really wonderful for acne prone, dry, dehydrated and problematic skin. I have been using this mask in replacement of the AHA mask from Beautycounter. The results of this honey enzyme mask are absolutely amazing. My skin feels so soft and looks so radiant after just one use. I highly recommend using this mask at least once a week for best results.
Enzyme masks have become increasingly popular in the skincare world, and for good reason. They work by breaking down dead skin cells on the surface of your skin, revealing a brighter and more even complexion underneath. This process also helps to increase collagen production, giving your skin a boost of elasticity.
The F76 Honey Enzyme Face Mask takes this concept to another level with its unique blend of enzymes and honey. Not only does it effectively exfoliate your skin, but the honey also has amazing antibacterial properties that can help fight acne-causing bacteria. Not to mention, the addition of honey makes this mask incredibly hydrating, leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth.
But what sets this mask apart is its star ingredient - grapefruit extract. Grapefruit is known for its high levels of vitamin C, which helps to brighten skin and reduce the appearance of dark spots. It also contains antioxidants that help protect your skin from environmental damage.
After just one use, my skin felt noticeably softer and looked brighter. I could see a visible difference in my complexion, with less redness and more even tone. I was hooked after the first try and have been using it once a week ever since.
For best results, I recommend applying a thin layer onto clean skin and leaving it on for 10 minutes, then simply washing or wiping off.
