But Not Charcoal As We Know It!
Step away from the BBQ coals! Rubbing a brick of regular old charcoal is definitely not going to work any wonders for your skin, but activated charcoal expertly formulated into skincare is a whole other story. Activated charcoal has typically been used in water filtration to remove certain compounds, and even in wonder diet drinks thanks to its ability to remove nasty toxins, so it’s no surprise that using charcoal within your skincare can work wonders for purifying and cleansing.
Natural skin and haircare company Yes To have recently combined their skincare expertise with the powers of charcoal to launch a new range of products within their Yes To Tomatoes range – its 95% natural and includes the key ingredient. With a detoxifying cleanser and mud mask added to the range, the ingredients work together to draw out any impurities from your skin, as well as providing a cocktail of antioxidants for healthy skin. Here are my thoughts on the new range, plus some rather surprising skincare benefits of using Charcoal!
A Magnet for Dirt & Oil
Charcoal acts as a magnet for dirt and oil trapped in your pores, the longer you leave it o your face, the more dirt and oil it will pull out. That’s why my new favourite part of my skincare routine is the Yes To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask (£11.99). It’s 95% natural, paraben, SLS and silicone free and the mud within it draws out the impurities from your skin to prevent breakouts, and treat any blemishes on your skin. The Salicylic acid within it exfoliates gently, while a blend of tomato, aloe, watermelon, pumpkin and chamomile are soothing and condition the skin meaning there’s no ‘tight, thirsty’ feeling when you remove the mask. Unlike other clay masks that I’ve tried it isn’t drying, which makes it far more comfortable to leave on the skin.
It Fights Breakouts
Hands up if clogged pores are one of your main skincare concerns?! Yeah, me too. In fact clogged pores as a whole are one of the biggest causes of breakouts, so you’ll be pleased to hear that charcoal is one of the most effective ways of fighting this dirt and grime which leads to blemishes. There are remedies online for concocting your own face masks, but I prefer to leave it to the experts and apply the Detoxifying Charcoal Mud mask and let that settle for 15 minutes while I run a lovely warm bath.
It combats the effects city life has on skin
Since moving to the city, my skin has noticeably suffered. With constant contact with pollutants and the general stress that city life causes, blocked pores and bad skin days are an unwanted side effect. Thankfully the active ingredients within the detoxifying charcoal cleanser (£9.99) are a perfect way of combatting the pollutants trapped in your pores on a daily basis.
The Yes To Tomatoes product is effective enough to help improve adult acne, but even if the odd blemish is your only concern, the ingredients deep clean pores and help to purify skin to prevent future breakouts – just the pick me up you need after a long, hot commute!
It is good for oily skin too
While the Yes To products are more gentle than typical activated charcoal products which can dry out skin, charcoal as a whole is a perfect solution for absorbing extra oil. Oily skin or a specific problem area can be treated with charcoal to fight excess oil, meaning that your T Zone can remain shine free without the layers of powder, which, in the long run, will only further clog up pores.
Using Charcoal as an ingredient within your daily routine couldn’t be easier, and since switching my usual cleanser and face mask duo to the Yes To Tomatoes range for combination skin, my previously clogged T Zone has been noticeably clearer, within just 4 or 5 days. The cleanser itself is applied to dry skin, and the exfoliating gel becomes milky as you massage the dirt away. I use it twice a day, and the mask once a week when I really want to give my skin a super-cleanse.
I’d love to know if you’ve tried Charcoal in your skincare routine? Did you know it had so many benefits?
xoxo
