If you’re “hip” and keep up with latest beauty trends (if you’re not, don’t worry I’m struggling too), you might have noticed that DIY activated charcoal masks made with glue are the new thing right now. I don’t know who launched this trend but I would never use glue on my face or advise anyone else to. I had to look for a better alternative to glue and share my experience before we all got dragged under. There are numerous benefits of activated charcoal including teeth whitening and underarm lightening but we’ll be focusing on the skin benefits in this post.
Why activated charcoal?
- It absorbs oil and dirt from the skin.
- It gets rid of acne and blackheads
- Balances oily skin
- Gently exfoliates
- Detoxifies your skin
What You Would Need
- Activated charcoal (buy here)
- Bentonite clay (optional)
- Mixer
- Unflavored gelatin
- Plastic mixing bowl (metal would interfere with the bentonite clay and reduce it’s effectiveness)
- Applicator (I used an old foundation brush)
How-to
- Mix the activated charcoal, bentonite clay and unflavored gelatin in equal parts in the plastic bowl
- Add hot water to the mixture
- Mix all the ingredients properly to avoid lumps
- Allow the paste to cool a bit
- Use the foundation brush to apply evenly on your face
- Avoid your eyebrows and other hairy parts of your face (if it does get on your eyebrow, don’t attempt to peel off that area, simply rinse it off after peeling other areas)
- Let the mask dry completely on your face, I leave mine on for an hour. You would feel it drying and hardening on your face
- I’m not sure how to explain this part but play around with the muscles on your face (wriggle them, LOL) to help loosen the facial mask
- Go ahead to peel the mask off gently, it can be an uncomfortable process so take your time with it and do it gently
- Use a cold towel or cloth to wipe your face to calm it
- I apply my Rosehip oil after (Click to read benefits of rosehip oil and where to buy)
It’s advisable to do a patch test first just to make sure your skin can tolerate activated charcoal, most people’s skins do but it’s always safe to test yours anyway! I’ve been using this mask once a month and the results are immediately visible, you would notice the blackheads on the mask.
Connect with me on social media
Click on any of the following – Twitter // Instagram // Facebook
alexnnamaka.com 
where can I get chalk coal or is it dsame chalk coal?
LikeLike
Hello,
I’m not quite sure about chalk coal as I haven’t come across that. However, you can send a message to “Hairffiliation” on Instagram to ask for it
LikeLike
Hi please any idea where I can get gelatin and bentonite clay in Lagos?. Thanks
LikeLike
Hello!
You can get betonite clay from sizzelle.com and gelatin in Shoprite or Spar
LikeLike
I would definitely like to try activated charcoal with the noise people having been making about it on social media.. Why once a month though? Would it be too much to use weekly?
LikeLike
That glue mask trend was just…. NO NO NO lol
Thanks for sharing a safe alternative!
P.S. Where did you get the gelatin?
LikeLike
LOL
You’re welcome!
I got mine from the baking section at Shoprite but I hear it’s available in Spar and Ebeano
LikeLike
I’ve never tried any mask on my face cause I’m just skeptical about them lol plus I already have great skin (if I do say so myself) but maybe I’ll try this out.
Very informative post.
Toyinwithfashion.com
LikeLike