How to Make a DIY Charcoal Face Mask for Every Skin Type

Superfood masks are one of the most popular beauty-wellness crossovers. Charcoal masks are one of the most effective complexion fixers, especially when seeing a professional for extractions isn’t feasible. When used correctly, a charcoal mask can be a veritable vacuum for clogged pores, melt away whiteheads, and soak up excess oil that makes existing blemishes more pronounced. Even better, you can formulate a DIY charcoal mask that’s just as resultant as those on the market. Ahead, a dermatologist and a celebrity esthetician advise on using charcoal masks for your complexion, plus provide formulas for DIY peel off and bubble charcoal masks for every skin type.

Charcoal masks are nothing new, says board certified cosmetic dermatologist, Michele Green, MD. In fact, she says, “Activated charcoal, the active ingredient in these masks, is the same charcoal used in emergency rooms to treat overdose.” But they are an inexpensive and scientifically backed course of treatment when it comes to your DIY mask game.

When applied topically to skin, charcoal works similarly by “pulling all the surface bacteria, toxins, chemicals, dirt, oil, and other micro-particles from the pores to the top layer of the skin,” she says, preventing them from entering the bloodstream. “Activated charcoal is very absorbent,” Green adds. “It is like a micro-sponge absorbing all the pollutants and toxins. These substances are removed from the skin when you rinse the charcoal off your face.”

Do take note: the very thing that makes charcoal masks effective at unclogging pores and sloughing away bacteria can harm skin depending on your skin type if you don’t take precautions. Charcoal masks “are so absorbent,” explains Green, “that they remove all the natural oils that sit on the surface of your skin.” (They can also take off facial hair.) Green explains that when peeling off the mask, you can damage the stratum corneum (outermost layer of the epidermis) causing “irritation and also infection.” One workaround is to prevent the mask from completely drying and washing it off instead of peeling.

Here’s What You’ll Need

Create a base formula using equal parts dry clay and activated charcoal powder. Always combine your dry ingredients first, then gently fold in wet ones.

• 1 tablespoon Aztec bentonite clay powder
• 1 tablespoon organic activated charcoal
• 2 teaspoons water (you can add more for desired consistency)
• Add-ins according to skin type
• Mihakka tool for mask removal

Celebrity esthetician and founder of Kát Rudu Beauty, Kát Rudu, known for her gentle treatments that leave you looking virtually poreless, shares recommendations for DIY charcoal mask add-ins below. Note that when working with essential oils, it’s important to take precautions especially since this recipe does not call for a carrier oil to dilute them. Don’t assume that more is better—according to Rudu, “Two drops of each essential oil in the recipe below is sufficient.”

Odacite
Synergie Immediate Skin Perfecting Beauty Masque
$64.00

UP NEXT: Joanna Vargas shares her go-to DIY baking soda face mask.