I first heard about the use of charcoal in beauty products with this one here a few years ago. Many praise its ability to draw out toxins and impurities from the skin, so products infused with it are great for those with acne. Here are a few products that highlight the ingredient.

Charcoal In Beauty

BIORE Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser ($5.99/6.77oz @ ulta.com, amazon.com) – This black goo is infused with Japanese Skin Purifying Technology that acts as a strong magnet to remove 2x’s more dirt than the average cleanser. It doesn’t hurt that it smells nice too!

DEW PUFF Pure Plant Fiber Sponge Bamboo Charcoal ($8 @ walgreens.com) – I wrote about this other one in their line a few years ago and enjoyed it!  This one infuses bamboo charcoal and is great if you’re trying to limit the amount of products you use on your skin because of flare-ups.

YES TO TOMATOES Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask ($15.99/2oz @ amazon.com) – New to the Yes to … brand is this black mask for those with acne. It uses salicylic acid and a botanical blend of ingredients to help treat it and get rid of it.

EARTH THERAPEUTICS Cosmetic Blending Sponge ($6 @ kohls.com) – This sponge is actually made with bamboo charcoal so it will stay contaminate-free longer than your other makeup sponges. And they have other charcoal focused products in the line, so check the others out too.  

It seems like everyone is gaga over the Clarisonic. I like it but I’m part of that percentage where it didn’t really change the state of my skin like it has with some people. And that’s ok. So in looking at the phenom of using a tool of some sort to assist in the cleansing of the skin, I wanted to explore other vehicles, so to speak, that cleanse and exfoliate that won’t break the bank, and here are some I came up with that you may want to consider.

DEW PUFF Asian Clay ($7 @ walgreens.com) – made from the root of konjac (a plant native to Asia), this puff feels more like a rock than a soft puff through the packaging but not to fret, once it hits water, it soften up nicely.; almost to a jelly-like state. Use with or without cleanser and just replace it every 3 months.

WONDER CLOTH All Natural Make-Up Remover Cloth ($15 @ amazon.com) – seems to be modeled after the muslin a little bit. This one removes makeup and cleanses the skin nicely, not to mention it feels better running across my skin than a washcloth, and can be used over and over. And the biggest bonus is that the white cloth doesn’t stain! It says on the box that it, “removes makeup instantly with just water,” but I found I had to use some kind of cleanser/makeup remover. I love the cloth though. 

I’ve also discovered that there’s a whole underground dedication to the Muslin Cloth. The Muslin Cloth is a specially woven thin cloth made with 100% cotton that was introduced to Europe from the Middle East. It’s used in dress making, culinary, theater set backdrops (it holds dye well) and even medicine as a type of gauze. I’m not sure when people started using it in beauty but the trend seems to be gaining steam. And it’s funny because part of what I like about beauty is how things look i.e. packaging, design etc and these just look like thin pieces of white or beige cloth. So they are nothing really to look at as you can see from the below photo.

Click here to read more