Giovanni D:Tox Scrub- Baby Steps to a Charcoal mask

Over the weekend, my friend Angie sent me a picture of her in a charcoal mask.  I have been wanting to try charcoal for awhile now, its known for its ability to suck every bit of debris out of your skin, but I've been too chicken to try it.  I have very sensitive skin that reacts easily to a lot of products, and charcoal is no joke.  It is not messing around.  Short of something a dermatologist does to you, charcoal is about as hard core as you can get.

While I feel like I know a thing or two about beauty products, Angie knows about seven or eight things.  She's the one I ask for reviews, and for the products she likes.  She said after she does a charcoal mask, she tries to leave her face product free for the rest of the day, with the exception of a really good serum.  This stuff isn't playing around.

I told her I was scared to jump in with both feet, and she suggested that I try a charcoal scrub.  We have sons on the same football team, and now that they are becoming teenagers, a good facial scrub is really important.  She suggested Biore Charcoal Scrub because that's what she has for her son.  This lady has seven children and flawless skin, so whenever she talks about skincare, I am all ears.  After seeing how bright her skin looked after the charcoal mask, I knew I had to give a scrub a try!

As luck would have it, I found myself at a store this afternoon that carried a lot of organic and cruelty free beauty products.  It didn't take me long to find one that looked like a winner!

 

Giovanni D:Tox Scrub had the activated charcoal I was looking for, along with volcanic ash.  It also promised me lots of antioxidants, and smelled surprisingly yummy.  I was expecting the smell to not be so great, but was really happily surprised. 

 

The best way to put this on would be in a hot shower, once your pores are good and open.  I washed my face with hot water and let the mask rest on my face for a minute before I got in the shower and started scrubbing.

 

 

Keep in mind that an actual charcoal mask will not look like this.  It will look like you have smeared thick black paint all over your face.  When the mask dries, it will stick, and may hurt a tiny bit when you peel it off-I'm told- but it shouldn't be anything too insane, and should leave behind a really fresh face.

 

Here are some great charcoal masks in variety of pricepoints:

 

Feeling Beautiful Charcoal and Black Sugar Mask (there is some debate about whether the company that makes this, Freeman Beauty, is truly cruelty free.  As of the last time I checked, they are still rated cruelty free by The Leaping Bunny, so I am listing the mask here)

 

 

Derma e 2-in-1 Purifying mask

 

 

Kaeng Raeng Clarifying Charcoal Mask

 

 

 

But back to the scrub.  I could definitely feel it tingling, and my skin felt incredibly smooth after I washed the scrub off, if a tiny bit raw.  Because I have sensitive skin, I really believe that whatever charcoal products I use, I would use at night, so that my skin can rest afterward and not be in a whole lot of light.  Even now writing this, I keep touching my skin because I cant believe how soft it feels.

 





You can see that fresh out of the shower my skin is a little bit on the pink side, but I feel like it has good circulation, I can feel the blood flowing, and I know for sure that there isn't a speck of dead skin left on my face anywhere.  Dead skin is dull can clog the lines on your face, making you look older than you really are.  Its a good idea to use some kind of scrub from time to time, just to make sure that healthy new skin is at the surface.  Don't over do it though.  Exfoliating doesn't really need to be done more than 2-3 times a week, and if you are using charcoal probably less than that. 

Make sure after you use charcoal (ESPECIALLY if you do a badass mask) to put a really good serum on your skin after to help protect it.  I'm using Tata Harper Rejuvinating Serum which I got a sample of and it has lasted me ages and ages.  The product itself is $$$, but you see how little my jar is, and its lasted forever.

 

I like anti-aging serums best, because I feel like the collagen and other products they usually contain really soothe my skin when its feeling a bit exposed, but really its whatever you'd like!

 

So, my first time with charcoal went really well!  I will definitely be using this scrub again!  It isn't very expensive, I got it for about $7 on sale, but it smells like (and works like) a much pricier product!  I think I will branch out into a full on mask next, since this went so well.  I would advise you to start with a scrub or a face wash if you've never tried charcoal before, just to make sure your skin reacts well.  I am super pleased with the results, and cant wait to try more!