If you had asked me a few years ago if I would be putting charcoal on my face I would of probably looked a little horrified. Oh how times have changed, charcoal is now a best selling ingredient in many beauty related products on the market and you would be surprised at the benefit it can have on your skin if you add it into your daily regime.
Holland And Barrett are running a charcoal campaign at the moment and sell a really good variety of products, I was lucky enough to be sent a selection to try and see if I could incorporate a little more natural skincare into my life and see how I get on. I already use a activated charcoal face mask when i'm having a break out and I have tried a toothpaste that contained it too so it is a great way for me to compare some of the bits against products I've used before.
Dr Organic Charcoal Shampoo and Conditioner £6.49 each - I was a little skeptical at first about using black shampoo on blonde hair but i spoke to Dr Organic's team and they assured me it wouldn't stain. I didn't fancy having to get my hair redone! Anyway they were fine and left my hair feeling squeaky clean. These are great to use if you suffer with build up from dry shampoo and oils as they clarify too. Not mad keen on the scent,you can certainly smell the patchouli but considering neither contain any silicon or parabens then i'm sold. Over 70% off the ingredients are natural and its not tested on animals. Quite pricey at £6.49 a bottle but a little goes a long way.
Yes To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Peel Off Mask 59ml £11.99 - I LOVE Yes To as a brand and have tried most of their packet face masks so was excited to give this a go, however i'm not sure about it i'm honest. Firstly its £11.99 for only 59ml, that seems steep but I can overlook that if its worth it but I am not so sure that it it is. The silicone applicator was handy to apply the product but i had an absolute mare trying to get it back off. It's a peel off mask but I found it was coming off in little pieces. Maybe it was my fault though and I didn't apply it thick enough? I didn't want to use half of it on one application though considering its £11.99 a pop. There is a positive though, when I did finally get it off my skin did feel soft and very clean. Its 97% natural and i'm pretty sure the activated charcoal did take down the redness on a couple of blemishes.
Yes To Tomatoes Charcoal Bar Soap 195g £4.99 - Big fan of the soap, you get a hefty amount for the price and it cleans like a dream. Again its 98% natural and it smells really fresh, you only need to break off a small piece at a time so I can see it lasting ages. Make sure you use a good moisturizer afterwards though as charcoal in soap form can dry out your skin.
Yes To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask 10ml £2.99 - I've used a lot of these individual mud mask sachets, although I mainly use the sheet masks as I am literally too lazy to go wash it back off! You could get two applications out of this one I reckon as well. My skin felt smooth and like all the impurities had been pulled out my pores after and I would say its on par with my favourate Origins charcoal mask!
Sukin Oil Balancing And Charcoal Purifying Gel Cleanser 125ml £9.99 - Not a brand I had heard of before but I really do love the cleanser. Sulkin are an Australian natural skincare brand and the oil balancing range is formulated for combination/oily skin types. I was worried it would be really thick black substance but luckily it wasn't. It smells amazing as it has pomegranate, coconut oil and rooibo tea in it plus of course charcoal. It removed my make up well, didn't dry out my skin (always a plus) and you didn't need much to do the job. There's also a lot of soothing ingredients such as cucumber, chamomile and willowherb.
Beauty Kitchen Bamboo Charcoal Konjac Sponge £6.99 - This is the softest sponge I've ever used!! I had heard of Konjac sponges but never used one so I was a pretty confused about what it does originally. Apparently they help to naturally cleanse, exfoliate and nourish skin. They are native to Asia and made from ground Konjac root. The powder is mixed with calcium hydroxide which is frozen and dried. Then the calcium brings out the alkaline that helps to balance overly acidic skin (oily) and then they add either charcoal or sometimes different colour clay to help pull out all the crap from your pores. Pretty amazing, right? They are totally non toxic and biodegradable. Oh yeah and you can even use it with just water!
Ecodenta Extra Black Whitening Toothpaste 100ml £4.99 - Charcoal toothpaste has been a big thing this year, I've been using the Beverley Hills one for the last couple of months but I think I do prefer this brand. Mainly because its made with 96% natural ingredients but also because this one is a lot more intense. It removes plaque and protects against tarter, whilst also leaving your mouth feeling refreshed and clean. There is only one downside for me and that's the taste. Although it has mint oil in it's not particularly strong which i guess we are used too with other brands. I know black toothpaste can look somewhat terrifying but it washes away super easy and doesn't stain anything.
Have you tried many charcoal containing products? I would love to hear your experience with them. You cam pick all of these up in your local Holland And Barrett store or online. They even offer free delivery over £20. Right now most of these are on buy 1 get 1 half price, so go check them out!
Until Next Time xo
*This post contains PR samples, however all opinions are my own*
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