What Are the Benefits of Activated Charcoal in Soap?

by Linda Banner February 24, 2023

Activated charcoal is a common ingredient in beauty and personal care products. This natural ingredient can help remove impurities, chemicals, and other toxins. As you can probably tell, adding an activated charcoal soap to your routine can be a great way to boost your beauty routine.

Your skin, scalp, and hair can all benefit from this detoxifying ingredient. In fact, if you struggle with oily, sensitive, or dry skin and nothing has worked for you, activated charcoal may be just what you need.

We are going to go over what activated charcoal is and how it works. By the end of this article, you'll know all of the various benefits of using a product with this ingredient.

What Is Activated Charcoal?

When you hear charcoal, you may think of what you use when grilling. However, there are two types of charcoal: regular charcoal and activated charcoal. The charcoal you use for barbecuing contains toxic chemicals, while activated charcoal can help you get rid of toxins.

Activated charcoal is created by exposing carbon material to very high temperatures. The steam or hot air used in the process activates the material. This method makes the carbon structure much more porous and significantly increases the surface area.

Once activated, the charcoal can easily bind to liquids and gases to extract heavy metals, toxins, and herbicides. In fact, in the 17th century, Japan started using activated charcoal as a water purifier, which is still one of its many uses today.

Nowadays, you can find this ingredient in many products like soap, toothpaste, and supplements. Let's go over some of the many benefits of using this ingredient.

What Are the Benefits of Activated Charcoal for Your Skin?

Helps Manage Excess Oil

Activated charcoal soap can help you manage excess oil on your skin, which is a hallmark of oily skin. Oily skin is a skin type that is characterized by overactive sebaceous glands.

These glands make natural oil called sebum, which can help protect your skin and keep it hydrated. However, when these glands go into overdrive, you can end up with oily and shiny-looking skin.

Your sebaceous glands can get overexcited for several reasons, including genetics, hormones, and dryness. Basically, it's not always something you can fix – instead, you'll need to adjust your beauty products to your oily skin's needs.

If you're going through several blotting sheets a day or you're reapplying powder multiple times to keep the oily shine at bay, it may be time for you to try activated charcoal soap.

Activated charcoal may be able to bring balance to your skin and absorb excess oil. Products like activated charcoal facewashes or masks can help your skin reset every morning and evening. The result should be smoother, more normal-looking skin.

If you're struggling with oily skin, try WOW Skin Science's Activated Charcoal Foaming Face Wash With Brush . This face wash can help wick away excess oil and moisturize your skin.

Yes, even oily skin needs to be moisturized! In fact, one of the reasons your sebaceous glands may be in overdrive is that you're using harsh skincare products that dehydrate your skin.

This Activated Charcoal Foaming Face Wash contains activated charcoal, tea tree oil, aloe vera extract, and vitamin E. These ingredients work together to nourish and cleanse your face to leave you feeling fresh and rejuvenated.

Helps Fight Breakouts

If you have lots of excess oil sitting on top of your face at the end of the day, chances are you're pretty familiar with blemishes and breakouts, too. Your skin can break out when your pores become clogged with dirt, oil, dead skin cells, and other gunk. It goes to say that keeping your pores clear can result in fewer breakouts and smoother skin.

Using an activated charcoal facewash, mask, or soap, can help absorb oils and neutralize bacteria on the skin that may be causing your breakouts. There are also activated charcoal spot treatments that you can use to quickly improve the appearance of your blemishes.

This Activated Charcoal Foaming Face Wash also contains tea tree oil, a popular remedy for blemish treatment. This ingredient can work alongside charcoal to soothe redness and irritation around blemishes.

These effects are highlighted by vitamin E, which also has soothing properties that can help reduce the appearance of breakouts. Meanwhile, activated charcoal can clear your skin of pore-clogging contaminants and gunk.

You can also try WOW Skin Science's Activated Charcoal Mask . This mask is enriched with activated charcoal powder, licorice extract, and mulberry extract to help remove impurities and dead cells. This mask is full of all of our favorite ingredients that reveal clean, smooth, and glowing skin.

How To Use:

Step 1: Apply a dollop of the activated charcoal mask to your cleansed face.

Step 2: Spread the mask out into a thin layer all over your face. Keep it away from sensitive areas, like around your eyes.

Step 3: Allow it to dry for 10-15 minutes.

Step 4: Rinse off the mask with lukewarm water and pat it dry with a towel.

The results will depend on your specific type of breakout and what's causing it . If you experience chronic breakouts, you may want to consult a dermatologist before using activated charcoal. They can help you determine the cause of your acne and the best skincare products for your needs.

Slows Down Signs of Aging

As you age, your skin can get looser, which may cause wrinkles and fine lines to appear. This happens because aging skin gradually loses skin elasticity, which is powered by collagen and elastin . Collagen provides structure and support, while elastin allows the skin to stretch and move.

As you get older, these proteins begin to break down, and your skin can show signs of aging. Because activated charcoal can support natural collagen production, it can help tighten the feel of your skin and slow down the visible effects of aging.

Basically, this must-have ingredient can leave you with skin that looks so young and vibrant all of your friends will say, "WOW!".

Natural Exfoliant

Since activated charcoal can help to detoxify the skin, it works as a wonderful exfoliant. Bacteria, dirt, and dead skin cells can form a thin layer over your skin daily. If you don't wash off these impurities, they can build up on your skin and cause irritation and even breakouts.

The naturally renewing effects of activated charcoal can help with this buildup. Charcoal can have a gritty-yet-gentle texture that helps remove dirt and oil.

The activated charcoal can also help remove dead skin cells. As we mentioned, this dead skin buildup can end up in your pores and cause blemishes if left to sit on your face.

This buildup can also prevent other skincare products from reaching your skin, which means that your brightening serums might not work as well without regular exfoliation. Removing all the gunk can help your other skincare products to penetrate your skin and work their magic.

The Activated Charcoal Foaming Face Wash comes with a brush that makes exfoliating easy. The brush is made out of silicone that won't hold on to any impurities, which means you'll be able to truly lift the gunk off your face.

To use this brush properly, use small, circular motions to gently massage the foaming cleanser over your face for 1-2 minutes. Once you're done, rinse your face with cool water and pat dry.

Works on All Skin Types

Activated charcoal can benefit all skin types. Here are some of the ways that activated charcoal can benefit your skin type:

For folks with oily skin, activated charcoal can help remove excess oil.

For those with dry skin, activated charcoal can help prepare your skin to soak up moisturizer. It can also brighten up the dullness that typically accompanies dry skin.

For folks with sensitive skin, this ingredient can help soothe redness and irritation.

In mature skin, activated charcoal can even support natural collagen production and smoothen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

There are no known side effects associated with charcoal soap. However, you should still seek professional advice if you have extremely sensitive skin and you're worried about a reaction.

Supports Scalp Health

Activated charcoal may be able to help if you have an itchy, irritated, or flaky scalp . The charcoal can remove toxins on the scalp and get rid of any buildup that may be causing your discomfort.

Excess oil on your scalp may also be the reason you're experiencing flaking or dry skin. As you now know, activated charcoal can help wick away this oil and clear your skin. Once your scalp is healthy, your hair can grow longer and feel stronger, and your hair follicles can breathe without all the buildup.

Try WOW Skin Science's Activated Charcoal & Keratin Shampoo . This shampoo can purify and support your hair, as well as remove dirt, oil, and impurities.

Nourishing keratin combines with the botanical blend of sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, and aloe vera extract to soothe and replenish moisture. The addition of star ingredient activated charcoal helps give your scalp the deep cleaning it needs.

When washing your hair, focus the shampoo on your scalp and roots. Gently massage it into your scalp for two to three minutes.

Thoroughly rinse out the shampoo and follow it up with a conditioner to replenish moisture. You can finish with a cold water rinse to help seal your hair cuticles for long and luscious hair.

How Often Should You Use Charcoal Soap?

When it comes to figuring out how often you should use activated charcoal, it depends on the product and your skin type. Some activated charcoal products you can use every day, while others are better used one to three times a week.

Here are some general guidelines to help you time your activated charcoal products:

Face wash: every day for oily skin or every two to three days for dry or sensitive skin.

Face masks: two or three times a week for oily skin or once or twice a week for dry or sensitive skin.

Shampoo: every day for oily skin or two or three times a week for dry or sensitive skin.

You also have to consider what other ingredients are in your activated charcoal skincare. Will these ingredients dry your skin out with daily use? Or can they cause irritation?

Focus on a skincare routine that fits your skin type needs. Combine your activated charcoal product with serums, lotions, and creams that are best suited for your skin type.

Try Activated Charcoal

Give activated charcoal soap a try to experience its many benefits. Not only does this product work for all skin types – it can also remove impurities! Using an activated charcoal soap or cleanser can help your skin look clearer, smoother, and more hydrated.

WOW Skin Science offers many different skin and hair products with activated charcoal to make it easy to start incorporating this ingredient into your routine!

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What Are the Benefits of Activated Charcoal in Soap?

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