Charcoal Masks vs. Botanical Masks
Charcoal Masks ~ Why We Don't Formulate Them and Use Charcoal
Charcoal facial masks, toothpastes, and body treatments are becoming more and more popular. We've been asked if we're going to incorporate a charcoal mask into our core of facial masks. The answer is... no.
The reason that charcoal masks are popular is because they help to unclog pores, absorb impurities, oil, and pollutants from the skin. Our Antioxidant Mask with Cranberry and our Green Tea & Raw Cacao mask can offer the same benefits, and these ingredients are sustainable, cleanly harvested, and come completely from plants. The plants and oils that we blend together for these masks are unaltered and are kept in their healthy state.
How is charcoal made? Charcoal is made by burning wood, coconut shells, twigs, plant matter, and sometimes animal matter together. Charcoal is a manmade substance.
The matter that makes the charcoal is allowed to burn for days in large concrete or steel silos. Before it turns to ash, the burning is stopped, and what's left behind is the charcoal. Charcoal is black carbon and ash residue from the wood and any other plant or animal matter that is mixed in with the wood.
Once charcoal dries on the skin, it is difficult to remove and can cause irritation, slight skin removal, and removal of the vellus hair, or fine hair, found on the surface of the skin.
While charcoal may be good at pulling pollutants and impurities out of the pores, its manufacturing process is not the healthiest for our environment.
Alternatively, our pure clays sourced without burning ingredients for days and are not exposed to radiation. They are a cleaner source for our skin and our environment. We also use healing herbs, cacao, cranberry, and other botanicals. Our favorite pure clays that we incorporate into our exfoliants and masks are:
- Green Montmorillonite Clay
- Rhassoul Clay
- Kaolin Clay
All are different, all have different benefits, and we use them respectively in our three exfoliants for our Skin Suites ~ Balancing, Hydrating and Restoring ~ as well as our Antioxidant Mask with Cranberry and our Green Tea Mask with Raw Cacao.
Coal has been used for centuries as a source of power, energy, fuel, and even for art. There are greener ways emerging every day as alternatives to charcoal. We've made the decision to not use this manmade resource and keep with Mother Nature's gifts that she shares.
Charcoal Plant Image: NBC News