Walking down the aisle of your local drugstore, you’ll see that charcoal is the trendiest ingredient in skincare right now. There are black masks, cleansers, body bars, and scrubs with activated charcoal as the star. Beauty companies praise it as a game changer for oily and acne-prone skin. And with even more of these lines coming out on shelves, I was curious why charcoal is so popular. So I decided to break it down to the basics: I would use charcoal in its pure form mixed with one or two other ingredients to create DIY beauty recipes. This way I could really see if it works like magic.
From the moment I opened the pouch of powder, I knew this experiment was going to be messy. With all the black dust flying out, I felt like I was meant to start singing “Chim Chim Cher-ee” from Mary Poppins at any moment. How could something so dirty clean my face or whiten my teeth? I thought this experiment would be a total bust. But I have been wrong before.
Before we get in to my DIY charcoal tests, I want to cover some basics. First, I should stress that there is a certain type of charcoal you need to use. DO NOT, please do not, use the charcoal that you would grill with. You need food-grade, activated charcoal powder. I used Rocky Mountain Hardwood Activated Charcoal Powder ($11, amazon.com).
“Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been treated to increase its adsorptive ability,” explains RealSelf contributor and dermatologist Joel Schlessinger, M.D. And yes, that is spelled correctly—adsorptive, not to be confused with absorptive. RealSelf contributor and dermatologist Sejal Shah, M.D. goes even further to says. “It’s an electrical attraction that causes substances to stick together,” she explains. “So basically it acts like a magnet for dirt, oil, and other impurities.”
Schlessinger explains that this process is incredibly beneficial in medicine to help treat drug overdoses and alcohol poisoning. But it works on a much smaller scale when it comes to skin—if at all. There is little-to-no science behind charcoal’s skincare benefits. On the bright side, charcoal is a fairly inert ingredient, therefore it’s unlikely to cause irritation or allergic reactions. “Clearly there’s little harm to using it,” says Schlessinger, “But there also may not be a ton of benefit from it.”
With that being said, I still wanted to check out this trendy ingredient for myself. I figured it’s taking over the beauty aisle for a reason! So, see how the charcoal worked on everything from skin to hair ahead.
First, I tried a cleansing facial scrub with charcoal and sea salt.
- ½ tablespoon of activated charcoal powder
- ½ tablespoon of rose water (I used S.W. Basics Rosewater Spray, $16)
- ½ tablespoon of fine grain sea salt
Related: I Tried 9 Coconut Oil Beauty Hacks For A Week So You Don’t Have To
My Experience: Unlike most scrubs, this DIY mix has a watery consistency. I ended up trying to overcompensate for its runny texture. So I made more than the recipe called for and ended up dumping half of it afterwards (lesson learned). Using circular motions, I scrubbed my face for about a minute and a half before rinsing with warm water. The sea salt felt really gentle, not scratching my skin at all. Afterwards, my skin felt clean just like when I do my regular cleansing routine before bed.
The Verdict: I was surprised how much I actually loved this scrub. My face felt soft to the touch afterwards. And while most scrubs make my face red (just look at my face after this Korean scrub), the rose water really played its part to calm down any irritation. This DIY was really easy to rinse off and clean up since it was so thin and light.
Then, I attempted a charcoal face mask with the added benefit of clay.
Purpose: A mask seems to be the most effective and popular way to use charcoal as a skincare ingredient. “It draws out impurities from deep within the pores,” explains Schlessinger. And while I don’t have noticeable blackheads, my esthetician did mention that I should really opt for extractions (which I did not). So, I knew I could really use this mask to unclog my city-life pores.
What You Need:
- 1 tablespoon of activated charcoal powder
- ½ tablespoon of Bentonite Clay (I used Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay, $10)
- Pinch of rose water
My Experience: I love masks. There’s nothing like winding down after a long day with a sheet or clay mask. This DIY one was really easy to apply. It slipped right into place and stayed where I put it. I loved that I could leave it on as I moved around the apartment. After minute five, the mask began to harden, and I could feel my face tightening. But when my boyfriend (not fazed by the thick coat of clay on my face) cracked a joke, I realized my face was completely frozen, and I was unable to laugh or smile. When I tried, the mask started to shatter.
After leaving it on for 15 minutes or so, it was time to rinse. This took forever. OK, it turned out to be only seven minutes, but that’s still longer than you want to spend bent over a sink. I started by splashing water all over my face to loosen up the clay. Then, I cleaned my face section by section. First, I focused on my cheeks. Then, I washed my chin and finished with the nose area.
Even though I felt like I would never get the mask off, my face did feel really clean and smooth afterwards. And when I looked closely in the mirror about an hour later, I noticed my pores were all empty—like shockingly clear. There were one or two blackheads left, but I couldn’t believe all the results after one use. Bentonite clay has similar benefits as charcoal, meaning it supposedly unclogs and shrinks your pores. So who’s to say which ingredient did the majority of the work, but my bet’s on the clay.
The Verdict: While the way this mask unclogged my pores was kind of amazing, it just took too damn long to take off. I like to use a mask when I’m relaxing, and a frozen face just was not my idea of zen. But if I noticed a bunch of visible blackheads on my face, I would turn to this as a quick fix. The results were too clear to ignore.
Next, I brushed my teeth with charcoal.
Purpose: Sounds crazy weird right? Everyone I talked to about my charcoal experiment grimaced at the thought of putting black powder in their mouth. But I was really curious, especially after reading rave reviews and hearing how it actually works. “Its natural adhesive qualities let it bind with surface-staining culprits like coffee, tea, wine, and plaque,” explains NYC-based cosmetic dentist Brian Kantor, D.D.S. However, he notes that it stops whitening at surface stains. So if your teeth are naturally darker or yellow, you’ll need something that contains bleach.
What You Need:
- Your regular toothpaste and toothbrush
- Enough activated charcoal powder for dipping
My Experience: First, I poured a bit of the charcoal out on a paper towel. Then, I dipped my toothbrush, which was already loaded with toothpaste. While I was really excited to give this DIY a try, my boyfriend made a disgusted face as I went in for the kill. “Are you sure?” he asked as the toothbrush started moving closer to my eager mouth. Once I started scrubbing away, it felt like nothing! It didn’t have a grainy texture and the mint flavor of the toothpaste completely overpowered any flavor of the charcoal.
The Verdict: The only thing alarming about this DIY trick is how dark my mouth looked during the process. Otherwise it felt just like I was brushing with normal toothpaste. Since I have so much left over charcoal powder, I might even make this a habit. As for the whitening results, I’ve been using charcoal once a day for a week and my teeth do seem slightly whiter.
And I added charcoal to my shampoo for a clarifying boost.
Purpose: Charcoal works in hair the same way it does with the skin—it pulls out dirt and buildup. This keeps the hair from feeling weighed down, giving it some extra volume (something I’m always looking for with my fine hair). It’s also great for the scalp. The charcoal can help relieve dandruff, redness, and itchiness.
Recipe:
- Your regular shampoo
- A pinch of activated charcoal powder
My Experience: I played it pretty safe with the amount of charcoal I added to my shampoo. Since I have blonde hair, I didn’t want the black to stain my color. The lather felt a bit gritty rather than silky. And there was a pool of grey water at my feet. Luckily, it all rinsed out easily. In the end, my hair did feel slightly less squeaky clean than it usually does, which I actually enjoyed because it gave my hair a bit of extra grip when I went to style.
The Verdict: Since I don’t really have scalp problems or use much product in my hair, I didn’t necessarily need to boost my shampoo. I was hoping to see more volume. But since my hair falls flat naturally—not because of product buildup—I didn’t see any major results. So, I’ll be sticking to my reverse shampoo routine to get extra volume.
Finally, I tried charcoal as a matte eyeliner.
Purpose: Honestly, I had a lot of leftover activated charcoal powder. So, I figured I’d give this a try. And since all it took was water and an eyeliner brush, I figured what the heck! One more thing to add to the things I’ve tested.
What You Need:
- A wet, angled eyeliner brush
- A pinch of activated charcoal powder
My Experience: I found it tricky to get the pay off and consistency you’d ideally want from an eyeliner with the loose charcoal powder. It was either too wet or really powdery—either way it was tough to get a clear line. So I found myself constantly dipping the brush in the powder and water until I thought it was good enough. Full disclosure: I’m already terrible at doing eyeliner, so this did not help me improve that skill.
The Verdict: I wouldn’t recommend this DIY simply because regular eyeliner already has the perfect texture to give you the sharp dark lines you want. And aren’t hacks supposed to make your life easier? It’s also important to note that I have sensitive eyes and wear contacts, and the powder didn’t bother my eyes the slightest bit.
All in all, I really loved the results I saw using charcoal for my skin and teeth. But between my grimy fingernails, my darkened palms, and the black sink, the results weren’t worth the mess it left behind. If you’re looking to try these DIY recipes, you should know it did not stain anything permanently—a relieving realization since I was working away in my brand-new, porcelain white bathroom.