The beauty benefits of charcoal have been in the spotlight lately. Many skincare brands, from affordable drugstore products to professional grade and more natural ones, have been creating different products using charcoal for its powerful quality to whiten and brighten the skin. Charcoal has been used for centuries in beauty regimens.

Lately beauty salons have been catching up and creating methods to incorporate charcoal in their facials. Charcoal facial is now one of the best-selling services at spas and salons in the Kingdom.

Eve Salon and Spa in Jeddah has recently started offering this unique facial claiming that it is an ancient beauty secret that has been used by Arab women hundreds of years ago. Apparently, Cleopatra used charcoal as eyeliner, which is where the term kohl liner that we use today comes from. “Because of its natural detoxifying properties, it can be used to whiten teeth, extract poisons from your body, remove blemishes, clear blackheads and cleanse the skin. The chemical structure of carbon in charcoal latches on to pollutants, dirt, and excess oil but not to skin’s natural sebum,” said Joanna, Eve’s beauty therapist. “When used on your skin, charcoal draws toxins out of the pores, which is why many cosmetic companies have been producing different kinds of charcoal products from soaps, cleansers, toothpastes to scrubs and masks,” she said.

Charcoal is treated with oxygen to help open up small facial pores to extract the dirt, this kind of charcoal is called activated charcoal. Activated charcoal is good at trapping other carbon-based impurities so it removes certain impurities while ignoring others.

Eve Salon and Spa is one of the first salons in Jeddah to incorporate this beauty facial mask in its offerings. “The beauty about this facial is that it is suitable for all kinds of skins because its purpose is cleansing, soothing, hydrating and to even out the skin colors and lighten it up a little,” said the therapist. “We highly recommend it to all women living in the Gulf region because the weather is usually very tough on the skin and women constantly need to pay close attention to it,” she added.

The charcoal facial is one of the most requested treatments at the salon, according to Joanna. “People are looking for products that use less chemicals and products that are not toxic to the skin. Charcoal actually absorbs toxins from the skin and can successfully extract all dirt from face pores,” she said.

Many women enjoy the coolness of the charcoal mask on the skin. “At Eve Salon and Spa, we use a holistic approach to healing and beauty, therefore all our products are nature-friendly and homeopathic,” said the therapist.

“The face is cleansed with botanical herbal products, then scrubbed, steamed and further cleansed. Finally, a condensed activated bamboo charcoal mask is applied and left to dry. The bamboo mask takes slightly longer to dry than most regular masks, but that’s only due to the absorption mechanism that is taking place on the surface of the skin. Not to worry though, the therapists at Eve Salon and Spa will make your waiting time enjoyable with a relaxing massage for the neck, shoulders and hands,” she added.

Eve Salon and Spa uses the very best products from the most trusted labs around the world. After much research, Eve Salon and Spa chose to use “Blossom Kuchhar,” a well-reputed brand in skincare essentials from Uttarakhand in the northern part of India, known for its serene beauty, highland landscapes, and ancient recipes for health and wellness.

Uttarakhand shares its borders with China, hence the lush bamboo foliage from which this divine product of bamboo charcoal is extracted for beauty rituals.

DIY facial:

If you want to save some money, try doing a charcoal facial at home instead.

You will need one tablespoon of activated charcoal powder, which can be found in the form of tablets or in gel capsules, and a couple of drops of tea tree oil, which also help sooth the skin and cleanse it. Mix together both the ingredients in a small bowl and apply to the face or on areas you want to treat. You should leave it for a maximum of 30 minutes or until it completely dries. When you’re ready to remove, use warm water to rinse off your mask and then wipe with a damp washcloth and then moisturize your face.

This mask is absolutely healthy for your skin and you can repeat everyday until you’re happy with the results. If this treatment is too harsh on your skin, only use once a week and use less oil.

The primary benefit of charcoal for the skin is its unmatched absorption ability. Basically charcoal has an intense ability to absorb toxins, septic bacteria, and harmful substances from the skin’s layers, bringing them to the surface for absorption by charcoal.

Charcoal is highly effective in absorbing oil, therefore making it the ideal choice for porous, oily skin.

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