DIY All-Natural Blackhead Busting Blackout Mask
DIY Face Mask DIY Skincare & Beauty Natural Beauty
This DIY All-Natural Blackhead Busting Blackout Mask is the perfect natural remedy for blackheads and blemishes! Don’t be fooled by the simple ingredients — activated charcoal and bentonite clay help to keep skin clear by drawing gunk and oil from pores. Let’s take a closer look and get rid of blackheads once and for all…!
Can you see me?
There I am! Just letting this miracle mask sink in and work its magic (and secretly hoping my sweetie will come home soon so I can give him a little scare).
I’ve dubbed this mask the “Blackhead Busting Blackout” mask since 1) its ingredients gently draw gunk from pores and so help eliminate blackheads like no other, and 2) it’s as black as the night sky.
Or should I just say that it’s as black as charcoal (activated charcoal, to be specific), one of its main ingredients? I suppose that would make more sense.
So have you noticed charcoal skincare products popping up left and right recently?
Oh of course you have.
It’s definitely become quite (read: really really) trendy, but for good reason.
First things first, activated charcoal is NOT the same as regular ol’ BBQ charcoal!
Activated charcoal is made specifically for medicinal use and to be very porous.
These pores allow activated charcoal to trap impurities — why it’s used to treat poisonings and intestinal gas (fun fact!).
Activated charcoal is especially helpful when it comes to clogged pores and blackheads.
Because when applied to the skin, it acts like a magnet — drawing dirt, other gunk, and excess oil from your pores.
This Blackhead Busting Blackout Mask has become a cult classic among Body Unburdened readers.
So come, drink the Kool-Aid 😉
Because pair activated charcoal with bentonite clay and WOAH! Major blackhead banishing power couple.
Like activated charcoal, bentonite clay also draws dirt, oil, and other gunk from pores.
And let’s not forget the apple cider vinegar…
… which helps balance the skin’s pH or “acid mantle,” preventing blemish-causing bacteria from growing out of control.
DIY All-Natural Blackhead Busting Blackout Mask
Applying this mask one to two times a week can make a SERIOUS difference in the overall appearance of your skin — texture, pore size, blemishes.
So let’s get to it!
PrintDIY All-Natural Blackhead Busting Blackout Mask
This DIY All-Natural Blackhead Busting Blackout Mask is the perfect natural remedy for blackheads and blemishes! Don’t be fooled by the simple ingredients — activated charcoal and bentonite clay help to keep skin clear by drawing gunk and oil from pores. Let’s take a closer look and get rid of blackheads once and for all…!
- Yield: 1 application 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tsp bentonite clay
- 2 capsules of activated charcoal (opened and emptied) OR 1/4 tsp activated charcoal powder
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp water
Instructions
- Mix* all of the ingredients together into a smooth paste, and spot test the mask on your cheek or underside of your wrist to make sure that you do not have any adverse reactions (always an important step when trying a new product, even if it’s all-natural!).
- Wash your face with a mild cleanser and pat partially dry (so that it is not dripping wet, yet moist).
- Apply the mask evenly avoiding the delicate skin around your eyes and lips, and let sit until dry, about 7-10 minutes.
- As the mask dries, it will start to feel tight on the skin, which can sometimes feel a little itchy. If you start to feel uncomfortable, wash the mask off.
- After the mask dries, wash it off, pat your face gently with a clean towel, and apply an all-natural moisturizer.
Notes
*Be sure to stir this mixture with a plastic or wooden spoon, as both charcoal and clay pull toxins from metals. Also be sure to store your clay in a non-metal container.
TIP: Some readers have noted that after washing the mask off, some activated charcoal remains in their pores. Obviously, we don’t want this! So to avoid this, it’s best to gently exfoliate beforehand — preferably the night before so skin isn’t too irritated or raw before applying the mask. Otherwise, you can gently exfoliate after rinsing the mask off to remove any lingering activated charcoal. Applying a face oil afterwards also helps to loosen the activated charcoal and lift it from the pore (check out these best face oils by skin type).
Keywords: blackhead mask, homemade face mask, clay face mask
Not into DIY? No problem!
One of my favorite natural skincare and beauty lines Beautycounter sells a phenomenal mask with similar ingredients + others to keep skin smooth and clear — the Balancing Facial Mask.
And if you’re looking to get more activated charcoal goodness in your skincare routine, you’ll love this charcoal cleansing bar from Beautycounter. It helps to gently clarify skin without stripping it and is one of my favorites.
Are you a natural beauty junkie too!? Well you’re in the right place, my friend!
Hang around a bit and check out some of these other goodies I know your sweet little natural-beauty-loving heart will definitely enjoy!
- My Super Simple All-Natural Skincare & Beauty Routine
- The Best Face Oils by Skin Type
- The Top 10 Essential Oils for Skincare
- DIY All-Natural Clarifying & Toning Foaming Facewash
Yay, so glad to hear it! If you’re making it with water, no. If you’re doing ACV, possibly. But either way, I’d suggest just making it on an as-need basis to prevent bacteria growth (it’s not worth the risk).
So, this is my favorite diy mask I’ve found since transitioning to a all around healthier lifestyle. So, thank you for that! But, do you think this can be made ahead of time and stored in a jar, this way I don’t have to mix it every time? It creates such a mess with the ingredients flying everywhere, it’d be more convenient to have a jar of this fully mixed and ready to apply.
Wow, I have NEVER done any facials, never worn any makeup till today because I have extremely sensitive skin and I do not like exposing my body to chemicals. I just want to let you know that today, for the first time EVER, I have done my own DIY black mask facials and IT FEELS GREAT.
This really worked. I have recommended your site to other ladies at work and also to my sisters and cousins (about 13 of them). They curiously looking into this site and I know they will love it! Once again, thank you so much for all this. I don’t know why our health care practioners/physicians ever talk about this stuff with us. It just seems so important!
Truly,
Sonia
Hello Nadia,
Thank you so much for the lovely advice.
This is USEFUL information that I think everyone needs to know.
Please take the time to reply back to the emails I sent you last week.I do not wish to discuss things on this blog.
Thanks!
Joanna
I need your HELP!! My surprise party is coming up in four months and I need to fix my skin problems in a NATURAL way (i too believe in natural DIY methods like yoU! )
My skin problems:
1) Face is VERY OILY ( i have to wash it 2x per day). Most of it is oily skin, but I have a few areas (cheeks, forehead) that have dry, flaky skin!
2) I have taken Accutane pills for 6 months and my acne is back after 2 months! The accutane pills managed to get rid of 50% of my acne only.
3) I have atleast 2 new pimples daily and i have huge clogged pores. My skin is very sensitive! I can’t even put turmeric on my face too long, it starts stinging my face.
So, what to do about all this? any other ideas besides the black out mask?
I want to try your facial oil blend for oily skin/acne or can you recommend one special oil blend for me that will solve all the above problems?
You state the following on your site:
“*This is a 3% dilution”. What does that mean? I can’t simply just add the lavender and frankincense oils to the blend?
Last thing, I have sent you an email at your email address b/c I do not wish to ask certain questions on this blog, please take the time to reply. Thank you!
Joanna
My passions: DIY AND ORGANIC projects/stuff ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Activated charcoal and regular charcoal are two very different things.
instead of using the capsules of it cause i don’t want to buy them, could u not just take normal charcoal and like scrape some off and use it.
I stumbled upon your 5 Face Oils post while I was looking into using face oils on Pinterest. I invested in some jojoba and rose hip oil and haven’t looked back! I’ve done the blackout mask twice in the last week, following it up with the jojoba and rose hip oil, and my skin hasn’t felt better. I’ve always struggled with dry, flaky skin in patches on my face, and blackheads on my nose and chin. So far this change is working better than anything else I’ve tried!
I have really bad blackheads how many times a week should I do this?
Hi Nadia,
Excited about this mask! Just tried it tonight for the first time!
Do you simply rinse this off in the sink?
I had such a hard time rinsing it off. Not that it wasn’t coming off, (it was ..gradually) but it just took such a long time and I felt like I was wasting tons of water, “splash, splash splash, splash..just keep splashing..”. I eventually gave up and just took a bath to remove it all. I was afraid that if I didn’t some would be leftover in my hairline that could potentially stain my sheets.
It will be a lovely weekly evening ritual, I’m sure. Thanks for all you do!
So weird! I’m not quite sure what to think… I’d personally assume all charcoal should be black…? Perhaps the company says something about this on their website?
Hi! I’ve been really excited to try this mask. The activated charcoal I bought is organic and in vegetarian capsules. I just opened it up. …and they are white? !? Will they still work?
I believe it will! They’re probably different in some aspects (I don’t know much about it) but if it’s all you have…
Can’t wait to try this!! Would European clay powder work instead of the bentonite clay because that’s all I have? I’m not sure if anyone would know what European clay powder is good for (cause I don’t) but if anyone does that’d be helpful!
Bueno leí lo de los aceites pues yo me limpio la cara con el de almendras i me funciona
Plastics are typically more readily leached by liquid. As far as I understand, metal is the specific issue here (plus a lot of clays are sold in plastic jars so I would hope plastic would be a nonissue!).
Hi, I love your website. I stumbled on it yesterday after reading the ingredients on a really good anti-wrinkle cream. Yuck! So going to start making my own healthy cosmetics. I already have some oils and the black charcoal so I just need the bentonite. Just a quick thought about the plastic spoon. If charcoal can leach from metals they can leach BPA’s and other toxins from plastic. I mean water alone is doing this as recent research is showing, so I would stick to a wooden spoon or your finger since the petrochemical derivatives in plastic are hormone disruptors and will only make your skin react worse. Just an idea 🙂 ALso would love to hear your opinon of Calendula oil!
Regarding what kind of utensil to use – Dont u think charcoal/clay is more likely to pull toxins from plastic than metal?
Hi, Sophie Rose! OMG I have no idea how your lovely comment missed my radar but it just absolutely made my day! Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so happy to have you as a reader 🙂 Wishing you all the best as well.
Hey, Holly! I’d try mixing it with the honey, though the charcoal-clay combo is a real winner so I definitely suggest getting your hands on that. Enjoy 🙂