Since becoming a mama, I’ve been keeping my skincare routine as minimal and simple as possible to save on precious time, but now my little one is three years old I’ve managed to find a little more free time to spend on extra skincare treatments again! One of the most recent additions to my weekly skincare stash is the Green People Coconut Charcoal Purifying Face Mask* (kindly gifted, opinions entirely my own as always).
I’m sure you’re already familiar with Green People, but, just in case, they’re a lovely British brand founded over 20 years ago now. My whole family has used a fair few of their products over the years! They have a wide range of skincare and beauty products made with vegan, organic and natural ingredients (most certified with various independent bodies), with high standards when it comes to ethics and sustainability too.
The Coconut Charcoal Mask is one of the newer additions to the Green People product range and is made with 87% certified organic ingredients. It’s packaged in a recyclable glass jar and FSC cardboard box and also has an interesting low-waste element to the production process! One of the key ingredients is activated charcoal, which has been sustainably sourced as a by-product of coconut shells from other coconut-based products that would have otherwise gone to waste. Pretty cool, right?!
The activated charcoal in combination with bentonite clay has a purifying effect, absorbing toxins, excess oil and bacteria. Some of the other key ingredients are Alpine willow, to help balance oil production, and oat oil which is rich is ceramides to protect, nourish and moisturise the skin.
It’s designed to be a once per week treatment and a little really goes a long way. You just smooth an even layer over your face and leave for about 15 minutes. During this time you can feel it starting to dry and tighten over the skin. If you find the tightening feeling uncomfortable, you can always keep it from drying out completely with a spritz of toner or floral water.
I like to focus on my nose and forehead – for me I feel like that’s where it’s most effective. To remove, I use a damp organic muslin cloth which takes the product away with ease. Don’t panic if your lovely bright white cloth is now black with charcoal – it surprisingly washes out perfectly without any stains!
My skin has been a little more sensitive than usual lately, so I’m left with some mild redness after using this mask, but it soon calms down again after following up with the rest of my skincare routine. I’ve been using it weekly for about a month now. The result is visibly clearer pores, a brighter appearance and a smooth, matte texture to the skin. It absolutely does what it says in terms of deep cleansing and pulling out any residue stuck in the pores.
I rarely deal with breakouts, but I can imagine this face mask could be really beneficial for oily/combination spot-prone skin as it reduces any excess oil, leaving the skin more balanced. Going forward, I’ll be using this every couple of weeks or so to give my skin a deep clean. I can imagine it’s going to last the best part of a year considering you only need to use a small amount with each application!
You can find this Coconut Charcoal Purifying Face Mask for £21 on the Green People website if you’re interested in trying this product for yourself!
