I know you've seen the videos. You know, those videos of people with a black face mask on, only to have them peel it off seconds later and express how incredibly painful it is? Yeah, those ones. Well, I tried a black charcoal face mask for myself- here's how it worked.
I tried the Zenix Purifying Peel Off Black Mask, and luckily it wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be. After showering, I applied the mask to my T-Zone and chin because those are the only places I really feel like needed a little extra TLC. The product itself is like a really thick paste, so it's imperative to make sure that you apply it thinly and evenly to regulate the drying time. The first time I used it, I applied it way too thick- making it take about 45 minutes to completely dry down. Ain't nobody got time for that. Moving on, I went about the rest of my routine. By the time I was done applying products to my hair and getting dressed the mask had dried down and was ready to remove. If applied correctly, it shouldn't take much longer than 25 minutes.
I will say, however, the first couple times using this product it did have a burning sensation. The first time using it, the burning sensation was very prominent- so prominent that I got worried and removed it with warm water before it could even dry down. There was no redness or irritation, so upon the next use I decided to deal with the tingles in hopes that it was no big deal and the mask was just doing it's job and luckily that's all it was. So if you begin using this product and the first few times you're caught off guard by some strong sensations, roll with it unless it's unbearable. Also, if you have sensitive skin, it's always a good idea to do a test patch to make sure your skin wont have a negative reaction to the product.
Results wise, I think I was a bad test subject. After peeling off the mask I didn't notice that much was extracted from my skin. Now I'm not sure if it's because I genuinely didn't have that much to remove, or if the mask just failed to do so. However, it definitely left my skin feeling noticeably softer than it was prior to using the mask, which is always nice. Because the mask was focused primarily on my T-Zone, removing it was not that painful. Moving onto the second time I applied the mask, I applied it to my entire face- now that was a little more tough to remove. Hair and face masks generally don't get along well- so all the little 'peach fuzz' we have on our cheeks (or really, on most of our face) gets tugged on and pulled out by the mask, resulting in those crazy videos of people freaking out whilst trying to remove black masks.
All in all, it's a good product. You'll feel a noticeable difference in your skin and it's a nice way to pamper yourself once or twice a week.