Daiso Charcoal Mask | Stubborn blackheads be gone!

Have you heard of the Daiso Charcoal Mask? This charcoal face mask is effective in removing stubborn blackheads and other face impurities for a very low price.

The affordable charcoal mask, also known as BLAKhead Masque, Saizen Mask and Narakashiwa is available at Daiso stores worldwide. You can get a tube for $1 and you can find it online for $2 onwards.

Read on to find how-to-use instructions and user reviews for the Japanese charcoal mask.

Advantages of using this Japanese charcoal face mask.

First, a backgrounder. I am in my mid-30s but because I live in a tropical climate, my skin is a bit oily and blackheads accumulate around my nose once in a while. I keep seeing this product in the nearby Daiso (a Japanese discount chain store) and I've been wanting to use it for a while now so, after reading product reviews online, I finally decided to try it out.

The mask contains three items on its ingredient list: charcoal, water, and fragrance. Activated charcoal is a natural skin purifier, disinfectant, and oil absorber so a charcoal-infused face mask can leave your skin looking radiant and much smoother.

You can apply the Daiso charcoal mask on your whole face but for this review I used it on just my nose area like I would normally use a deep cleansing pore strip. As you can see in the before photo, my nose looked "bumpy" due to clogged pores and blackheads. After letting the mask dry for 15-20 minutes and then peeling it off, the skin on my nose is noticeably clearer. I noticed that blackheads and other foreign particles from my skin were stuck to the peeled-off mask which shows that it really works. It even removed the flaky dead skin cells on the sides of my nose so it now looks much cleaner and smoother.

Why I recommend the Daiso Charcoal Face Mask:

1. It contains charcoal which is known for its skin-cleansing and clarifying properties. The mask can definitely clear clogged pores and after using the product, my skin really did feel spanking clean.

2. It's very easy and fun to use. Just apply it, wait for it to harden into a paper-like consistency and peel it off.

3. At roughly $2 a tube, how can you not want to try it? While it's not as hard working as its more expensive counterparts, it can offer a quick and cheap skin care solution.

How to use the product and some additional notes.

How to use the Daiso Face Charcoal Mask

1. Cleanse face as usual and pat dry.

2. Apply a layer of charcoal face mask evenly all over face.

3. Ensure that eyebrows, eyes, and mouth do not come into contact with mask.

4. Wait for charcoal face mask to dry completely. You will know this when it's no longer sticky and skin feels tight.

6. Peel off the dried charcoal face mask. You will see immediate results (blackheads removed, pores cleaner, and skin feels smoother)!

7. Use once a week for best results.

Some additional notes:

1. It's very sticky so peeling it off can be a bit difficult. My advice is to apply an amount that's just enough to cover your skin's surface - don't layer it on thickly.

2. Steam your face before using this product to open up your pores. This way, the blackheads will easily go off with the mask.

3. If you have very sensitive skin, test the product on a small patch first to test for irritation and allergies.

4. After peeling off the mask, cleanse your face well with cold water to close up the pores.

5. Apply moisturizer as usual.

Youtube user meagainstnature87 gives us a comparative review of the Daiso Charcoal Facial Mask and Shills Purifying Peel Off Mask. In conclusion, she says the Daiso Mask definitely gets her vote since it has a better consistency and is much cheaper. Find out more by watching the video.

Here are Daiso charcoal mask reviews by bloggers. In some cases, before and after photos are shown. I've included snippets of their reviews, visit the pages to read more.

Thanks to this Stockpiled blog entry, we now know that the Daiso Charcoal Mask's name is actually Narakashiwa. As you see in the photo, the entry also provides us with the English translations for the Japanese characters on the product packaging.

Photo credit: Stockpiled