Activated charcoal has long been administered in hospitals as an emergency treatment for poisoning. Today, people are using food grade activated charcoal internally to detox by adding it to juices and smoothies. And it doesn’t stop there. Activated charcoal is fast becoming the new “beauty essential” and the best part about it is, it’s all natural
What’s the secret?
Activated charcoal (a.k.a activated carbon) is usually derived through controlled charring of coconut shells, wood, or peat. What makes the carbon “activated” is the additional process it undergoes after it is exposed to an oxidizing gas, i.e air or steam, at extreme temperatures. This purifies the carbon and causes the formation of a large number of very small pores on its surface, which work as powerful microscopic traps.
How? Carbon is 100% alkaline and is spinning with electrons making the substance highly electrical. Carbon's negative ionic charge attracts positive ionic charges (of toxins and poisons) causing them to bind to its surface area. This process is otherwise known as ADSORPTION - that’s right, with a D.
Here are 3 ways to add a little black magic to your beauty routine:
1. Activated Charcoal Deep Cleansing Face Mask
Day to day, toxins from the environment work their way into our pores, clogging them and making them appear bigger. Now let’s face it, when your pores aren’t clear, neither is your complexion. When used in a face mask, activated charcoal extracts that stubborn dirt and oil out of your pores, chaperoning them to the surface. Once the mask is dry (after approximately 10 minutes) and then removed, your pores appear less visible and your complexion, clearer. Tadaaaah!
Ingredients:
1-2 tsp Organika Activated charcoal Powder_
3-5 drops of water
Note: I am recommending Organika’s Activated charcoal powder because it is ecologically sourced from Eastern US hardwood trees, 100% pure with no fillers and Non-GMO
Method:
- Blend the powder with the water in the palm of your hand or a small jar
- Apply evenly to face, avoiding contact with the eyes or mucous membranes
- Let sit for 10 minutes until dry
- Wash off with warm water
We recommend using this mask only 1-2 times per week to prevent your skin from becoming too dry and soaking up all the healthy oils and moisture your skin naturally produces to lubricate itself and hydrated.
2. Teeth Whitening
And it does! Activated charcoal can also be used to clean your, not so pearly whites. We know it sounds crazy; rubbing this inky black powder all over your teeth will, in fact, leave them whiter than they were before - Who are we kidding? Its natural adhesive qualities let it bind with surface-staining culprits like coffee, tea, wine, and plaque, adsorbing them (there’s that odd word again) in its pores like a magnet, leaving the area around it clean.
Method:
- 1. Mix ½ a tsp of Activated Charcoal with a few drops of water in a small container to create a thick paste.
- 2. Dip your toothbrush into the paste and brush your teeth for 1-2 minutes
- 3. Thoroughly rinse your mouth out with water
- Set a separate toothbrush aside to use solely for your activated charcoal paste
- Brush your teeth in the shower
- Separate the powder into several small pots and keep one in the shower, one by the sink and maybe even one in your purse so you are never without it, wherever you go!
3. Clean, Condition and Volumize Your Hair
That stubborn oil and dirt we mentioned earlier can also add undesired weight to your luscious locks and make your hair look dull and lifeless. Regular shampoos remove surface dirt, but activated charcoal will draw it out from the roots. And even more so, activated charcoal isn’t going to leave the sticky residue that regular shampoos often do, so your hair will feel lighter and have more va va voom!
Empty a capsule or add a teaspoon of activated charcoal powder to your regular shampoo and use as you normally would. If you have lighter hair, you may want to test a patch before you coat your whole hair and you may need to spend some extra time rinsing it out. There you have it. A three in one, all natural alternative to those chemically induced skin cleansers and toothpaste. This coal certainly isn’t the type to leave you disappointed at Christmas and we would say it’d definitely the new beauty “must have”.
*NOTE
Do not use any other form of charcoal besides activated charcoal orally or internally. Do not use charcoal remnants from a BBQ grill, charcoal briquettes, charcoal pencils or any other type of charcoal!