Activated charcoal (AC) is all the rave right now and deservedly so too. I only got to know about it last year and I really haven’t lived without it ever since. I call it my ‘Dark Knight’ because it isn’t just for barbecues! It’s also a major player in the health and beauty industries, ‘multi-purposely’ slaying with its teeth whitening properties, detoxifying, and pore clearing facial cleansers and masks, and so much more. AC is also available in capsule form and is excellent to treat diarrhoea, bloating and even some forms of poisoning.
Related: Shop Shea Origin Charcoal Cleansing Bar, CocoTerra Charcoal detox, Airongsie Deep Cleansing Black Purifying Peel Off Mask and Bamboo Natural AC Toothpaste HERE
AC is basically charcoal that has been oxidized (combined chemically with oxygen) at a very high temperature, stripped of all its non-carbon elements, leaving it very porous with a significantly increased surface area, ready to pretty much suck in anything it comes in contact with. I’d recommend for medicine and beauty cabinets in every home, but as always keep out of the reach of children.
For this post, we’ll be concentrating on activated charcoal and its use in oral health and teeth whitening. It is believed that “no substance removes acidic plaque from the teeth like Carbon. It will clean your teeth amazingly well, and is also tough on stains (especially stains from coffee and red wine drinking).”
Related: Shop from Nkataa’s range of Oral Care products HERE
After learning about this, I started brushing my teeth with AC in January hoping for whiter teeth (on a budget of course!) and boiii it didn’t disappoint hence we’re still waxing strong till date. What I do is apply my toothpaste to my brush as normal, then dip the toothpaste in my little jar of AC and brush my teeth. But just know that your bathroom sink will be stained black, but the good thing is it washes off easily anyway (and maybe even makes the white sink whiter!)
Even better, I recently discovered charcoal toothpaste and let me just say that if you’re not up for the stress of sticking the toothbrush in AC and cleaning your bathroom sink every day, then this one is definitely for you. I love it not just because it cuts out the stress of dipping my brush in a jar and having to clean my bathroom sink every day but also because it gives me the same amazing results. The charcoal toothpaste is basically toothpaste mixed with AC (aka easy life). It has the same highly absorptive capacity, which will basically clean out stains on your teeth, whitening them and eliminating any mouth odours without hurting your enamel.
I usually brush my teeth for about two to three minutes, twice a day and afterwards my mouth looks and feels unbelievably clean! With constant, religious use, it is normal to begin to see results. If you have been using activated charcoal for any reason, especially to improve your oral health, please weigh in with your experiences! I’m personally obsessed & will never go back from using natural activated charcoal to fluoride kinds of toothpaste to brush my teeth again!
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