Charcoal has been in the news a lot recently, hasn’t it? I remember seeing all those charcoal masks on facebook a few months back (didn’t they look painful!!) and I keep hearing about other charcoal products! Here are some reasons why activated charcoal is such a good tool to have and some different ways to use activated charcoal that I’ve heard about and a few that I use regularly!
There is a difference between regular charcoal that you cook with and the activated charcoal used in personal care products/household products. The activated charcoal is made especially for medicinal/household use. It is an substance that can remove dirt, absorb toxins, has antibacterial properties, reduces inflammation, and can brighten the skin. Amazing stuff, right?
First of all, I’ve been using charcoal capsules regularly (on an occasional basis) for years. They are perfect for stomach bugs, but I also use them when I get glutened! They work at neutralizing the poisons in your body and they work fast. .
Did you know that there are charcoal air fresheners? Moso Natural makes these bags with charcoal (from bamboo) in them that freshen the air naturally without chemicals! I haven’t tried them yet, but they are supposed to be good for removing allergens, odors, and harmful pollutants from the air. Amazing right?
Something else I’ve tried is a charcoal water filter! We have used the Pur water filter on our faucet for years, but it is annoying because the indicator light regularly goes out and you have to buy a new one or trust to your memory. I thought a big black piece of charcoal in my water was pretty strange, but why not try it? It makes my water taste amazing! I’m excited that it lasts 4 months too! I went ahead and bought another one for work, because its an easy way to filter water without plastic.
I’ve tried doing this by breaking open some charcoal capsules and putting them on my toothbrush, but I think I’m going to check out this pre-made toothpaste next time I order. Charcoal is amazing for getting stains out and whitening teeth and my teeth could certainly use it!
Finally, some more personal care products that I’ve been using since this spring: The Charcoal Trio from Lemongrass Spa! It is made up of a bar soap (with a wonderful lemongrass and spearmint smell!) a face mask, and a face scrub. They all use activated charcoal made from coconut! I used all of these regularly and they make a great addition to my face care routine to help me keep my acne at bay. I use as directed–with cold water. The charcoal opens up your pores and gets the toxins out of your system and you want your pores to close up (with cold water) instead of inviting the toxins back in again (with warm water). I love how smooth the face scrub and mask leave my skin and I’m excited that the mask is a creamy clay mask–not those scary peel off ones from facebook!
So it seems like charcoal has a lot of benefits–did you know about all of these? Which one do you think you would like to start using?
I need to look about this.