Top Reasons to Add Charcoal to Your Beauty Routine
Charcoal is a natural ingredient that is going to change your beauty game. A little bit goes a long way and has many great benefits for your skin and more. Activated charcoal is nature’s remedy to flush toxins and chemicals from the body. Understanding its many uses will give you the tools to use it efficiently in your wellness plan.
Clarification: activated charcoal is not the same as the charcoal in your barbecue. Those are actually full of toxins and chemicals and should not be used.
To achieve the best results it is imperative to drink a lot of water during the day. The suggested amount is 12-16 glassed per day but use your best judgment. The water helps flush all of the toxins, so it’s a necessary part of the process. Plus, charcoal can also cause dehydration. This is an important component keep in mind.
What is Activated Charcoal?
In simple terms, activated charcoal is a natural material that traps toxins and chemicals that are in the body and flushes them out so they are not reabsorbed. It doesn’t absorb the toxins. Rather, it uses the chemical process called absorption – where elements bind to a surface. Activated charcoal’s porous surface has a negative electric charge that causes positive-charged toxins to bind to it.
Choose a natural source of activated charcoal, such as coconut shells. The absorption properties make it a magnet for impurities, bacteria, sebum and oil that can cause issues.
Activated Charcoal Helps Purify the Skin and Boasts Antibacterial and Regenerative Properties.
Top Reasons to Add Charcoal to Your Beauty Routine
Whitens Teeth
The activated charcoal bonds to the things that stain teeth, such as coffeee, red wine or nicotine. It also scrubs off plaque and tartar leaving teeth whiter.
Treats Acne
Fights acne-causing germs by removing the impurities and reducing inflammation so the pores stay clean. Pulling the dirt from the pores keeps them cleaner and smaller.
The oils and sebum in the pores bond to the charcoal and are removed. Cleansers with charcoal are effective without being too astringent or abrasive to the skin.
Add Volume to Hair
Pulls out oil, dirt and toxins in hair just like it does for the skin. When hair has a lot of dirt in it then it feels weighted down. Regular shampoo isn’t as effective in this situation because it only removes surface dirt. The big difference you’ll see is activated charcoal does not leave a residue, so hair is lighter with more volume.
Alleviates Gas and Bloating
The gas-causing byproducts in food bind to the charcoal which helps alleviate gas and bloating symptoms. Charcoal relieves gas in the lower intestine because it binds to the acids that cause indigestion and bloating.
Few thoughts on the safety of charcoal – Be sure to follow the directions and don’t take if you are pregnant or suffer from liver or kidney conditions. That should be obvious but worth repeating. And remember not to take it near the same time you take other medications.
