All About Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal is a buzz word these days! You can't step into a health and beauty store without hearing about the detoxifying effects of activated charcoal. But what exactly is activated charcoal?

Activated charcoal is actually the byproduct of burning some type of carbon source like wood, bamboo or coconut shells. The charcoal is considered “activated” by a high temperature steam activation process, resulting in a highly adsorbent (not to be confused with absorbent) material with millions of tiny pores that capture, bind, and remove poisons, heavy metals, chemicals, toxins and even intestinal gases from your body. It is important to know that activated charcoal is not the same thing as charcoal made for your grill or charred wood from your campfire. Please don’t try to substitute or make your own! True activated charcoal is odorless, tasteless, and nontoxic.

How can you go wrong with activated charcoal? Well, you really can't. Activated charcoal has been used for healing and detoxifying by traditional healers for thousands of years. Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine used this sooty, jet-black powder for thousands of years. (Its first recorded use dates back to 1550 BC.). Repeated exposure to toxins from environmental pollutants can cause cellular damage, allergic reactions, compromised immunity, and can rapidly advance the signs of aging. Regular use of activated charcoal can remove unwanted toxins from your skin and body leaving it soft, vibrant and thoroughly cleansed. 

As a registered nurse of 25 years I can attest to the binding and cleansing power of activated charcoal. Many overdose victims are given charcoal upon arrival to the ER. This charcoal adsorbs to most organic chemicals, many inorganic chemicals, drugs, pesticides, mercury, and even lead before they can harm your body. Bio-hacking at its finest! It has proven successful time and time again! As a nurse and general health nerd, I have learned that no matter how hard you try to eat healthy and do all the right things our environment is inescapable and it is full of toxic chemicals! You cannot escape the toxic fumes of automobiles, jet planes, pesticides, heck even the rain that lands softly on your sweet face during a blissful spring rain shower is loaded with toxic chemicals. 

While many folks take charcoal internally (this is a topic for an entire second blog post) today I want to talk about our activated charcoal face and body soaps! These black beauties are powerhouses when it comes to cleansing and detoxifying. Activated charcoal is very effective at removing bacteria, chemicals, dirt, and build-up on the skin making it a natural choice for me in my detoxifying facial and body bars! Activated charcoal is fantastic for oily skin. Its ability to absorb oil and dirt from pores leaves skin feeling balanced. If you have dry skin, activated charcoal may be a little bit too drying so I recommend using the bar every other day to determine how it will work for your skin type! In addition to the skin benefits, charcoal gives our products a beautiful black color. Charcoal can create a gray lather and transfer color to a washcloth so I always recommend using grey or black washcloth when using charcoal soaps! If you have found yourself struggling with skin issues and would like further detoxification try one today! You can find our activated charcoal soaps here.  Please feel free to reach out to me should you have any questions or concerns as step into your charcoal soap cleansing routine! Here's to healthy skin!

Let's chat soon.....

Sonya

Disclaimer: I hope you have found my blog useful and helpful. I am a professional registered nurse of 23 years and my blog posts are intended for informational and educational purposes only. They should not be seen as health, nutritional or medical advice. I am not a doctor nor have I ever played one on TV. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. I recommend checking with your doctor before beginning any new treatment as I am unaware of your entire medical history.

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