Activated Charcoal in Cosmetics

Activated Charcoal has been used for centuries for purification and detoxification. Activated charcoal is basically a carbonaceous material that has been steam-activated to have more pores and more surface area. Higher surface area and vast pores of the carbon that is available can allow the toxins and other chemicals to bind by a process known as adsorption. This beautiful black powder acts like a chemical magnet to rid away whatever it touches of impurities and toxins.

Activated charcoal is the all new all-rounder beauty ingredient that can be used in multiple ways for skin, hair and health. Activated charcoal has tremendous skin and hair beautifying properties that makes it one of the best natural ingredients when it comes to skin and hair care. Hair fall, and stunted hair growth can be a due to a variety of reasons like clogged hair follicles, scalp infections, dandruff, clogged pores etc. Activated charcoal can help you get back the natural hair growth pattern, in fact even speed up the growth of your hair! Below is how you could use activated charcoal for extreme hair growth along with its benefits:

Our skin is a living organ, which has pores of its own. These pores, and the skin’s permeable membrane, allow chemicals and toxins to pass both into and out of your body. Acne has many possible causes, including blocked pores; dirt and bacteria on the skin’s surface; excess sebum, or oil; and poor diet. Applying activated charcoal to your skin, it’s claimed, will remove detritus from your skin’s surface and can even extract toxins from beneath the skin, according to Health 911. The antibacterial properties of charcoal can also help alleviate infections or keep them from happening.

Though we may not immediately associate charcoal with healthy skin or skin-care products, activated charcoal boasts beauty benefits for skin by drawing oil, dirt and other harmful substances from clogged pores due to its adsorption powers.

Activated charcoal draws bacteria, poisons, chemicals, dirt and other micro-particles to the surface of skin, helping you to achieve a flawless complexion and fight acne. Charcoal is not metabolized, adsorbed or absorbed by the body, but it can be used to treat some poisonous bites and disinfect some wounds. Activated charcoal powder is proven to adsorb thousands of times its own mass in harmful substances, which makes it a popular ingredient in facial masks.

Throughout the day, toxins from the world around us clog our pores. When skin pores aren’t clear, neither is the complexion. Activated charcoal’ when used in a face mask’ binds to and helps pull the dirt out of your pores, making them less visible (it’s the oil and dirt that makes them appear bigger).

Activated charcoal is a gentle exfoliant. It helps lightly scrape off dead cells from the surface of the skin. It also sucks out impurities of skin. All this reveals new young and glowing skin underneath. So, if you’re plagued with acne scars, dark spots, blemishes and hyperpigmentation, activated charcoal helps lighten your skin by gently exfoliating it.

It also has anti-inflammatory properties that heal blemishes, hyperpigmentation and discolored skin caused by inflammation. This also aids in skin lightening.

Activated charcoal also lightens underarms! It does this by gently but effectively removing the dark dead skin that’s covering your underarms. If used consistently, one will see the difference.