Why Charcoal Is Now a Thing and 4 Beauty Products You’ll Love

I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram while decompressing from a long day when I stumbled upon videos of women brushing their teeth with a black substance. Instantly, my thumb stopped swiping up and my eyebrows cinched together. “Weird,” I thought. But I kept watching, naturally. 10 seconds later, the same woman had pearly white teeth.

In case this is new to you too, I’ll give you a quick background. People are using charcoal for more than stuffing stockings and grilling burgers. Apparently, it’s a hit beauty product ingredient, and it’s used in several different ways. But I’ll get to that a little later on.

What’s so great about charcoal?

I wondered the same thing. I did a little research and found that activated charcoal is claimed to have the ability to pull out impurities, toxins, and pollutants from your body. In fact, an article in Allure states that activated charcoal has, “been used in hospital emergency rooms for years to treat alcohol poisoning and drug overdoses. It works by attaching to toxins in the stomach and absorbing them before the bloodstream can. The theory behind including activated charcoal in beauty products is similar: It’ll act like a magnet to attract and absorb dirt and oil.”

How can I use it?

Activated Charcoal is a key ingredient to a variety of products—face masks, hand wash, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. I’m beginning to feel like there’s no limit to its uses. So, here are a few products I’ve found that are widely recommended.

Face Mask

This Luminizing Black Charcoal Mask by Boscia is dubbed a fan favorite. Not only does it remove blackheads and dirt, but it’s also known for unveiling a noticeably softer face post-peel. Plus, reviewers wrote that it reduced the look of their pores while leaving a glowy finish.

Shampoo

On The Rocks Clarifying Charcoal Shampoo by Drybar will give you the “Cleanest. Hair. Ever.” The activated charcoal works to absorb and remove product buildup and impurities without damaging, stripping, or drying out your hair. It claims to be great for all hair types, and can even be used on chemically treated or damaged hair.

Hand Cleanser

Similar to the shampoo, this Organic Charcoal Hand Wash by Babe is formulated to cleanse and purify your hands without leaving them dry. I didn’t see one negative review on their site, and buyers noted that not only did they love the product, but that Babe has fantastic customer service to boot.

Teeth Whitener

Blended with 100% pure therapeutic grade peppermint essential oil and Active Charcoal from coconut, Briut Essentials Charcoal Toothpaste is formulated with the purpose of giving you an all-natural, gentle, non-abrasive paste. It’s both cleansing and whitening, and a great way to avoid commercial whiteners that may not be as safe and gentle.

Although it might seem counterintuitive to rub black product all over your face, hair, hands, and teeth to make them clean and bright—that’s the common theme I found among all the product claims and reviews. So, who knows, you might just be scrolling through Instagram and stumble across a video of me brushing my teeth with charcoal. Maybe.

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