Activated charcoal is fantastic for dealing with all sorts of health ailments, or just improving how you feel. In this article, we will cover some of the more common uses of activated charcoal when it comes to improving health or your overall appearance.
Relieving Bloating or Gas
There are several conditions which can cause severe bloating or gas in a person. Some people are also more prone to bloating or gas when they consume certain foods.
If you are looking to relieve gas or bloating, then you should consume activated charcoal in a tablet form. You do not need much of it. Some people will also make an activated charcoal drink that they drink alongside their meal.
It is important to note that you should always drink a lot of water when you are consuming activated charcoal to relieve gas or bloating. If you do not, you will be running the risk of constipation.
You should only take activated charcoal if you need it. If you find that you need to consume the activated charcoal daily in order to relieve bloating or gas, you should talk to your doctor as there could be a serious health issue at play.
Whitening Your Teeth
This does not necessarily improve your overall health, but it will make you feel better about your appearance. You can use activated charcoal just like toothpaste, except you must be sure to brush very very gently! Use your toothpaste first. Wait an hour, then use the activated charcoal. The activated charcoal will bind to the plaque on your teeth. It should then be easy to wipe clean. Use your toothpaste again shortly after this to ensure that you manage to scrub away every last piece of activated charcoal otherwise your teeth will end up looking very black!
Purify Your Face (dealing with acne, making your skin look more youthful etc.)
Activated charcoal can pull some of the awful toxins away from your face. This will help to alleviate the symptoms of acne, as well as ensure that your face looks cleaner overall.
To purify your face, you will need to make an activated charcoal mask. In order to do this you will need the following:
- 5mg of activated charcoal
- Water
- Teaspoon of aloe gel
Mix all these ingredients together until a paste has been formed. You can then apply this paste, in a very thin layer, to your skin. Leave it in place for up to 10 minutes. Make sure that you rinse it all off. You can use this solution once per day.
Detoxify Your Hair
If your hair is looking a little worse for wear, then you can use activated charcoal to remove some of the impurities.
In order to do this, add a teaspoon of activated charcoal powder to the shampoo that you are using to clean your hair. You will need to add this to the shampoo that you have in your hand before you apply the shampoo to your hair. Basically, you will be using a teaspoon of activated charcoal every time you clean your hair.
If you have lighter colored hair, then it is likely that you will need to give your hair an additional clean at the end of it to ensure that every remnant of the activated charcoal is removed from it.
Body Scrub
A body scrub is fantastic for removing impurities from your skin. You can use this in much the same way as you use a face mask. This means that the body scrub is ideal for dealing with acne and other skin complaints. We have put together a guide elsewhere on this website which gives you information on producing a body scrub. We suggest that you check it out.
Detox
Many people use activated charcoal as part of a detox.
Activated charcoal is fantastic as part of a detox due to the way in which toxins in your body will naturally be attracted to it. It will absorb these toxins and escort them out of your body. While you could feasibly use activated charcoal in powdered form and consume a teaspoon of that per day, it is not necessarily going to be that good for your taste buds. Instead, it is suggested that you mix your activated charcoal into a detox drink and consume it like that. You will find the recipe for a fantastic detox drink elsewhere on this website.
It is important to note that there is some research which indicates that it is best to consume the activated charcoal ‘raw’ when you are going through a detox. Basically, if you mix it up in a drink, it may remove some of the nutrients from the drink as activated charcoal will naturally absorb the other ingredients, including many nutrients. This means that you are not getting the full health benefits of the other ingredients. So, if you are going to be drinking your activated charcoal during a detox, then you will want to ensure that you are getting enough nutrients into your diet in other ways. This will ensure that the use of the activated charcoal is not going to be detrimental to your health. After all, there is no sense going through a detox if you are not going to be giving your body what it needs to thrive.
It is important to note that while many people have noticed the benefits of using activated charcoal, you should be careful when you consume it, ensuring to not over consume and also, like anything, you can’t expect it to always work for you. While there are very few side-effects, if any, you should not eat activated charcoal if you are taking certain medications without consulting your doctor.
