In present times, activated charcoal has become a very common word amongst people. Everybody is looking for some or other commodities based on activated charcoal in the form of supplements or finished goods. Amongst them, the cosmetics with the activated charcoal are most popular in the market. Each cosmetic manufacturer has at least one product category with activated charcoal may it be serum, mask, facewash, gel or be the powder activated charcoal for do it yourself cosmetics kit etc.
What is activated charcoal?
The odorless black fine powder is known as activated charcoal. The black carbon obtained after burning the peat, debris, coconut shell, dried leaves, bamboo etc are again processed with oxygen to make it porous to increase absorption properties. It is commonly used to remove toxins from the body. The ingestion or application of activated charcoal both are very helpful.
Usefulness of Activated charcoal
From ancient times charcoal has been used to remove toxins from the body. The active carbons are a common treatment to remove poison from your body. The negatively charged carbon bonds with the toxic substances. Humans cannot ingest activated charcoal and they are thrown out of the body along with toxic components in the system.
The application of activated charcoal also functions in a similar manner, it forms the bond with dead skin and peels it off to rejuvenate the skin. The microbial infection present in the skin or tanning substances are exfoliated along with activated charcoal to give you a fresh look.
Is all activated charcoal good for skin?
The Answer is No……
It is very important to know how the charcoal is made and what is charcoal? As I have mentioned in above section it is also important to know what substances were burnt off to get the carbon because if we go by definition of charcoal the all-debris peat etc that contain carbon and black fine dirt powder is known as activated charcoal but if the substances that were used to make to ashes are itself very toxic. Suppose, the roadside dump is burnt, processed, sieved, packed and sold off. Are they really very effective or good for the skin? The answer is No because there were half burnt plastics which reacted, metallic fusion and many more chemical changes happen so finally dust though justifies the definition of the activated charcoal but can be more dangerous than the acne causing bacteria on your face.
What should buyers look at while buying activated charcoal?
It is very important that the activated charcoal should be made with bamboo, coal, and coconut as they are most active and are toxic free and help to exfoliate the skin.
If you are buying activated charcoal powder the manufacturer always mentions the source of activated charcoal so you can easily know how effective your product is.
If you are buying a finished product containing activated charcoal, it is indeed very difficult to determine the source of charcoal used to make the finished product. So, I suggest following points.
1. Always prefer known brands compared to a new one
At Least they may be honest to protect their brand value.
2. The buyers should check the quantity added in the finished product.
It gives a clear idea about how effective the product is.
3. Colorful marketing should not be able to fool you.
The authentic result about the product can only be judged after use so look for the reviews before you jump to conclusion looking at packaging or glamorous advertisements.