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I Tried Using Activated Charcoal to Whiten My Teeth...

...and here's what happened.

21 March, 2018
I Tried Using Activated Charcoal to Whiten My Teeth...

Ahh beauty fads! They seem to get weirder by the minute these days. Just when you think you have heard them all, they come up with a strange new DIY tip that leaves you saying, wait,what?

Having recently heard of activated charcoal being the new wiz of health supplements, good for anything from bloating, detoxing to hangover remedy, I recently came across an article that claimed that brushing your teeth with it can help make them visibly whiter, without bleaching or a trip to the dentist. Intrigued, but not entirely convinced, I decided to end the year in the spirit of nothing ventured nothing gained and took the the all knowing internet for answers.

Here's what I learned:

Activated charcoal is a highly absorbent substance. It removes toxins when they adhere to the surface of the charcoal. Research and studies by some dental associations showed that it actually helped to change the PH health of the mouth as well as take away stains by binding with organic compounds. Even though the pictures of people doing it look scary AF, it is also safe to ingest, having been used as a supplement.

Here's what I watched : A bunch of YouTube and Instagram videos from beauty DIY vlogger, Farah Dhukai to random tests got me a little worried as I was looking at jet black mouths full of black teeth (ewww!)

[instagram ]https://www.instagram.com/p/BYDewEOFyWn/?hl=en&tagged=charcoalteethwhitening" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

However, most videos assured that the black does not stain, so I decided to take the plunge and ordered some capsules off the Internet.

Here's what I did:

The method I tried involved opening up activated charcoal tablets and using the powder inside. I believe you can order tooth powder and charcoal pastes, but I decided to go the true DIY way.

Dipping a clean, wet toothbrush into the powder from the capsule I split open, I leaned into my sink to avoid a mess and put the powder filled toothbrush in my mouth, brushing in small, gentle circles for two mins.

I left the black residue coating my teeth for another two minutes before rinsing it out thoroughly. To my surprise, it washed off from my mouth quite easily ( my white sink, not so much).

And voila! my teeth looked whiter, shinier and squeaky clean!

Apart from the discomfort of 4-5 minutes, it was more or less effortless.

The verdict:

I'm still to see how long the results last, but as of now, this DIY trick is the real deal, guys!

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