Currently Obsessed With: Charcoal & Clay

Image via Brambleberry

If you would have asked me a few of months ago what my thoughts on  ingesting charcoal and clay were, I would have flat out said you were crazy. When Shailene Woodley first came out to the press with her decidedly wild antics I originally just assumed it was just another “celebrity thing” to brush off. However, as the summer progressed into fall, I started seeing charcoal pop up more and more often on health blogs, websites, and shops.

I came across dozens of “before and after” photos that seemed to good to be true. From teeth whitening to facial masks and supplements, I researched and scanned articles tirelessly but couldn’t find the motivation to purchase any of these powders and concoctions for myself.

Then, with the introduction of wintery air and a lowered immune system, a (quite scary) chain of events occurred. First, my skin started breaking out everywhere. Mind you I am very diligent about my skincare routine – making sure my face is properly cleansed both morning and night – so when I noticed that the spots were getting out of control I doused my face in spot treatment nightly, only drying out my skin and irritating it further. This was no good.

SEE ALSO Can Honey Really Minimize Acne?

Then, as if the world was punishing me, I got a cold at the end of October. I thought: No big deal. With the change of seasons, this was to be expected. However, exactly one month later I got sick again. On top of this, my skin had only gotten worse and worse. I felt like a perpetually congested 16-year-old going through puberty. The reason for my body ‘s betrayal was beyond me. I workout 5-6 days a week, drink tea over coffee, eat a well-rounded vegan diet (that has been working for me for over 2 years), and practice good hygiene. I had hit my breaking point and was ready to try just about anything I could get my little mits on.

Image via Juice Generation

In comes charcoal (and don’t forget, clay). With Juice Generation releasing their Beauty Bombs on December 1st and having heard that the Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal mask would work wonders on my skin, I knew it was time for a major routine overhaul. The plan? Have Juice Generation Le Detox bentonite clay shots and an Activated Charcoal Lemonade Beauty Bombs daily for one full week. Both were said to work the best for skin clearing and detoxification. In addition, I applied the charcoal mask to my face at least 2-3 times a week.

The results? Incredible. Life-changing. I don’t even know what to say without it sounding like an exaggeration. First, it should be mentioned that neither Origins nor Juice Generation reached out to me first. I decided to embark upon this “Charcoal Detox Journey” (which is what I am calling it now) at my own whim, and I paid for everything out-of-pocket. Let’s just say that $10 juices and $5 shots daily is not cheap, but was it worth it? Yes.

My skin cleared up considerably after a week. There are still a few marks here and there, but no new bumps popped up which is what was most important to me. After all, there’s nothing a good concealer can’t cover up if it’s 2-dimensional, right? Not only that, but my boss recently commented to me that my teeth look a lot whiter. That sounds like a win to me.

It should be noted that I did feel a little bloated after drinking the Beauty Bombs, but I made sure to follow this up with drinking a lot more water than usual and the feeling would typically go away. Due to the nature of charcoal and clay, make sure that it is released through your system by pushing the fluids if you do decide to partake in a similar experiment.

SEE ALSO Clear Skin Diet: Eat to Glow

To get scientific with you for a minute, there’s a reason why charcoal and clay show such promising results, and it has to do with something called adsorption. No, that’s not a typo. Converse to absorption, adsorption refers to adhesion of molecules that can later be carried through and out of your system. By drinking charcoal you are essentially “irrigating” your gut to remove impurities, and guess what often directly affects facial acne? Your digestive system. By clearing that out, it can affect how clean and clear your skin is. In addition, by applying a charcoal mask I was able to do double duty and directly draw out underlying build up. I would definitely recommend he Origins mask, but there are a few other beauty products we would also try out. The clay shots and Beauty Bombs, however, are part of my permanent morning routine. A clay shot a day keeps the dermatologist away… I think.

Take a look below at a few charcoal products & supplements we would definitely recommend to anyone and everyone in addition to the products above. Christmas gift ideas, anyone?

1. Activated Charcoal Capsules $5.99

2. Activated Charcoal Powder $19.99

3. Lush Coalface Cleansing Charcoal Bar $13.95

4. Garnier Blackhead Eliminating Charcoal Scrub $7.99

5. Shamanuti Activated Charcoal Cleanser $36

6. Glamglow SuperMud Clearing Treatment $69

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Would you give charcoal or clay a shot?