So you’ve heard about using charcoal to whiten your teeth, fight blackheads, and acne, but is charcoal good for hair loss? Here’s everything you need to know about how to use activated charcoal on your hair and what changes to expect as a result of this effective home remedy.
Table of contents:
- What is Activated Charcoal?
- What are the benefits of activated charcoal for hair? Why use activated charcoal?
- How to Use Charcoal For Your Hair
- How to Find the Best Charcoal Products for Hair
What is Activated Charcoal?
Activated charcoal is a fine black powder that has been used for a variety of different purposes on the body and at home as a natural treatment. Activated charcoal is made from bone char, peat, petroleum coke, coconut shells, coal, olive pits, or sawdust -- but in a different manner from your BBQ charcoal.
Activated charcoal is processed at extremely high temperatures that cause the internal structure of the material to change and become extremely porous. The porous nature of activated charcoal acts like a magnet for all sorts of impurities, ranging from toxins to excess oils that are lurking in your hair and on your scalp.
What are the benefits of activated charcoal for hair? Why use activated charcoal?
Boosting hair growth
While using charcoal on your hair will not directly cause your hair to grow on its own, the overall benefits of using charcoal combined can indirectly promote faster hair growth. The average rate of hair growth is about half an inch per month, totaling about six inches a year. However, if your hair is damaged, weak, and brittle, it may grow less than that. By using activated charcoal hair care products, you can set the stage for a clean scalp and healthy hair growth.
Bouncy volume
If your hair ever feels heavy and weighed down, it’s likely because of product and grime build-up on your scalp. This is especially true if you have thin or fine hair, as the scalp is more visible. Although it can also affect those with curly or coarse hair, it’s just not as obvious with the thicker strands. Charcoal is able to absorb impurities that are weighing your hair down for a true deep detox. The end result is hair that feels lighter, bouncier, and overall healthier than it did before using charcoal.
Your hair feels cleaner
Sometimes, it seems that no matter how often you wash your hair, it doesn’t seem to feel or stay clean for very long. That’s because regular shampoos are generally able to remove a decent amount of dirt and oil on your scalp, but they can also leave things behind. This is especially true if you are using products formulated with mineral oil, petroleum, silicones, or polyquats. WOW Skin Science’s Charcoal and Keratin Shampoo features Activated Charcoal, a clarifying substance that doesn’t leave any waxy product build-up behind that can clog pores, affecting your scalp’s oil production and further weighing your hair down.
Scalp relief
If you struggle with an itchy or irritated scalp, using charcoal might be a good way to help relieve the itch. The porous nature of charcoal removes irritating toxins from your scalp to help eliminate the source of your discomfort. You can even combine activated charcoal with other scalp-soothing natural ingredients like castor oil, aloe vera, coconut oil, or antibacterial essential oils like tea tree oil, to boost the speed and extent of your relief.
Say bye to pesky flakes
Did you know that one in five people experience a flaky scalp? There are a variety of different treatments out there for flakes, but none will do it right until you understand what causes these flakes in the first place. Your itchiness could come from a red, irritated scalp from being too dry, or having a clogged scalp from too much build-up. If you’re suffering from itchy flakes, it may be from dandruff-causing fungi. One unexpected thing that you can use to fight flakes is actually charcoal! That’s because charcoal is able to soak up excess oils and quench dry skin that are common culprits of a flaky, irritated scalp.
How to Use Charcoal For Your Hair
How do you use charcoal powder on hair? Here are a few different ways that you can use charcoal in your hair. Experiment with all of them to find which one works the best for you!
Use charcoal formulated hair products, such as charcoal shampoo
This is probably the easiest way to incorporate charcoal into your hair care routine. This way, you don’t have to mess around with the messy black powder, while getting the benefits of additional actives and nourishing moisturizers! For example, WOW Skin Science’s activated charcoal shampoo, which is also formulated with keratin, sweet almond oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, and aloe vera extract is a holistic blend of detoxing and nourishing ingredients.
Apply activated charcoal directly to your hair with a hair mask
You can mix activated charcoal powder, which usually comes in capsules that you can open up, with aloe vera gel. Apply throughout your hair, let dry for 20 minutes, and shampoo thoroughly in the shower.
Combine activated charcoal with your existing hair products
If you’re looking to easily get the benefits of charcoal without buying any new products or dealing with any mess, you can easily combine activated charcoal with your existing shampoo or conditioner when you’re looking for a boost of detoxing power.
How to Find the Best Charcoal Products for Hair
The quality of ingredients matters to make sure your hair is getting the best treatment possible. Make sure that the product you’re using on your hair, whether it’s a charcoal shampoo or a charcoal hair mask, contains 100% pure activated charcoal.
Next, check the rest of the ingredients to make sure that they are all naturally based. Steer away from ingredients like sulfates, silicones, parabens, and phthalates that can counteract the positive effects of charcoal.
Finally, make sure to purchase from a specialized company like WOW Skin Science that is dedicated to producing vegan hair products that work as good as they feel!
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As you can see, the changes that you’ll notice in your hair from using charcoal really speak for themselves. Any hair type can benefit from a deep detox to remove build-up. In some way from incorporating charcoal into your regular hair care routine.
Once you find the right charcoal products from trusted companies like WOW Skin Science, you’ll be well on your way to achieving the hair you’ve always dreamed of!
Sources:
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