Toxic Free DIY Mini Series: One Ingredient Teeth Whitener
(by the way, please excuse the embarrassing photo of me… only for you my readers, only for you!)
Check out the little conversation the other day I had with Scott…
Me: “Hey babe, you should really do the charcoal again.”
Scott: “What.. are you saying my teeth are yellow?”
Me: “Well… yeah..”
Scott: “Thanks….”
We’ve all been there - or are still there - yellow teeth and all. And we can’t hide our teeth forever (and we certainly can’t stop drinking coffee or wine for heavens sakes…)
So what’s a guy or gal to do?
Surely not Crest White Strips. I mean, let’s face it, who wants to sit there for 30 minutes foaming out the mouth, trying not to swallow that toxic stuff, and borderline looking like a rabid raccoon or a excessively drooling dog… or a combination of both! Yikes. Who came up with that anyway? How is one supposed to sit with gel strips in the mouth without swallowing it?
And let’s just say you can manage the whole drooling, foaming thing… who really wants overly white teeth that almost look fake?
Not I.
So now what?
Lucky for you and I, there is something I want to share with you that is not-so-flattering to put on our teeth, that takes a maximum of 2-3 minutes and that gently whitens your teeth naturally.
Charcoal.
Ok, ok, I know you’re probably thinking, charcoal? As in, the black soot type stuff that is the result of burning wood?
Not that kind of charcoal (luckily.. can you imagine?). It’s called Activated Charcoal
(or activated carbon) and it literally is just charcoal that has been treated with gasses to purify it - hence, the name activated. The difference between the charcoal in your fireplace and activated charcoal is that this activated charcoal actually adsorbs things.Yes, you read that right, aDsorbs. What does adsorb mean? Adsorb means to gather on a surface in a condensed layer. Meaning, when you place activated charcoal on your teeth, it acts as a magnet to all the stains and holds it in it’s pores without damaging your teeth. It sucks all the bad stuff out and leaves the surrounding areas clean aka your teeth.
Pretty awesome right? What’s even more awesome is that it is extremely safe on your teeth, doesn’t scratch them and doesn’t remove the calcium salts from your teeth. Oh and it can actually help the pH and health of your mouth! Meaning, it is effective with preventing cavities and killing the bad bacteria that is present in tooth decay and gingivitis. (source).
Activated Charcoal Has Many Uses!
- digestive difficulties, i.e, vomiting or diarrhea
- bad breath
- cuts and wounds
- accidental poisoning, food or poison (emergency rooms carry activated charcoal to pull out toxins from the bloodstream)
- insect and snake bites
- reduce acne and improve skin
- in water filters
- air deodorizer (source)
Please keep mind that I do not recommend using activated charcoal every day because it can act as a mineral absorption blocker and should only be used when necessary. Also, if you are on any medications, activated charcoal
adsorbs/binds to them so it is wise to check with a practitioner before you use it.One Ingredient Teeth Whitener
I wish I would have taken a before picture of my husband’s teeth because the results on his teeth were dramatic! He is a serious wine and coffee drinker so those tannins (the stuff found in coffee, tea, wine) are pretty prevalent on his teeth. But I can show you a picture of what he looked like with the black almost squid-ink like stuff in his mouth. 🙂 Haha, I LOVE you Scott! (He’s such a sport)
Ingredients:
- Activated Charcoal (buy capsules here or powder here )
Directions:
- Cut capsule in half and dump powder on a small plate or in a cup (or place 1 tsp powder)
- Grab your toothbrush (I designate a specific toothbrush for when I whiten my teeth), wet it then dip in powder
- Gently massage the powder into your teeth and along your gum lines
- Once you’ve distributed the powder on all your teeth, let sit for 2 minutes
- Rinse well (amazingly all the black comes off and it leaves your teeth shining!)
- Watch your teeth glow naturally!
You can do this as many times as you’d like until you feel you’ve achieved the whiteness that suits your fancy.
Please note activated charcoal
WILL stain (it may even stain your sink) so it’s best to do this carefully over the sink. Or just wear something you don’t mind getting stainy.Although it is not pretty in looks, it’s actually pretty entertaining to do with your spouse and take ridiculous pictures like the one over to the left.
So click here
to buy the charcoal and get on that band wagon of whitening your teeth naturally with black powder!All your friends will be envious!
Until next time,
Loriel - Healthy Roots, Happy Soul
*Medical disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical professional. What I do is purely for research and/or personal/family use. I cannot be held responsible for improper use. Always seek advice from a medical professional if you have doubts. These claims have not been approved by the FDA (No kidding?!).
This post is part of: Real Food Wednesday
Awesome! I’m getting married in September and was just thinking about whitening my teeth. This saves me hours of googling and researching natural whitening methods! Just adds to my list of reasons why I need to get some activated charcoal.
Congratulations on the marriage! So happy this makes one less thing for you to worry about. 🙂
Don’t try this in your wedding gown. 😛
Yes.. *Don’t* try it in your wedding gown!!!
I have a porcelain crown on my front tooth, is this safe to use on the crown or will it stain?
I have a crown and do this and haven’t had any problems.
Thank you for sharing!! I actually bought some of that supposed-to-be-not-so-toxic tooth whitener. But I NEVER used it. It is still sitting in my medicine cabinet. I will now toss it and get and use this remedy!!!
Thank you again!
Great!!
I never knew about this….I will ask my doctor. Thanks.
Janet
Activated charcoal pills are also great for hangovers 😉 I’m going to run out and buy some and give it a try! I drink a lot of coffee as well so my teeth could use a whitening. If Dave does it with me I’ll have to send you some photos of us, hahah!
Scarlett, please send us photos if you do! I totally forgot to take before and after photos. Next time Scott does it, I will get him to let me take a photo of him.
lets see the after pictures!
I’ve also read that activated charcoal can be used to make all natural mascara. Now I won’t feel bad buying a whole bottle for just one thing. Thanks!
I LOVE THIS! I have drink a lot of coffee and it’s hard to keep my teeth from staining… I wish I would’ve seen this first because I think I tried 1,000 things before I finally found something that worked for me. If you’re interested in trying out what worked for me you can get the instructions here: http://www.weartostandout.com/blog/how-to-whiten-your-teeth and tell me what you think! xoxo, WearToStandOut
Tried this and was amazed at how well it worked!! Thanks for the info!
So happy it worked for you! I was thinking that I needed to totally do this again.. I’m definitely due.