HomeBeauty with HealthIs the Charcoal Trend Here to Stay?

Is the Charcoal Trend Here to Stay?

What’s behind all this popularity?

And is there any science to its effectiveness, or does it just make for attention-grabbing product pics on Insta?

Let’s dive into the science behind it, the difference between charcoal and activated charcoal, and the true effects it can have on your skin.

What Is Charcoal and What Does It Do?

Charcoal of the everyday grilling-out variety has been made by humans for somewhere around 30,000 years.

Fun fact: The name “Collier” refers back to early craftsmen who perfected the art of charcoal production by burying the wood in underground pits.

They were called “colliers.”

Charcoal is made by burning wood in a low oxygen environment until you end up with lumps of mostly pure carbon.

It can also be made from other materials such as coconut shells, petroleum products, and peat moss.

Weird fact: Chef Dan Barber of Hudson Valley restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, famously makes charcoal from animals bones, which he then cooks with.

Activated charcoal of the well-known hangover-curing, skin-clearing, teeth-whitening variety, is made differently from standard charcoal.

Activated charcoal is processed differently, at higher temps, which makes it more porous than regular charcoal.

From what I understand, the “activation” part of the process involves either steam or phosphoric acid, very high temps, and results in a char that’s more porous and therefore has a much greater surface area than regular charcoal.

This all should remove impurities and enhance its capacity to adsorb (not a typo…adsorb means compounds adhere to the surface of rather than being broken down and taken into another substance).

While the important quality of regular charcoal is its ability to burn for a long time at a high temp, the important quality of activated charcoal is its ability to adsorb toxins.

History tells us that the ancient Egyptians used charcoal back in 1500 BC for digestive troubles, and back in 400 BC the Phoenicians used activated charcoal to purify water.

That means activated charcoal’s reputation as a detox material goes back a very long time.

And it’s that reputation that makes it so popular today. Read more

Also read Kiss Back Acne Goodbye

Most Popular