00:00Hey guys, it's me Anne and this is Beauty With Me.
00:02Activated charcoal may seem like an ingredient more fitting for a chemistry lab than your
00:06bathroom vanity, but if you've taken a peek into your local beauty store lately, you might
00:10have noticed that the ingredient is popping up in absolutely everything.
00:13While activated charcoal is by no means new, in fact it's been used for decades in hospitals
00:18as an emergency treatment for some types of poisoning, in the beauty industry it's a
00:22common ingredient known for its ability to absorb anything from oil to dirt to micro
00:26particles on the surface of the skin.
00:28So I did some digging, I found 10 products that all feature charcoal, I'm going to use
00:31them all this week, doing an entirely charcoal infused hair care and skin care routine, and
00:36I will check back in with you in a week to let you know my thoughts.
00:39But before we get started, I just want to say a huge thank you to Herbal Essences for partnering
00:43with me on this video.
00:44Alright, so I am back, it's been 7 days of me using only charcoal infused hair care and
00:49skin care products, and I gotta say, I actually really enjoyed this experience.
00:53So first things first, shampoo and conditioner.
00:55I went to Walmart to do some shopping for this video, and I got these two items.
00:58They're part of the Herbal Essences Detox and Replenish Charcoal Collection.
01:02As you guys know, my hair is color treated, so I don't wash my hair very often, it's usually
01:06like maximum twice a week.
01:08So I always look for a shampoo and conditioner duo that's hydrating but very clarifying.
01:15Surprisingly, this shampoo comes out pretty clear with just a few little flecks of charcoal
01:20in it.
01:21And like a charcoal mask would like absorb the oil, the dirt, the grime from your skin,
01:27the shampoo does the same thing for your scalp.
01:28Next up is this conditioner, which I really, really like.
01:33It's silicone free, which is not very common for conditioners.
01:37But it still leaves my hair feeling super silky smooth like instantly.
01:42This is my hair air dried, and I'm very, very happy with it.
01:45Like I didn't have to put new products in it at all, I just got out of the shower, scrunched
01:49a little bit, let it air dry, and this is what I'm going with.
01:52So while I'm in the shower, I used this First Aid Beauty Acne Clearing Charcoal Cleanser,
01:59which obviously has the charcoal to absorb oil, but also has salicylic acid in it to help
02:03like fight that stubborn acne.
02:05It's a little bit on the dry side, so I think in the summer when my skin is very oily,
02:09I'll
02:10definitely keep using it.
02:11But in the fall and the winter, I'll probably switch to something a little bit more on the
02:14hydrating side.
02:15So the sponge that I used with the cleanser was this charcoal-infused contact sponge.
02:20Now a contact sponge is like a plant-based sponge that you wet with water, kind of expand,
02:25and then you use it to exfoliate your skin.
02:27You can use it with a cleanser, or you can just use it with water, which I also did this
02:31week.
02:31It's nice, it's a very gentle exfoliant.
02:33Next up, soap.
02:35So I've been using the Yes to Tomatoes Charcoal Soap.
02:38I'm a bar soap gal, I like bar soap, I think they last longer.
02:41So I really enjoyed this one.
02:43For the time that this soap is on your body, I don't think it really has enough time for the
02:47charcoal to really work its absorbing power, but in terms of being a good soap, it's definitely
02:52a good soap.
02:52So I like to mask once to twice a week, and instead of buying a mask this week, I decided
02:57to make one from scratch.
02:58I made a mask that's super easy to make, just involves five ingredients.
03:03Water, activated charcoal, honey, bentonite clay, and tea tree oil.
03:07So most of these ingredients are really easy to get a hold of, either at your local grocery
03:10store or at the drugstore.
03:12This one is the clay that I use, it's the Aztec Secret Healing Clay, I just got this
03:15one online.
03:17And the activated charcoal is also easy to find online as well.
03:21This one was really nice, it's super easy to make, you just throw all the ingredients
03:25in together, mix it up, add as much or as little water as you want, depending on the
03:30consistency that you want your mask to be.
03:32If you go a little bit overboard with the water like I did, you can add a little bit more
03:35clay
03:36just to thicken it up.
03:39The activated charcoal combined with the clay really clears out your pores while the honey
03:43hydrates and the tea tree oil cleanses thanks to its antibacterial properties.
03:47On to toothpaste.
03:49Now adding activated charcoal to toothpaste is a really popular method for teeth whitening.
03:55There are a bunch of charcoal toothpaste on the market, but I decided to go the DIY route
03:59since I already had activated charcoal by simply dipping my toothpaste directly into the charcoal
04:04and brushing away.
04:05Activated charcoal is abrasive, so it's great at buffing away surface stains.
04:09However, if you overuse it, it can actually erode the enamel on your teeth, so I'd be careful
04:13how often you use it.
04:15I'd stick to once every two to three weeks to be safe.
04:17Next up is toner.
04:19Now a lot of facial mists are designed to make your skin look dewy, and this one does quite
04:24the opposite actually.
04:25It has sea clay in it, it has charcoal in it to refine your pore size and keep your skin
04:30looking pretty matte.
04:31It's very gentle, but it definitely leaves my skin feeling smooth, and it also isn't
04:36too stripping.
04:37It actually has aloe vera juice in it, so it's actually very soothing and slightly hydrating
04:40as well.
04:41The next step is moisturizer.
04:43It seems kind of counterintuitive to put an oil-absorbing product into something that's
04:47designed to hydrate, but the Derma E moisturizer makes it work.
04:51It has a very liquidy, gel-like texture.
04:56You actually do have to rub it in quite a bit to get rid of the gray kind of cast
05:01it
05:01leaves.
05:02And then it absorbs quickly, but it does leave a slight kind of tacky texture to your skin,
05:08so that's definitely something to note.
05:09This moisturizer definitely gives me enough moisture in the summertime, but come fall and
05:13winter, I think I'm going to switch something a little bit richer.
05:15Body lotion time, and I really like this stuff.
05:19As you can see, it is absolutely enormous.
05:22It also smells really nice.
05:25It has rose oil in it, so it has this beautiful floral scent, and it absorbs really, really
05:30quickly.
05:31I don't really know if I can detect much of the charcoal as I'm wearing it.
05:36It's possible that the charcoal in the product is what makes it absorb so quickly.
05:40It's a good one.
05:41And last but not least, deodorant.
05:44We are in the thick of summertime right now.
05:47It's been very hot.
05:47It's been very humid.
05:48I've been sweating a lot.
05:50So the deodorant that I've been using this week is the Native deodorant.
05:53It's paraben-free, aluminum-free, and of course, infused with charcoal, which if you
05:56think about it, is a brilliant use of the ingredient because it absorbs oil and odor and all that
06:01nasty stuff.
06:02It does a good job of controlling odor.
06:04It smells really good and fresh.
06:06What I will say, though, is that it does tend to peel just a little bit, which is very
06:09common in my experience with natural deodorants like this.
06:12So I would just put it on before you put your clothes on, soaks in, and then you're pretty
06:16much good to go for the rest of the day.
06:17And that is it, guys.
06:19That was a lot of product.
06:20I hope you stuck it out here with me.
06:22But thank you guys so much for watching, and I will see you guys next week.
06:26Bye!
