The Benefits of Activated Charcoal for Acne Prone Skin

I grew up in Jamaica with men around me like my grandfather who burned wood to make coal, but this is not the same thing as activated charcoal. Activated charcoal is made of wood, bamboo, coconut shells or coal that have been burned at a very high temperature creating a "activated" or purer carbon form that is more porous and has a greater surface area than charcoal. 

 For centuries, activated charcoal has been used to aid in the relief of many ailments, but most notable and still to this day is the treatment of poisoning. When digested, activated charcoal adsorbs (not absorb) the toxins in the gut preventing it from being absorbed into the body. Since the body cannot absorb activated charcoal, it is eliminated through bowel movements. In 1813 French Chemist Michel Bertrand demonstrated this by ingesting about 5 grams (way over the lethal dosage) of arsenic and survived because he also consumed activated charcoal. This is not a theory I want to dispute so I will take his experience/word for it. I guess no animal was hurt in his clinical trial. Bahahaa.

Activate Charcoal vs Acne

 There aren't many clinical studies on the effectiveness of activated charcoal in skincare (yet or at least not available to the public). The use of activated charcoal (ac) in skincare although popular in the beauty/hygiene industry, is a fairly new "mainstream" topic compared to the treatment of poison going back centuries or ac in the use of water filtration. I'm sure someone out there can tell stories of their grandmother or great grand who used to make ac skin masks or some concoction that helped with their skincare or hygiene regiment.

However, there are ways to get around this by looking at clinical studies with similar issues. This clinical study looked at the effectiveness of the wound dressing cloth Zorflex, which is composed of activated carbon aka activated charcoal. The cloth attracts and binds bacteria to its surface when placed on the wound of a patient. Prior to the use of this wound dressing cloth, patients in the clinical trial kept experiencing infections with other wound dressing cloths composed of silver or iodine.  Here is a similar clinical study with the same wound healing results after using ac. 

I bring up these clinical studies because one of the causes of acne is bacteria on the skin and a result of having acne are "wounds" when a pimple is popped or erupts. AC has the ability to adsorb and remove the bacteria on the surface of our skin to help with the prevention of further breakouts. AC can also help keep that "open wound" protected until it heals with the continuous use of a cleanser containing activated charcoal like my Charcoal Aloe Vera bar soap. So back to this adsorption vs absorption. Bacteria isn't absorbed by ac, but instead clings on to its surface (adsorb) like someone enjoying a joy ride.

Ride free sister, ride free. 

While doing research for this blog post, I also took a look at the use of activated carbon and how it is used in the adsorption of oil spills.  There are several studies on this subject that you can find online, some I have linked below. Many who deal with acne often have an excess of oil production on their face and/or body. As seen in these studies and by the very properties of ac, it has the ability to adsorb oil.  Activated charcoal aka activated carbon has a high degree of micro-porosity. Meaning one gram of activated carbon has a surface area in excess of 32,000 sq ft (that's almost the size of a football field). Translation, a small amount of ac as the surface space to adsorb a whole lot of toxins or oil.  So instead of one person joy riding on top of a car, more people can fit like; your best friend, her aunty and aunty's best friend, and the owner of the corner store, and his second cousin, and their nana....you get the point.

So to wrap up this hopefully not too long blog post. Although there may not be  many clinical studies on ac's ability to combat acne, but with some common sense and digging we can look at its properties over all and see how it is currently having effective results in combating the havoc caused by naughty bacteria in other areas dealing with our skin. Plus there are so many testimonials of people who have had exceptional results using skincare products containing ac.

I started dealing with acne breakouts when I was in my very early 20's, young, single and free. Then old hating acne had to show up. It didn't happen when I was going through puberty, oh no, you had to show up when I was trying to live my best life. Sorry, I got caught up in my feelings, but I am back now.

 My Acne Fighting Routine

This is my routine for dealing with my acne and what many of my customers also use. My daily cleanser is my Charcoal Aloe Vera bar soap also made with tea tree essential oil (a antibacterial/anti-inflammatory/anti-fungal BEAST). I first wash my face using this soap with warm water, then rinsing it off. While my face is still wet, I apply 3 squirts of my Herbal Face Oil and rub it all over my face. I then use an exfoliating cotton pad to wipe away the water and oil mixture making sure that I wipe along my hair line (where I usually breakout). I find that doing this really gives my skin a thorough, but gently clean. The oil provides slip and the raised surface on the exfoliating cotton pads does a great job grabbing any dirt still left on my skin.  Then I reapply my Herbal Face Oil (about 3 to 4 squirts) to my skin and go about my merry way. 

I made this oil serum with skin loving ingredients that won't clog the pores.  Oils like organic jojoba and grapeseed oils and infused herbs like lavender (anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory), chamomile (for its calming properties to the skin and spirit), calendula for its ability to heal wounds quickly which is especially important for acne breakouts. Although I formulated it for those who deal with acne, many of my customers who don't have acne still use it. One customer even told me that it worked to quickly end the itch caused by mosquito bites and as a gardener, I tried it and she was right.  

 Now to really end this blog post. I hope this info. will give you some clarity on whether or not you should give charcoal a try in your skin care regiment.  Remember that what we put on our skin is important and what is even more important are the vitamin/mineral rich foods that we are consuming.  There are many reasons why people deal with acne breakouts and some times you gotta go see good old Doc to really get it resolved. With that said, I wish you all the best on your skin care journey.  Thanks for reading this blog post. 

See link below sited articles/studies to sign up to receive my newsletters and 10% off your next purchase. I promise not to spam you. 

**** Disclaimer, I am not a doctor so I definitely can't be your doctor, so don't go chugging charcoal "smoothie" because you read this blog post. Speak to a professional or check out the link below to poison.org so you are prepared and informed God forbid you get poisoned. Later!

Links to sited articles and studies used to aid in the creation of this blog post.  Plus additional ones for you to read to be even better informed. 

https://www.poison.org/articles/activated-charcoal

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/activated-charcoal-functions-benefits-risks-where-to-buy/

 https://www.ejpmr.com/home/abstract_id/3261

 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/activated-charcoal

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110062111000031#:~:text=Activated%20carbon%20is%20an%20adsorbent,be%20technically%20feasible%20%5B13%5D.