Get Active With Activated Charcoal: Part 1

I have a very long list of DIY beauty recipes that I'm dying to try and tweak to my satisfaction. Recently I decided to use my activated charcoal in different ways other than for teeth whitening. I found two recipes that looked very promising and that has pretty decent reviews. I spend way too much time reading reviews. It's funny how some posts have reviews with mini cat fights under them. Makes for good entertainment.

What is activated charcoal, you ask? Well, it's a tasteless, odorless, non-toxic powder that can be used as an antidote for poisons because of its high absorption properties and it also aides in digestion. I've read that it works topically on bites as well. Wellness Mama has a great post with a lot of detail and history about activated charcoal.

The first recipe I did was for an all natural homemade mascara. Why bother making my own mascara? Well, Food Babe reminded me recently of all the unnecessary "ingredients" that go into most store-bought mascaras:

• PARABENS - Used as a preservative and is an endocrine disrupter that messes with your hormones. (Top Offenders: L’Oreal, Cover Girl, Avon, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Maybelline, Neutrogena, Revlon, Chanel, Lancome)

• PARFUM (a.k.a. fragrance) - Why do you need parfum on your eyes – that’s crazy. Oh it’s to cover up the smell of coal tar! This is even in some products marketed as “unscented.” Some fragrance ingredients can trigger allergies, asthma and acne, linked to cancer and neurotoxicity, and are harmful to fish and other wildlife.  (Top Offenders: Neutrogena, Lavera, Milani)

• ALUMINUM POWDER - Considered a neurotoxin and linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other cancers. (Top Offenders: Cover Girl, Estee Lauder)

• BHA and BHT: Used as a preservatives and is an endocrine disruptor and may cause cancer (BHA). Harmful to fish and other wildlife. (Top Offenders: Maybelline, Rimmel)

• PROPYLENE GLYCOL:  Linked to acne, eczema, and other skin allergies. (Top Offenders: L’Oreal, Mineral Fusion, Rimmel, Avon, Maybelline)

• COAL TAR DYES: p-phenylenediamine and colours listed as “CI” followed by a five digit number. The U.S. colour name may also be listed (e.g. “FD&C Blue No. 1″ or “Blue 1″). Potential to cause cancer and may be contaminated with heavy metals toxic to the brain. (Top Offender: Maybelline)

• FORMALDEHYDE RELEASING PRESERVATIVES -  Look for DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine and quarternium-15. Used in a variety of cosmetics. Slowly release small amounts of formaldehyde, which causes cancer. (Top Offender: Almay)

• RETINYL ACETATE (VITAMIN A ACETATE) - Biochemical or cellular level changes, Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive) (Top Offenders: Elizabeth Arden, Almay, Revlon)

  *Ingredient research provided by The Environmental Working Group and David Suzuki Foundation*

  
  

I always had an issue with the mascaras I bought. I realized that all those fancy rounded brushes didn't make my lashes curl, the skinny one didn't make the bottom lashes much thicker, the waterproof mascara meant that my lashes would fall out in a few days and so [I had kids and] I gave up. I haven't worn mascara in a long time until I saw this recipe. I LOVE it. Best mascara I've ever used, seriously. I curled my lashes super close to the lid a few times and applied two coats. One eye, than the other allowing time for the first to dry and so on. It was so easy to apply. There were no pieces of mascara flying everywhere as I brushed it in. My lashes didn't feel like I was applying Elmer's Glue either. It all went on really nicely without having to do any touch ups or follow up with an eyelash brush to remove any clumps. Can you believe that? NO SMUDGES! It didn't dry immediately but it was set after a few minutes.



This is what the recipe calls for:

• 2 tsp of coconut oil (not shown in pic)
• 4 tsp of aloe vera
• 1/2 tsp beeswax (or more in humid climates)
• 1-2 capsules activated charcoal (or you can use cocoa/cacao for brown)

Directions:

1. Put coconut oil, aloe, and beeswax in small sauce pan over low heat and stir until beeswax is melted.
2. Remove from heat and add activated charcoal, stir until smooth. 
3. Put your mascara in the bottle. I got mine from Amazon. 

Tweakage:

I used 1 teaspoon of beeswax and I'm very happy with the hold, even in this Bahamian heat. The aloe did separate like the comments under the Thank Your Body: Homemade Mascara post, but it still worked great. You just need to mix it up with your brush a little while its inside the tube.
I didn't have activated charcoal capsules so I used a heaping 1/4 teaspoonful of the powder I had on hand.

I used a syringe to get the mascara inside. I was able to draw it up and out with one hand while holding the sauce pan on and angle. You can get one for free usually at local pharmacy. Just ask them at the counter for an infant syringe. Or if you happen to have one already, just make sure its clean. Oh, then keep it with your cosmetic making goodies so it doesn't get mixed up with baby medicines.

I think next time I might try it with only 3 teaspoonful of aloe, although I may have to cut back on the beeswax. It also made a bit more than what the tube could hold, so I will double it next time and fill two tubes.

Take Note:

Try to be sure that all of your tools are dry before you start because any water added can cause the mascara to get mildewy. This is all natural with only aloe acting as a preservative and coconut oil as an antibacterial. No artificial preservatives are added so if I find that something turns out gross like that, I'll be sure to post it.

Making mascara was a messy task for me. I say, if it wasn't messy, than it wasn't fun! But if you don't care for messy-fun than the easiest way to clean up is with a wet cloth. You may need a few. Try to wipe and than use another clean part of the cloth or else you'll just rub it in.

Tiny Extra Tip:

After I had both of my babies I experienced hair loss. After my second pregnancy I noticed a lot of my lashes fell out making spaces on my lids. I started brushing coconut oil on them at night and sometimes after a shower during the day. I notice a drastic change within the week! Happy to say they are much fuller now.


TADA! The results are in: beautiful lashes!

I put this on before a date night to watch some comedy. I laughed so hard that I cried and wiped my face a few times. When I got home and looked in the mirror there were still no smudges. So I wore it to bed to see what would happen. I usually sleep on my back and not on my face, but with my eyes closed all night, still no smudges. So to really test it out I went on a run in the morning. It was super humid and  I sweat like nobody's business. Still no smudges BUT the sweat that dripped into my eye burned! Not enough to run to water and wash it out but enough to be annoying. After a few hard blinks it went away. :)

So happy I took the time to do this that I did something else too: (to be continued)