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)

Going All the Way: My Experience with "No-Poo"

Okay, confession time. So, I was really focused on eating right and being healthy that I've lost sight of what was going on outside my body. Can you relate? Well, when it comes to food I feel like everyone deserves REAL nutrition and none of that artificial, full-of-preservative, GMO stuff. Once my healthy habits became a true lifestyle for me I noticed that I changed. My toothpaste tasted like chemical poison, perfume that I used to wear on special occasions gave me an instant migraine, and my normal moisturizer started to burn my skin a little. Suddenly, I felt like Cher from the movie Clueless where she's standing in front of a fountain and realizes, " Oh my God, I love Josh."

My symbolic fountain bursted up and I realized that I wasn't so "natural" after all. My skin deserves the same treatment my inner organs do! It was time for a change. So, similar to Cher, I took all the products I didn't want/need and gave them to people could use it. It was sad parting with all the pricey Aveda products that I used to be so happy purchasing, thinking they were oh-so-good for me. But I'm super happy that it went to people who couldn't afford anything that came in a luxurious rosemary mint scent.

The very first thing I decided to change was my shampoo. I researched high and low and I stumbled (can one stumble via internet?) across this pH Balancing Shampoo Recipe. It's SO simple and SO easy.
From what I've read the pH balance in your scalp is important because it helps prevent hair loss, dandruff and bacterial growth. This recipe is better than using castile water soap because it has a higher pH than your scalp naturally does. I never felt like I had a scalp problem but looking back I always kept 3 sets of different shampoos and conditioners because it seemed when one of them started to bother me, the other would make it feel better. I thought it was normal for your hair products to stop working when your hair got 'used to it.' I've only been using this recipe for a month but I love it and I promise to post updates on it so if you decide to try it, you know what you're getting into.

Before researching what was best for my hair, I had never heard of "No-Poo" in my life. Just saying the word "Poo" while referring to my hair seemed gross but I got over that real quick and started it right away.

Before I tell you my experience with this, it is SO important to know about the Transition Period aka Detox Phase that Robin mentions in the link above that went away after 4 uses for her. While your hair is getting used to being naturally beautiful without all the foreign products that you thought you absolutely needed, it may look really greasy at the roots. It will look like you either forgot to fully distribute your gel in the rest of your hair or like you didn't wash your hair in a few days. I rocked out many varieties of these looks for TWO WEEKS (so worth it). I personally feel that this shampoo may not be the best for oily prone hair, but you really don't know what your hair is really like until you've fully detoxed. Oh, and your hair won't smell gross. Woo!

During the transition period, these are some of the things that may help:

• Brushing your hair often to help bring the moisture from the scalp to the roots (I have long curly hair so I didn't)
• Cute head bands (I got some on sale at Tilly's)
• French braiding
• Just tossing it up into a messy bun (use cute headband)

It'll feel heavy at the roots and you'll want to touch it but I recommend not doing so. If you're out and about touching things on dusty store shelves, for example, then putting that accidentally into your hair will make it smell dirty.

Enough with the disclaimers!

pH Balancing Shamoo:

• 1 can of Coconut Milk
• 1 3/4 cups of Aloe Vera

Right now I'm using the Aloe Farms one because that's what I had on hand for the baby wipes I make, but I'm going to try the Lily of the Desert next. At first I didn't want to buy from Lily because one of their types of Aloe contains carrageenan (I know I'm not eating the shampoo but I'm still against it). That's the coconut milk that I use in the picture but I know a lot of people recommend this one also. There's always the option of making it yourself!

Directions: Mix ingredients together and pour into molds to freeze. After shampoo is frozen, you can keep them in there or put them in a baggie to store in the freezer. Easy peezy.



You can use ice cube trays like Robin beautifully showed in her photos. I used the two freezing trays for baby food that I have on hand. Using my trays, I know each pod (is what I call them) is 2oz each and is good for about 3 washings (for me). This makes 12 pods and should last me 2-3 months. I think they look pretty cool. They should last me 2 months but I'll update on that when I know for sure.



To use: The day before shampooing, place a cube/pod in a container in the fridge so it is at least slightly melted. Lather a quarter size into scalp and ends then rinse! There will be no bubbles so don't scrub hard for them. You can let it sit if you'd like. No conditioner is needed.

Sometimes I forget to take it out and I'll just use it frozen. I'll put the frozen pod in my hand (which hurts sometimes) and let the warm shower water melt it onto my scalp. The coldness let's me feel that I got it all over my scalp. When I do remember to thaw it out, I put a nickel size into my palm and massage it in sections so I know it's on the entire scalp evenly...but I'm weird so you may just want to do it normally. Then, I use a comb to bring it to the ends and rinse while massaging it out. Since I have hard-to-manage hair I just wrap it up in a towel while it's still super wet and take it down after I put on my moisturizers. Oh yeah, and don't forget to put it back in the fridge! 

Don't use this shampoo everyday. I use it 3 times per week and just rinse with water other times. Once a week I use an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse as a quick conditioner. It's just 1/4 cup ACV and 3/4 cup filtered water.

Results: Since I started using this method a little over a month ago I have noticed that my curls are more uniform. They are now all about the same tension whereas it seemed like each curl used to have a mind of its own. I called them Medusa Curls. I used to really love using all my products and styling with a blow drier and straightener but now I'm in love with my soft, natural curls. They look like the beach curl style that I used to try so hard to get with the diffuser. I know the color is nasty, I got it colored ombre style at Aveda a while back. I'll have my hubby take more pics soon so you can see the rest of my hair.

 Well I hope that was of some use to you! I'll be sure to post updates and other sites about this recipe if I come across any. If you decide to try this, please be patient with the transition. Once you get past it you (and your hair) will be so happy and naturally beautiful. <3