So I Brushed My Teeth With Charcoal

If there's one thing about me you need to know, it's that I am obsessed with having The Whitest Teeth in the World...on a budget. Let's not get cray.

If there's one more thing you need to know about me, it's that I will try all sorts of crazy beauty products/trends. Snail sleep cream, anyone?

So what's the latest craze?

Charcoal.

After hearing a buzz about it for months, I decided to try it out for myself.

I made it three weeks.

Stay with me, y'all. I got my reasons!

After some research I decided on activated charcoal powder. Charcoal has been in skin products for quite a while now, but teeth whitening is a newer use.

The one I chose was My Magic Mud. You can get it online for around $23.

While this is a steep price for a whitening product, you'll get 150 uses (3 months) from it. So what makes it so fancy?

• Contains activated coconut shell charcoal, mint, and orange extract powder
• All natural and non-GMO
• Whitens, polishes and reduces sensitivity
• Safe to swallow and child friendly

Sounds great, right?

The powder is very fine, odorless, and has no scent or taste. It is not gritty.

To use, dip your brush in the powder and brush for 2 minutes. Do not use a toothpaste after. It is preferred that you use this before bed. Your teeth will be whiter in 2 weeks.

Well, y'all, normally I vow to use new beauty stuff techniques for at least a month. I used it for 3 weeks and quit--here are my thoughts:

• I noticed NO change. None. I took pics every day. Sometimes my teeth seemed GREY. Sometimes they seemed DARKER. But overall, the DANG SAME. 
• Finding the right ratio of powder was ridiculous. 
• It was MESSY. I looked like I was casting a spell with black powder. Whitus Teethus! Poof.
• It was kind of fun, since your teeth/mouth turn jet black while you're brushing. Perfect for Halloween! ;)
• The product suggests using it in the shower, but I found I made an even bigger mess that way.
• I had to rinse and rinse and rinse and floss every single time to remove all of the powder.
• Since you don't use toothpaste, your breath will be even worse in the morning.

I chose this because so many of you love natural products (lost your job? rub some coconut oil on yourself! magic!), but since many of you confessed you don't even wash off your makeup, I don't think you'd like this since it is a long process to do. 

There is so much clean up involved, the whole process takes forever (brushing 2 minutes, rinsing at least 6 times, flossing away the black powder, cleaning out the sink and counter top), and I noticed no change in my teeth. Skip!

If you want to try this, there are other brands that are cheaper, with different ingredients (like charcoal from bamboo). There are even charcoal toothbrushes (I ordered mine 2 months ago and am still waiting, so no report yet on those).

So I brushed my teeth with charcoal. And I didn't like it.

Have you tried this?
What do you use to whiten your teeth?

Extra Elle:

• Thanks to LaNae and Caroline for the sweet birthday cards. And thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. It was my first birthday since my Daddy died, but your kinds words made the day easier.
• I hope you join in for tomorrow's link up: Story Behind the Pic. Just choose any pic (or more) and give me the story behind it. Look here for more info.

PS: I currently use Colgate Optic White toothpaste to whiten my teeth. I didn't include a pic here because (a) it was sent to me for review and I didn't want this to seem like an ad, (b)I have before/after pics from using the toothpaste that I can email to ya if you want to see. I didn't post here because I didn't want people to get confused or for those who skip to the end and don't read the post.