Do You Ever Wonder . . .
About the people who write product warnings? Consider the things they tell us not to swallow:
Okay, on that last one I have a real question: How am I supposed to not swallow for 20 minutes while stuff fizzes out of a plastic tray into my mouth?
The answer, of course, is that I’m not. Package inserts are often more about reducing liability than educating the consumer. Case in point? Printing “may irritate eyes” on a can of pepper spray, and the “warnings” about gum irritation that come with tooth whiteners. If they really wanted to educate consumers, the label would say:
WARNING: This product is likely to contain coal tar, fluoride, aspartame, aluminum, and benzene and has demonstrated acute toxicological effects in rats, including but not limited to labored breathing, bloody urine, infertility and incontinence. (source 1)
Fortunately, there’s an easier, cheaper, and completely natural way to whiten your teeth in less than 3 minutes a day. It’s one of the six tooth care recipes I share in my ebook, DIY Organic Beauty Recipes. And like many truly healthy options, the solution seems almost counter-intuitive. Eat fat to lose fat? Check! Flaxseeds for homemade hair gel? Check! Brush your teeth with something that looks like squid ink for a dazzling, pearly white smile? Surprisingly, that works, too.
Activated Charcoal: The Secret To Naturally White Teeth
Activated charcoal – also called activated carbon – is made by processing charcoal with oxygen and either calcium chloride or zinc chloride. It was used medicinally by both Hippocrates and the ancient Egyptians, and it is still the poison remedy of choice in modern-day emergency rooms. Why? Because it’s highly adsorptive, which in plain English means it attracts substances to its surface like a magnet. Like absorptive substances that work like a sponge, adsorptive materials bind with certain compounds and prevent our bodies from using them.
Fortunately for us, activated charcoal is a bit particular about what it locks onto. It’s not interested in calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, inorganic phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc and other compounds you probably want to hang onto (including your tooth enamel). It does, however, happen to like tannins – the compounds found in coffee, tea (even herbal tea), blueberries, wine and spices like cinnamon that stain our teeth. As a bonus, activated charcoal also balances the mouth’s pH and is even considered beneficial enough to be used in some tooth re-mineralization formulas.
So, are you ready to give it a try? Good!
No wait, there is something I forgot to tell you. This is really important so I hope you’re scrunched up to your screen nice and close. Ready? Okay! Folks, this stuff WORKS. When you start noticing children in grocery carts and little old ladies hovering in your vicinity, you don’t need to go check your makeup in the mirror. They just want to see you smile again. Okay? As someone who used to pop in whitening trays every day I was skeptical, but give this stuff a week or two and you’ll be amazed. Okay, moving on!
How To Whiten Teeth Naturally With Activated Charcoal
There is no “right” way to whiten teeth naturally with activated charcoal. Koreans put it in their toothpaste, Crunchy Betty swishes with it, and some people simply brush it on straight. Personally, I prefer the following method:
- Open a capsule of activated charcoal (about 1/8 teaspoon) and pour about half into a cup.
- Wet your toothbrush and dip it in the charcoal, then brush gently. Keep in mind that you are not trying to scrub your enamel, you are simply massaging the surface of your teeth with the activated charcoal so that it can attract tannins like a magnet.
- After brushing, hold it in your mouth for 2-3 minutes to allow it to continue to work.
- Spit and rinse thoroughly, then follow with a second brushing using your tooth powder or natural toothpaste.
- Now look in the mirror and smile. You may see a difference with the first application. If not, give it a few days to a week and I promise you will!
Want More Recipes?
In my 180 page guide, DIY Organic Beauty Recipes, I’ll show you how to boost the whitening power of activated charcoal with a minty-fresh mouthwash. You’ll also discover how ridiculously easy it is to make your own beauty products: Quick yet luxurious gifts for the holiday season, fabulous shampoos, conditioners, body sprays, lotions, deodorants, baby products and more!
* Activated charcoal does bind with iodine and may bind with other vitamins and minerals the body needs, so it is not usually recommended for internal use except when dealing with acute situations such as chemical or food poisoning. Activated charcoal does not work in situations where the material ingested is caustic, such as lye.
About The Author
Heather Dessinger, aka The Mommypotamus, is a wife, blogger and mom to two amazing kiddos, both waterborne at home. She loves all things fermented, talks to sock puppets and dreams of owning her very own flock of backyard chickens. She is the author of two ebooks. Nourished Baby is a simple guide to introducing real food to little ones, and DIY Organic Beauty Recipes is a collection of 50+ beauty and personal care product recipes that really work.
More Information
How to Use Activated Charcoal to Whiten Teeth Naturally Without Making a Mess
Food Poisoning Remedies That Work Fast
Toddler’s Severe Tooth Decay Halted in 5 Days
Whiten Your Teeth Without Dangerous Chemicals
Natural Alternative to Dangerous Baby Teething Gels
Resolving Periodontal Problems with Bone Broth
Coconut Oil Stops Strep Bacteria from Damaging Tooth Enamel
What is the True Cause of Crooked Teeth?
10 Signs Your Dentist is Truly Holistic
Avoiding Root Canals with Diet Alone
Could the Cause of Your Illness Be Right Under Your Nose?
Most Wisdom Tooth Extractions Totally Unnecessary
Tiffanie Beaumont you have to try this Tiffanie. It works way better than baking soda.
I am SO going to try this! I’ve been looking for an effective and natural teeth whitener. I tried the baking soda + hydrogen peroxide, but that irritated my gums.
This totally works. Do it just as Heather suggests … works better than swishing I think. Plus, your teeth get whiter but don’t get that fake white that screams “I WHITEN MY TEETH” to everyone … they look natural, healthy, and whiter but not snow white which I think looks fake.
It does look fake! I wondered if people were trying to make their teeth the same white as their eyeballs.
i do oil pulling, too.
You can buy it at walgreens, or the grocery store, too generally. I found mine in the section by the “antacids” and stuff for indigestion or gas.
Nope, I use baking soda! 😉
How often do you use baking soda? and how well does that work?
baking soda is harsh on your enamel. If you use it for a long period of time, you will eventually find your teeth becoming sensitive — because you’ve taken away the enamel. I know this from experience. Be careful
If you’re in Tennessee, you can get it at http://www.BulkNaturalFoods.com during a “dry goods” order.
Hi Erin!!
So glad to find out that you read Sarah’s blog!
Loving the Fuji apples we got, too!
Stacey Simpson
Sounds good! But where on earth can we buy activated charcoal? Thanks for your help!
You can buy it at any health food store, such as local co-ops, or the bigger, Whole Foods, etc.
If you have a Shoprunner account, there’s a few stores you can buy it from through them to get free shipping. It’s cheaper through Amazon, though, if you have Prime.
Our Walgreen’s had it!
I found it at Walmart!
How often should I do this? Once a day?
Thanks so much!
Started doing this DIY natural remedy Wednesday of this week, I saw results on my first try! I do it twice a day and follow it by a regular brushing, its works!
Thanks for this tip, the last time I had a cleaning the hygenist cleaned off the stains on the underside of my lower front teeth, but did nothing for the stains on the outside of my teeth, the aspect that’s actually visible. I did notice that the office was big on promoting their teeth whitening services. I drink a lot of herbal tea, and my herbal mouthwash can be staining. I will definitely give this a try, one more tool in my self-care tool-kit.
Dental polishing will only polish off extrinsic stains, stains that do not penetrate the tooth structure. Intrinsic staining will not come off with polishing or use of ultrasonic scaler. Also, it’s possible that the staining may be in cracks and grooves of filling margins, which are very difficult to remove. Or, I suppose it’s possible the hygienist just didn’t do a great job – but this may not be the case due to the above reasons.
Charcoal works because it’s abrasive qualities polish extrinsic stains from the tooth. If your staining is intrinsic, it won’t work. If it’s surface staining, it likely will. But use only occasionally due to its abrasive qualities.