Why Activated Charcoal Doesn't Work for Everyone

Have you ever got affected due to the use of activated charcoal? As you know nowadays, activated charcoal is serving as a universal impurity magnet, going from sleek black toothpaste or dark detox smoothies to charcoal-infused facial masks as well as pore strips.

People will buy products containing charcoal hoping for a magic solution to their stubborn skin conditions as well as internal bloating. But, there are many people who try these products only to find out that charcoal is not working for them as  expected.

Hence, the truth is that activated charcoal can not be considered as  a flawless cure for all skin types. While it can only be  established as life-saving for medical emergency rooms due to its power of limited as well as easily disrupted use.

If you have also noticed that your charcoal skin is not working as expected, or if your digestive supplements are also failing to deliver expected results, then don't worry you are not alone. In this comprehensive blog, you will be able to completely understand the science behind the not so working charcoal for your skin type. 

Key Takeaways

Activated Charcoal works by the process called adsorption, which means that the molecules will act as a magnet and get stuck to its surface. It will not allow deep penetration into skin pores for better acne treatment.

If activated charcoal is taken within a 1-to-2-hour window, it can easily strip away food nutrients and neutralizes essential prescribed medications such as birth control or antidepressants.

Raw charcoal will also strip your natural skin barrier and will eventually cause severe dryness or rebound oiliness. So, in order to make it work safely, you should use an engineered, conditioning cleanser such as Alite Anti-Acne Charcoal Face Wash, or can swap it with more gentler alternatives such as Salicylic Acid or Kaolin clay.

What Is Activated Charcoal?

Activated charcoal is not some goods which are left behind at your fireplace or the barbecue fire but is an odorless black powder made up of carbon rich materials such as wood, peat, coconut shells, or even a sawdust.

The method to activate charcoal works by burning the carbon residue at a very high temperature in presence of  oxygen. This intense processing will completely change the internal structure of charcoal as well as strip away all the previously bound molecules, which will further  create millions of microscopic pores. This increase in surface area will allow the substances to act like a sponge for only specific chemical compounds.

What Is the Major Science Behind Not Working with Charcoal?

The primary reason charcoal doesn't work for everyone is mainly the misunderstanding caused by chemistry. Most people believe that charcoal can absorb all the toxins very easily but it is not true. The working of activated charcoal is mainly through the process called adsorption.

The substances are completely soaked deeply inside a material during the process of absorption while in adsorption it can only target molecules that are tightly bound onto the outer surface as well as the internal walls of the charcoal pores. This adsorption process completely relies over the contact surface as well as the electrical charges.

Just in case if a toxin, nutrient, or an oil molecule are not able to take over the correct molecular structure or charge, the charcoal will not be able to detect it and will ignore it by leaving it free to affect your body.

What Are the Scenarios in Which Activated Charcoal Can Cause Harm to Your Body?

If taken orally, activated charcoal will bind harmful substances while traveling through the digestive tract before they reach the bloodstream. However, the major charcoal mechanism will fail under some of the common scenarios which includes:

1. Unaffected Chemicals

Activated charcoal is a non-selective binder which can not detect several chemical structures not in their respective sizes. Due to this, they will not be able to bind with alcohol.

Heavy metals such as  iron, lithium, lead,as well as mercury can completely bypass charcoal. Whereas, strong corrosive acids, lye, and household cleaning alkalis will also not be able to get stuck into charcoal. 

2. Time Window

Internal charcoal will only work at the time when the target substance is still in the resting phase inside the stomach or upper digestive tract. After the passing of a chemical or toxin from the small intestine, it directly enters into our bloodstream,which makes the oral charcoal completely useless. If you are also the one who is taking a charcoal pill hours after eating problematic food, you must know that your charcoal efficacy window has already closed.

3. Nutrient and Medication 

As we know that activated charcoal is not able to distinguish between the good and bad molecules, it can easily bind with essential vitamins, minerals, as well as prescription medications. This will result in neutralizing your medicine as well as further becoming a leading cause of severe health complications.

4. Digestive Disturbances

If you are also the one suffering from chronic slow digestion or an irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), activated charcoal can make your symptoms even more worse. It can severely cause constipation, abdominal pain as well as gastrointestinal blockages which are responsible for preventing the natural waste elimination.

What Is the Truth Behind the Charcoal Dependent Face Products?

If you are the one who has also purchased masks or scrubs only to find your charcoal skin not working, there are some of the conditions in which it doesn't work.

1. The working of activated charcoal is affected by the pore size which is no one's fault but is a genetics. It can only act by temporarily clearing your skin surface debris and will make your acne look smaller but it will not completely shrink them.
2. Activated charcoal cannot penetrate deep into your skin sebaceous gland whereas it will only bind to resting loose materials onto the skin surface.
3. Activated charcoal will require active co-ingredients in order to effectively treat active skin breakouts.
4. Charcoal powder can not penetrate deep into the skin barries as they consist of solid, insoluble micro-particles. Hence it can only adsorb oils, dead skin cells, as well as sweat that has already been surfaced. 
5. Charcoal is highly efficient in removing sebum but if you are having dry, dehydrated, or highly sensitive skin, it will just strip away your skin lipid barrier. These stripped lipid barriers will result in defensive action of overproduction of oil, and results in sudden breakouts, redness, as well as rough flakes.
6. A heavy clay can be used as it allows charcoal to rest over the surface  for 15 minutes and to interact with surface oils. 

What Could Be the Major Alternative for You If Charcoal Products Are Not Working?

Just in case you are having sensitive, dry, or damaged skin, raw carbon can always leave your charcoal skin not working perfectly. Instead of deeply pushing your skin barrier to its ultimate breaking point, you must change charcoal based treatment to the more gentler and biologically targeted alternatives that can help in clearing your skin pores without stripping away your skin natural moisture.

1. Salicylic Acid  

Charcoal will only rest on the top surface of your face and wait for oil to bump into it while Salicylic Acid will penetrate deep into your skin. This penetration will help in dissolving glue that binds the dead skin cells and to the hardened sebum which will result in prevention of  blackheads safely.

2. Neem and Tea Tree for Inflamed Acne

If charcoal is not able to cure your acne, this is most likely to be because of your bacterial breakouts rather than simple oil overproduction. Neem and tea tree oil will directly target acne-causing bacteria and result in reduced red as well as painful inflammation directly.

3. Kaolin or Bentonite Clay 

The Clay will help in absorbing surface oil gently by acting like a blotting paper rather than binding molecules via adsorption. White Kaolin clay will help in deep-cleansing for sensitive skin types without removal of essential lipids in order to stay hydrated.

Recommended Alternative Product

1. Alite Anti-Acne Gel

Key Ingredients: 

• 6% Silanediol Salicylate
• 5% Niacinamide PC™
• 1% Contacticel™

It is a gel type treatment which helps in shrinking your active skin breakouts, clears pore congestion, as well as reduces swelling within 2-3 days.

2. Alite Active Neem & Aloe Vera Face Wash 

Key ingredients are :

• Neem Liquid Extract (antibacterial and anti-inflammatory)
• Aloe Vera Dry Extract 200X (healing and  hydrating)
• 1% Niacinamide (pore refining as well as  brightening)
• Lemon Liquid Extract (natural astringent)
• Vitamin E Acetate (antioxidant and scar-healing)

It is a highly soothing Cleanser which can be used for highly sensitive, red, or irritated skin in place of some harsh skin treatments which can affect your skin barrier.

Conclusion

Activated charcoal is a powerful tool when administered within a rigid or an urgent time frame. Topically, it acts as an excellent, deep-cleansing oil regulator mainly for individuals with hyperactive sebaceous glands.

The reason charcoal doesn't work for everyone is just that it cannot penetrate deep systemic acne, or dry skin types and cannot identify all chemical structures. So, you can safely enjoy a clear, glowing complexion without compromising your body's natural protective barriers by completely removing charcoal from your sensitive skin care routine.