Brushing With Activated Charcoal Powder: Is it Better Than Toothpaste?

This was another interesting review. For starter’s– the Husboo is usually down to support most of my wacky reviews, but when I presented him with this one he gave a quick, “NO.”

I HOLLERED!!!!! That’s country folk’s speak for “Laughed Out Loud”– but it’s a better laugh. It’s that — “laugh so hard your belly hurts because you laughed with your soul,” kind of laugh. AKA– THE best kind of laugh!

Back to the actual point of this post. Once I realized there was no convincing him, I was on to review the brushing powder on my own. It was quite the experience. The photo’s tell their own funny story, but here are a few facts about the product from the manufacturer:

GET WHITER TEETH AND CLEANER MOUTH AFTER FIRST USE: Feel the difference in just one brush with the Sagano Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening Powder! It’s quick and effective leaving your mouth feeling fresher all day. No more stains from coffee, tea, red wine, and other teeth-staining beverages. Gets rid of bad breath and plaque buildup too!

TASTES GOOD: Brush with a burst of spicy-sweet cinnamon flavor in your mouth for a refreshing and soothing mouth clean up. Say goodbye to nasty chemical whitening ingredients and hello to a pleasurable teeth whitening experience!

SAFE FOR SENSITIVE TEETH: This teeth whitening powder contains natural cinnamon, a herbal painkiller that helps relieve tooth and gum sensitivity. This carbon powder is also fine and not gritty for a softer, more velvety texture, preventing teeth and gum irritations. Just a perfect toothpaste alternative!

MADE FROM NATURAL INGREDIENTS: This teeth whitening powder is made from natural coconut activated charcoal and organic cinnamon – and that’s it. No artificial flavor or chemicals that can harm your enamel. Have a cleaner mouth, healthier gums, and whiter teeth with this powerful herbal combination.
The Photos (Be Prepared to Laugh :-D):

My Initial Reaction, “Oh, This is Interesting”

“Is my tongue turning black? Why yes it is!”

Charcoal powder is best used for facials. The end.

My Overall Review:

Likes

Despite my expressions, my teeth felt REALLY clean and smoother than usual. I use a Phillips Sonicare toothbrush, so I am accustomed to a very good cleaning job, but this made my teeth feel slicker than usual. I’m guessing the charcoal (although very fine) added extra grit which improved the polishing quality of my toothbrush.
I have experienced tooth sensitivity in the past (I now use Sensodyne toothpaste on the regular) so I can say that this did not cause any pain or discomfort when I used this in place of my normal toothpaste.

Dislikes:

The powder can be a bit messy. It’s very fine and it doesn’t take much to send it up in a cloud of smoke. I tried to manage this by using the lid to pour out a small amount of the powder, then dipped my toothbrush in the lid to apply the powder, and (finally) rinsing out any remaining powder from the lid to discard it. This cut down on the mess, somewhat, but not entirely. For the sake of sanitation, I wouldn’t want to use this method if I was sharing the container with my husband (or if we had children using it along with us), but it works since I’ll be using it solo.
It does NOT taste good. The description above described a natural cinnamon taste. As a person that cooks, I know that cinnamon does not taste good on its own. It needs sugar to really be palatable. Adding cinnamon to charcoal was bleh. It deserves repeating– it does NOT taste good (at least not to me) but toothpaste should not be eaten so there’s that caveat.I plan to continue to use this to give my teeth a nice deep cleaning between regular brushing, but I can’t say that I’ll be transitioning to use this full-time. I haven’t given up on the benefits of charcoal completely. I’ve been experimenting with using activated charcoal to make homemade facial masks and will be sharing my results soon!

I used this powder to create a facial mask. Look for a post of my results next week!

Green Cleaning Made Easy: Tile Grout Cleaning Tips

I’ve started what will be the first of many Pinterest cleaning experiments.

I know we all pin various tips, but how often do we ACTUALLY try them? Few and far between, right?

I have had a good bit of success with the pointers I find on Pinterest. That may be sheer luck or coincidence, but I like to think that my critical thinking skills and knack for analysis allow me to complete a quick review of a potential pin and eliminate those that aren’t going to work. (It’s probably just chance, though 😂).

Since I’m working on posting more frequently, I’ll share those tips that work really well and those that work after I make a few adjustments.

One of my most recent experiments was cleaning our guest bathroom floor tile grout.

When I saw the ingredients to this cleaning aid on Pinterest, I was hopeful that it would resolve my issue. Here’s the recipe:

2 tsp. Baking Soda
4 Tbsp. White Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Dish Detergent
2 cups of Water

You can purchase a cheap spray bottle to use to create this solution or reuse an empty bottle (like I did). 😉

The baking soda and vinegar have a natural chemical reaction, so I recommend mixing this with the bottle in your bathroom/kitchen sink.

The tile grout in this particular bathroom has been off-colored since we moved into our home. Despite my routine cleaning, nothing seemed to help the strange stain. I was about to clean the bathroom recently and decided it was time to try another method.

Here’s my process in photos:

The floor stain before:

I used a toothbrush to really work the solution in. If you look closely, you can see the dirt beginning to move! 😄

The before (left) and after (right):

It worked! The grout looks soooooooooooooo much better and I’m sure it will continue to lighten with a few more scrubbing sessions!

The baking soda does leave a bit of a residue on the tile, so I recommend using this spray and allowing it to dry overnight and mopping the floor on the following day.

A NOSE by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet

My nose is still a nose by name, but it’s a “whole new creation” — if you will.

I mentioned in my previous post that I’d undergone surgery to correct some sinus issues. Long story short, after years of allergy issues, I was diagnosed with what my Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist called “Sinus Disease” — something I’d never heard of before. Basically, my frequent sinus infections and reoccurring bouts of sinusitis had damaged the lining of my sinus cavities and made me more likely to get sick with any change in the weather or my surroundings. 2015 was a long year, but in the month since my surgery I’m feeling much better — My breathing has improved, my sense of taste is heightened, and my husband and close friends swear that my voice has changed!

At first I didn’t agree with them, but after listening to and comparing some of my old and new podcast recordings– I do hear a difference in my voice– That’s SO CRAZY!!!

Another unexpected benefit of my surgery was that it got me into the habit of using an aroma diffuser in our living room and bedrooms. My post surgery instructions recommended using a humidifier/diffuser to keep the air moisturized and in-turn keep my sinus cavities moisturized to aid in healing. I’d received an aroma diffuser to review and these oils from Simply Earth prior to my surgery, so this was really the perfect opportunity to aid my healing and make the shift toward using more green products in our home.

I love having air fresheners and candles to add pleasant scents to each room in our home, but I’m learning more and more that most commercial fresheners aren’t friendly to allergy suffers and contain a number of ingredients that aren’t the most healthy things in the world (I’m not getting into the chemistry of this, but if you do a quick google search, I’m sure you’ll find lots to read).

I’m very pleased with the oils I received to review and plan to order more. They’re 100% Pure, Non-Toxic, Have No Additives, and are Unfiltered and Undiluted with No Fillers. Now, it’s my nightly routine to add a few drops of the lemon oil to my diffuser along with some lavender oil and I sleep through the night (Lemon and Lavender are natural antihistamines and it’s suggested that lavender oil induces sleep). I use the peppermint in in our living room while I’m working at home (Peppermint is said to stimulate the hippocampus area of the brain which controls mental clarity and memory. The aroma prompts you to wake up and pay attention.)

If you’re looking for healthier, “greener” options for your home, I’d highly recommend giving essential oils a try! These are more affordable than most and the company donates 13% of their proceeds to organizations working to end human trafficking.