When it comes to perfecting our hair, we seem pretty willing to put all sorts of “unique” ingredients in our hair. From obscure plant extracts to “groundbreaking” chemical compounds, the hair care market is littered with products touting some unique superstar ingredient.
While many of these are nothing more than hype, there are certainly a handful of ingredients out there that do provide your hair with remarkable benefits. One of these products that has become quite trendy lately is activated charcoal, and there is no shortage of hair products that utilize activated charcoal as one of its key ingredients.
What Is Activated Charcoal?
No, activated charcoal isn’t the same thing as what you use to heat your bbq. Activated charcoal is a fine powder created by burning a variety of organic materials such as coconut shells and olive pits.
What makes activated charcoal different than the similarly named bbq type is the “activation” process, which entails burning the organic materials at incredibly high temperatures. This “activation” process alters the charcoal and makes it much more porous and absorbent than regular charcoal.
Because of this, activated charcoal is incredibly good at absorbing a wide variety of molecules, and its negative electrical charge works like a magnet at attracting positive charged compounds like dirt and toxins.
While activated charcoal has been used for years as a medical treatment for accidental poison ingestion, it wasn’t until recently that the ingredient began being used in shampoo and conditioner products such as ProFashion’s Activated Charcoal Shampoo and Activated Charcoal Conditioner.
Consumers have fallen in love with this superstar ingredient, and here are some of the many benefits that activated charcoal has when applied to your hair:
Volumizing
While a lack of volume can be caused by a variety of factors, one of the most common causes is hair that is weighed down by build-up from oil and product residue. Unfortunately, most shampoos aren’t powerful enough to remove this buildup completely, making some hair types particularly susceptible to flat, lifeless hair.
Thankfully, activated charcoal is incredibly good at getting deep into the hair shaft and absorbing all of this buildup, leaving hair that is noticeably lighter, softer, and filled with volume.
Scalp Health
Common scalp conditions including dandruff and dermatitis are caused by a variety of microbial compounds including bacteria and fungi. When these organisms are allowed to grow and thrive on the surface of the scalp, they begin to harm the skin and cause severe dryness, irritation, and unsightly skin flaking.
Because of its porous structure and negative electrical charge, activated charcoal does a remarkable job at drawing these bacteria and fungi from the skin, purifying the scalp to allow it to heal and restore its moisture levels.
Clarifying
For those who frequently use hairstyling products including hairspray and pomade, using a weekly or twice-weekly clarifying shampoo is a necessity in order to remove all of the product build-up and residue.
Although a variety of clarifying shampoos exist on the market, none is as effective as activated charcoal is at drawing out impurities and purifying the hair and scalp. Activated charcoal penetrates deeply to wipe the hair clean of any product buildup, restoring the hair to its natural state.
For the scalp, activated charcoal is tremendous at removing excess sebum from the pores, preventing oily, slick hair and associated dandruff and irritation, while also penetrating the hair follicle to remove any blockage, which in turn allows the hair follicle to grow normally and boost hair growth.
