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charcoal toothpaste or charcoal powder: which brushes better?
Photo: woman brushing her teeth
with today’s focus on natural ingredients, it seems like charcoal-based products are everywhere you look. a quick scan of the drugstore shelves no doubt yields a wide array of charcoal-infused products – everything from supplements, to shampoos, to lotions, to, yes, oral care products. but charcoal is different from many of the fads that are here one day and gone the next (looking at you, fidget spinners). and excitement it’s generating – particularly when it comes to oral care.
But what exactly are the benefits of brushing with activated charcoal, and should you be buying it in powder or paste form? Because we fully support tooth in advertising, we’ve assembled the following article to give you some clarity on picking the right charcoal product for you and your chompers.
trends with benefits
as we mentioned, charcoal is, like, so hot right now. And while we can’t speak to its effectiveness in improving your karaoke pipes or confidence in front of the hot barista, we can absolutely vouch for it as a friendly cleanser. Charcoal gently removes surface stains from your teeth. when the charcoal is rinsed out of your mouth, yucky elements go along for the ride. Boom! A cleaner, brighter smile. when properly formulated, charcoal oral care products go about their task with ease and don’t upset your teeth and gums.
But what’s a “proper” formulation? And what’s the safest and simplest way to get charcoal into (and out of) your mouth? let’s dive into the details.
charcoal powder vs. paste
charcoal oral care products most commonly come in either powder or toothpaste form and while both are effective, there are some significant differences when it comes to ease-of-use that we think you should keep in mind. Namely, , instead of neatly squeezing paste onto their brush. Also, powder is notoriously trickier to rinse out, sometimes requiring as many as 10 rounds of swishing to extricate the particles fully from gumlines. By comparison, toothpaste’s textural agents ensure just the regular 2-3 rounds of swishing will do.
Photo: brushing with charcoal toothpaste
Additionally, if you’re thinking about going with a powder, you should know that it can sometimes come in various particle sizes; too large, and you risk using a product that is super abrasive and could erode your enamel; too small, and the charcoal particles can get trapped under the gumline and may not clean very effectively. (in other words, what we would call: “not properly formulated”).
And finally, there’s the physical structure of charcoal powder. It can result in a less-than-ideal mouthfeel. Some powders also miss out on packing that super fresh punch – especially if you’re used to that minty clean feeling post-brush.
your tastebuds deserve a more minteresting™ experience.
shop all superpastesFor us (and for many in the charcoal brushing fam), blending charcoal into a toothpaste form offers several advantages over powdering your brush. the first is that it’s really easy to rinse out of your mouth post-brushing. Charcoal toothpaste is also less messy because the charcoal particles stay contained within a paste – sneeze around the powdered variety and you’ll still be finding charcoal bits schmeared on the walls for the next 6 months (meanwhile, a couple easy steps can keep charcoal toothpaste from staining sinks). What may be most important of all is improved flavor-factor. We believe that if people are excited to brush their teeth, they’ll do it better and more often. adding mint flavor to charcoal toothpaste means happier brushers and happier teeth.
Ready to get down tube business? Check out our full line of charcoal-fortified oral care products and find the one that’s right for you.
