Along with eating a natural whole foods diet, I often rave about the health benefits of natural toxin free beauty products. I believe we should feed our skin like we feed our body. And our teeth should be no different. So when it comes to teeth whitening and oral hygiene I only use natural toxin free products. For the past year or so I have been using EBONiiVORY Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening to whiten my teeth and EBONiiVORY Coconut Oil Pulling. I am loving the results so wanted to share my natural beauty secrets with you and the health benefits of using these products.
What is Activated Charcoal?
Activated charcoal is well known as an antidote as it adsorbs most organic toxins, chemicals and poisons before they can harm the body. This highly porous powder is used as a natural treatment for everything from flushing toxins from the body to cleaning teeth and even preventing hangovers!
Health Benefits of Activated Charcoal
Activated Charcoal powder can change the Ph balance and health of your mouth. It is effective at preventing cavities and killing bad bacteria which causes bad breath and tooth decay.
As a teeth whitener, Activated Charcoal’s natural porous qualities let it bind with teeth-staining culprits like coffee, tea, wine and plaque. The extremely fine, porous powder will adsorb stains and impurities making the teeth cleaner and appear brighter and whiter.
I’ve even personally used it as a spot treatment for acne and found it to reduce and clear inflammation spots overnight! (I simply wet my finger, dip it in the powder and cover it over my pimple. Leave it for 20 mins or so and wash off).
How does Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening work?
Simply brush with the activated charcoal powder for a few minutes, spit into your sink and rinse. Just be careful to keep your mouth closed tightly over your brush and spit gently as it can be messy!! But the results are more than worth it.
I use and prefer EBONiiVORY Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening kit as it is 100% natural and sourced from coconut husks. Their products are 100% vegan, raw, organic and handmade on the Gold Coast Australia (they ship worldwide).
What is Oil Pulling?
Oil pulling is an age-old remedy rooted in Ayurvedic medicine that uses natural substances to clean and detoxify teeth and gums. It has the added effect of whitening teeth naturally and evidence even shows that it may be beneficial for gum health and that certain oils may help fight harmful bacteria in the mouth!
Health Benefits of Oil Pulling
The number 1 benefit of oil pulling is to minimise the amount of harmful bacteria in the mouth. There are thousands of naturally occurring bacteria in the mouth, some friendly, others are not. The bacteria in the mouth create a biofilm on the teeth – a thin layer that they use to adhere to the surface. This is what is also known as plaque. Having some plaque on your teeth is normal, but if it gets out of hand it can cause all sorts of problems, including bad breath, yellow teeth, gum inflammation, gingivitis and cavities.
Oil pulling helps with:
- Whiter teeth
- Detoxifies and conditions the mouth & body
- Banishes bad breath
- Strengthens gums
- Peppermint & Spearmint essential oils are a strong antiseptic. Both eliminating germs, helping any wounds heal more quickly and soothing to soft tissues like gum tissue.
How does Oil Pulling work?
- If sachet is hardened, warm under hot water or in the palms of your hands.
- Squeeze a small amount into mouth (about 1-2 tsp worth).
- Swish for 20 minutes. According to Dr. Bruce Fife, author of Oil Pulling Therapy, 20 minutes is optimum as this is long enough to break through plaque and bacteria but not long enough that the body starts re-absorbing the toxins and bacteria. I found it hard to get to 20 mins at first, so started with 5-10 mins and worked my way up. You will still get the health benefits of doing it for this period of time.
- Spit into a bin (NOT down your sink).
- Rinse mouth with warm water and brush teeth as per usual.
Enjoy a healthier smile and pearlier whites!
♥ Tris