What are the Benefits of Activated Charcoal for Your Underarms?

Underarms have been a perpetual worry for many people on this planet. How do you make them less sweaty? What do you do when they get dark? Should you wax or shave or laser the hair off? And last, but not least, how do you make them less smelly?

Let’s face it. Most of us have spent quite a bit of time pondering over how to properly take care of our underarms. And that’s where activated charcoal comes to your rescue. You may have heard of this highly popular skincare ingredient that seems to be a part of all products these days! But, that’s not without due credit, because activated charcoal is truly an awesome ingredient that can even solve many of your underarm woes. 

But first, let’s take a look at what it really is.

What is activated charcoal?

Often used in emergency rooms for overdose treatments, activated charcoal is a black coloured powder that is fine and odourless. It works by absorbing toxins around it, which has granted activated charcoal a lot of uses in both the medicine and the cosmetic industry. Even though there is some scientific debate about its abilities, the dark powder has found various uses for itself.

When we talk about charcoal, the first thing that comes to mind is the burnt leftover of materials like wood, brick or food. But this is not the same thing as activated charcoal, which involves heating materials like wood, sawdust, peat, coconut shells and basically anything carbon-rich at high temperatures.

Under the activation process, the previously absorbed molecules are stripped off, freeing the bonding sites. This allows it to bind itself to the surrounding atoms, ions or molecules from dissolved substances. The process also shrinks the pores in the charcoal, allowing more holes to form in the molecules to increase their overall surface area. 

How can you benefit from using activated charcoal for underarms?

Besides having a large surface area and being porous, activated charcoal can benefit you in numerous ways. Coming to your underarms, a lot of benefits can be acquired from using it and they go as follows:

• Makes your underarms odour-free - Activated charcoal is extremely effective at controlling odour. Using it on your underarms can ensure your sweat smells less and you feel fresh

• Can help detox your underarms - Sweat contains some heavy metal toxins that may sit around in your underarms or get stuck to the hair in your armpits. Using activated charcoal can help draw out these toxins and get rid of them.

• Its porous nature keeps your armpits dry - If sweat stains are all too familiar for you, then you’d be happy to know that activated charcoal acts like a sponge, absorbing moisture and microorganisms. Of course, the natural antibacterial characteristics also contribute to those all-day fresh-smelling pits.

• Works wonderfully for sensitive skin - Charcoal doesn’t cause skin irritations, and it's commonly used to treat wounds. As a result, it's a popular choice for sensitive skin, such as underarms, which are known to contain odour-causing bacteria.

• Keeps your underarms smooth - Charcoal is frequently paired with substances such as coconut oil and different plant-based butters in clean deodorants to keep your pits pleasant and smooth. Including activated charcoal-based products in your everyday regimen might make all the difference for your sensitive underarm skin. So, if you've ever had uncomfortably dry and irritated armpits, it is highly recommended to switch to a clean, charcoal-based daily regimen as an alternative. You might want to try a charcoal soap or scrub.

• Can help lighten armpit discolouration - Using an activated charcoal and honey mask, you can fix skin discolouration caused by the deposit of sweat and toxins in your underarms. Honey is known to have lightening properties and so, when used together, this can help lighten your armpits.

• Is able to treat skin infections - Skin anywhere on your body can get infected and so if you have a skin infection in your underarms, activated charcoal can help fix that. The activated charcoal powder produced from coconut shells is used by many traditional medicine practitioners across the world to treat soft tissue diseases and certain skin infections. By absorbing germs from your wounds, activated charcoal can display an antibiotic effect and help heal your skin.

• Works on armpit blackheads - Your underarms, like the rest of your skin, can develop blackheads as a result of comedones obstructing the pores. An activated charcoal mask will unclog your pores and lessen the look of filth and bacteria-filled hair follicles since a blackhead is simply blocked up oil that has been coloured by oxidation.

• Takes out toxins from hair follicles - Your underarms have a large number of hair follicles that can trap toxins in them as you sweat. Activated charcoal can help absorb those toxins and make the hair follicles in your armpits clean and toxin-free.