Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening

Blackening your teeth to a whiter smile!

Ok, I’m going to be completely honest here.   

I am not a big fan of my smile… even though I love to do it!

My opinion of it isn’t as bad as it used to be, but it’s still there none the less.

The nerves to my front tooth were damaged at one point and now it has a yellow tint.  My teeth aren’t pearly white, but that one always sticks out like a sore thumb.  For the longest time it made me so self-conscious, but now I’m too comfortable with myself to care.

However, I am always chasing after the proverbial whitening care.  I use whitening toothpaste, but my teeth always stay the same.  The gunk on the white strips annoy me, plus the cost is outrageous. 

This is why a comment I received on my Charcoal Face mask post really got my attention.  This person used activated charcoal to clean and whiten their teeth. 

I admit that I have seen this before, but with all my issues about wanting whiter teeth, the thought about brushing black powder all over them was a little terrifying.  However, this person swore by it and the great results that they got.  With a shrug and a deep breath, I tried it out.  I couldn’t be happier.  My teeth look and feel amazing.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Activated Charcoal
Small Bowl
New Toothbrush
Water

That’s it!

There’s no need for any harsh chemicals added with it.  It works just fine on its own.

I used two activated charcoal pills and pulled them apart to dump the powder in the small bowl. 

**Yes, it gets messy.  Even after doing this numerous times, I still get black all over my fingers.**

Grab your toothbrush. 

**The charcoal doesn’t fully come out of the brush when rinsed afterward, so you will want a new toothbrush or one that you don’t plan on using again for everyday brushing.**

Rinse your toothbrush with water, then place it in the charcoal.  The water will help adhere the charcoal to the brush.

Start brushing your teeth like normal.

**When reading up on this, I saw that someone suggested to not breathe in through your mouth while doing this so you don’t choke down the powder.  I didn’t have a problem, but I could see how someone might.  Good advice!**

Keep brushing. 

If you think you need more charcoal, place the brush once again in the small bowl and continue brushing.

Once you’ve brushed every last part of your teeth, multiple times, let it sit for a minute.

Rinse.

Rinse some more.  It will take a lot of rinsing to get all the black off. 

I recommend using your normal toothbrush and toothpaste to get the remaining black residue off your teeth.  This will also help with the little bit that’s hard to get from the crevices in between your teeth and gums. 

You should notice a difference right away.

Two weeks after I tried this, I had a dentist appointment and wanted his take on this whole thing.  He told me that he had never read any studies on it, but has heard of the health benefits from charcoal in the past.  He didn’t see anything wrong with it, and even the dental hygienist commented on how good my teeth looked and how little she had to clean.

**Side note: I was told very firmly to never use anything acidic (lemon, etc.) on my teeth and gums, natural or otherwise.  Those will damage your mouth more than help it.**

Some things you need to know before trying:

• This gets messy! Not just the breaking open of the pills.  There is splatter from brushing and the gigantic mess from rinsing.  It’s inevitable, but also easy to clean when all is said and done.

• I don’t recommend doing this every day or every other day.  I know that after one time my gums were a little sore for a couple of days, but quickly went back to normal.

With those things in mind, I hope you try this out for yourself and let me know what you think.

I was happy with my results, and definitely plan on doing it again. I’m thinking once every couple of months to stay on top of keeping them looking nice.

So far I have used activated charcoal as a peel off face mask, and now as a teeth whitener.  What other things have you used activated charcoal for, and what did you think of the results?

Comment below to let me know!

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!!

Organizing Life with Binders

Another school year has begun, and it’s as if the dust has just started to settle from a 3 month long tornado. The inside of all my cabinets felt the wrath… Even I slacked off on trying to keep things organized. 

Teachers have students bring binders to school to stay organized.  Why not take a play from their book and try it out at home?

So far, I have used binders for two things that had otherwise became clutter in my home, and it has already made life so much easier.

First off... My Sports Binder

Anybody that has been paying attention, has noticed that a big part of our lives revolve around our children’s athletics.

Over the years, my kids have been in numerous sports, and every time we purchased the pictures they offered. 

It’s great to look back and see how much they’ve grown.  However, there got to be so many, I was slipping them in random folders and drawers, “for the time being.”  They went from nostalgic to a nuisance.

I finally had enough!  I went to the store and bought:

A Binder
Subject Dividers
Letter Sized Sheet Protectors
4x6 picture Sheet Protectors
Fun Stickers (optional)

Once I had everything, it was all about putting it together. 

I used the subject dividers to separate the kids.

I organized the seasons by date, so when you flipped through, you watched the kids get older. The letter sized protectors were for their team and individual pages.  Then the 4x6 protectors were for any single shots that we still had left over.

After all was said and done, I had a great place to put all of the kids’ sports photos that kept them safe and made it easily accessible for whomever wanted to look at them.

Coupon Binder

If you are anything like me, this is one of the hardest things to keep organized.  You cut out a coupon, stick it in a drawer or your purse/wallet, and then forget about it until it has long since expired.  Then there’s the hassle of flipping through your stack in the store isles to see exactly what you have, or shuffling through store ads to see what deals are out there.

I’d thought about making one of these in the past, but never did.  It felt a little embarrassing to me, thinking that people would judge me as if I were advertising the fact that I needed to use coupons.  That ship has sailed!!  I have long since learned the error of my ways!

Let me tell you… when you have a family of 6, and we all need food, clothes, medicine, and personal items, you need all the help you can get, including (and not limited to) coupons.  This binder has made shopping so much easier and not as stressful.

What I used:

A Binder   
Subject Dividers
Trading Card Protectors

**My subject dividers are the ones with a pocket in the front.  I found this helpful in the store to keep track of the coupons I was planning on giving to the cashier.**

I used the subject dividers to separate the types of coupons. My labels are:

Breakfast, Snacks, Meats & Cheeses, Dinners, Drinks, Laundry & Cleaning, Personal Items, and Misc.

Using the trading card protectors, I organized the coupons.  If I had two of the same one, placed them in the same pocket but made sure the one with the earliest expiration date was on top.

Finishing off the binder… At the back, I used a letter sized sheet protector, left over from the Sports Binder (mentioned above), and placed restaurant and fast food coupons inside.

 

Then making sure to switch them out every week, I slip the shopping ads in the front pouch.

I was then ready to do some shopping.

I have had so much success with this so far, there’s no telling what other things will soon be organized in binders.

Have you used binders to make your life easier in any way?

What other ways have you used to stay organized?

Comment below to let me know!

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!!