Activated charcoal powder and toothpaste have been a bit of a fad as of late, therefore I decided to test out Caliwhite Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening Powder for you to see if it’s worth the hype (and your hard earned cash money).

As I’m sure like many of you, whiter teeth has always been a goal of mine. Saying that though, it’s not something I put a lot of emphasis on. Sure, I regularly brush my teeth with whitening toothpaste, but I don’t go all out and get teeth whitening treatments all that much. So, wouldn’t it be nice if there was an easy way to get those pearly whites without shelling out lots of money, or damaging our teeth?

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Charcoal Credentials

Like me, you’re probably wondering how a black substance could possibly mean whiter teeth. I know it’s strange but bear with me.

This specialized charcoal is made by burning coconut husks at very high temperatures to remove impurities and make the particles porous. This is how the charcoal becomes ‘activated’. Activated charcoal is like a sponge for positively charged ions, which can include plaque and materials that stain the teeth. That coupled with it’s abrasive properties, means it makes quite the natural teeth cleaning substance.

First Impressions

A biodegradable bamboo toothbrush is supplied with Caliwhite Activated Charcoal. The bristles contain binchotan (bink-o-tan), which is another form of charcoal. So it’s double the absorption, anti- bacterial, BPA-free and eco-friendly. Win, so far. The brush is also cruelty free, meaning no animal products are used in its production. As opposed to boar-bristle toothbrushes that are another bio-degradable alternative, but not cruelty free as you would expect.

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There is quite a lot of charcoal powder in the 60g tub, considering the powder is very lightweight. I adore the packaging, with the use of black, white, blues and greens. The wording on the label is minimal but uses icons to express a lot of information, which is very contemporary. There you have some of the reasons why this brand caught my eye: it has a luxurious look to it (black packaging), the Caliwhite are really owning that colour combo, and they’ve even branded the toothbrush. The devil is in the detail.

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Ingredients

The Ingredients are as follows:

• Activated Charcoal from Organic Coconuts
• Sodium Bicarbonate (to neutralize acids produced by bacteria, also abrasive)
• Natural Peppermint Flavor
• Stevia (to sweeten)

I can appreciate that Caliwhite opted to flavour the charcoal with peppermint. Have you ever tried to brush your teeth with unflavoured activated charcoal? It tastes horrible! I’ve done this a few times using activated charcoal supplement capsules. I tried opening and pouring the contents onto my toothbrush for a quick tooth whitening boost. It works in a pinch but I don’t recommend doing it all the time.

Stevia is a natural sweetener but I have no idea why it is in the mix. I like many sweet things- cakes, my coffee, maple syrup on my french toast – but teeth cleaning products is not one of them! I would have preferred if Caliwhite just straight up flavoured this with peppermint.

How (not) to use Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening Powder

My teeth are naturally off-white, and I drink a lot of black tea so I was excited for these results. After I watched the video instructions indicated on the packaging, I decided it was time for me to dive right in.

I learned the hard way that this stuff is messy! Perhaps I used a little too much first time around, but that’s why we try things right? It splashed on the mirror, my hand, my face, my t-shirt and the bathroom sink. Okay, I told myself, next time I should use a little less powder.

After that initial brushing (and charcoal catastrophe), I had visible smudges of charcoal between my teeth and gum line. No mater how much water I used to rinse, it just didn’t come off. Even mouthwash didn’t clear it, but at least my teeth felt very clean.

A word of caution: if you’re using this for the first time, only use a very small amount on the toothbrush, and don’t try it before you leave for work or an important meeting. You WILL (probably) make a mess.

As I mentioned before, I didn’t like the taste of peppermint sweetened with stevia. As this powder is not meant for long-term use but as a occasional oral detox, I guess it’s okay. Still not my favourite flavour though, but oh well.

And of course we can’t ignore that there’s something satisfying about smearing this sooty substance over your teeth. The reaction I got from my other half when I showed him my black ‘witchy’ smile, was priceless!

Results

After 7 days of brushing once in the morning and once in the evening with Caliwhite Charcoal Teeth Whitening Powder, I think my teeth have whitened only a small amount. I referred to a teeth whitening chart from my dentist, and I think I can see a lighter result. What do you think?

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Conclusions

I learned several things from this experience: No matter how careful you are, charcoal powder will get everywhere, a little goes a long way, and this for me, was not the ticket to a dazzlingly white smile.

My expectations were high, but I now see that because I don’t have naturally white or professionally whitened teeth beforehand, then this didn’t work for me as a teeth whitener. It was more of a stain remover. Sure, it might be a great alternative to fluoride toothpaste, but as far as teeth whitening is concerned, it just didn’t give me the results I desired. Brushing twice daily with this, also means cleaning your sink twice daily as well. Not great when you’re rushing off to work.

I don’t think this was worth the money, when normal, run-of-the-mill toothpaste does the same job. But perhaps it is a great alternative from a vegan, waste minimising, environmentally conscious point of view.

To sum up see below for my take on Caliwhite Activated Charcoal Powder:

If you want to try this for yourself, click the link below where you will be magically teleported to Amazon so that you can make a purchase:

Thanks for your attention this far! Don’t forget to check out my other reviews at foxglovereviews.com/review