While charcoal might not be the first ingredient that comes to mind when considering hair care products, it’s quickly becoming a popular ingredient in many shampoos. Used mainly for its detoxifying properties, the presence of charcoal in shampoo can provide numerous benefits for your hair and scalp.
We’ll unpack the science and benefits of working charcoal into your hair care routine, and how it can help you achieve healthier, more voluminous hair.
5 Benefits of Charcoal Shampoo
With its unique properties, charcoal shampoo can do wonders for transforming your hair. Let’s explore some of the key benefits of incorporating it into your hair care regimen:
1. Deep Cleansing Action
Activated charcoal, with its high porosity and adsorption ability, can effectively remove build-up from your scalp and hair follicles. It draws out oils, toxins, pollutants, and other impurities that might have accumulated.
Even residues from other hair care products such as shampoos, conditioners, and hair sprays – which might not be entirely removed by regular shampooing – can be eliminated by charcoal shampoo. This results in cleaner, fresher hair with added volume.
2. Balances Scalp Oil
Just like how sebum oil plays a key role in your facial hair health, the same goes for your hair and scalp. Sebum oil helps in maintaining moisture and providing a protective barrier. However, too much of it can lead to oily hair and scalp, and even trigger dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis.
Charcoal shampoo helps to regulate sebum production. It effectively removes excess oil from the scalp without being overly harsh or stripping away the necessary moisture. The result – is a balanced scalp environment that can help to alleviate conditions associated with excessive oil production such as greasiness, itchiness, and dandruff.
3. Helps Reduce Dandruff
By effectively eliminating product build-up and oil, dandruff can also be significantly reduced. Dandruff is usually a result of an overgrowth of a yeast-like fungus called Malassezia, which thrives on oily scalps. By regulating sebum production and removing excess oils, charcoal shampoo can help create an environment that’s less conducive for this fungus to thrive, thus reducing dandruff.
So if you have a few stubborn flakes, and you don’t quite want to reach for the dandruff shampoo just yet, a charcoal shampoo might be a good first step.
4. Provides Voluminous Hair
Accumulated dirt and oil make your hair feel heavy, look dull, and matted down. However, after using a charcoal shampoo, your hair will feel lighter and free from the weight of product build-up or excessive oils. This effect can provide a significant boost in volume, giving your hair a more full-bodied, healthier appearance.
5. Enhances Overall Scalp Health
An unclean scalp can become a breeding ground for fungi and bacteria, leading to hair and scalp problems. Activated charcoal shampoo cleanses the scalp thoroughly, promoting a healthy scalp and, in turn, healthier hair growth.
Charcoal Shampoo and Hair Growth
While it would be nice, hair growth isn’t directly stimulated by charcoal shampoo. While it does create a cleaner, healthier environment for natural hair growth by unclogging hair follicles and reducing inflammation from irritants, it doesn’t have specific hair-growth-promoting properties like some other ingredients such as minoxidil or finasteride.
Application & Frequency of Charcoal Shampoo
Like any other hair care product, the application and frequency of using charcoal shampoo solely depend on individual hair type and scalp conditions.
Generally speaking, charcoal shampoo is safe for regular use, but if your hair is on the dry side, you might want to limit usage to once or twice a week. This is because charcoal can be drying, and while it is excellent at removing excess oils, it might strip too much oil from hair that’s already lacking in natural moisture.
For those dealing with oily scalps or a lot of product build-up, you might benefit from using charcoal shampoo a few times a week. However, it’s always recommended to observe how your hair responds and adjust frequency accordingly.
To use charcoal shampoo, wet your hair thoroughly, then apply the shampoo, working it into a lather. You need to leave it in for a couple of minutes to let the charcoal do its work, then rinse thoroughly. Follow with a conditioner, particularly if your hair is prone to dryness.
Activated Charcoal and Hair Color
There is a common misconception that activated charcoal shampoo can darken your hair. The reality is that activated charcoal does not contain any properties to alter the color of your hair. The dark color of the shampoo comes from the activated charcoal itself, but it will not affect the color of your hair.
So if you are fresh off of using Just For Men or any other type of hair dye, rest assured that your hair color will not be impacted by using charcoal shampoo. The focus of activated charcoal is on the cleansing and detoxification of your scalp and hair.