bamboo

Bamboo Charcoal – a phenomenon

Uses for Bamboo Charcoal

Bamboo Charcoal is a form of activated charcoal. It is highly porous and capable of adsorbing pollutants from both air and water. Note, the word “adsorb” is not a typo, we’ll cover what it means in more detail later in the article.

Activated bamboo charcoal has been pulverized and steamed giving it a wider surface area and enabling it to adsorb high volumes of bacteria, toxins and micro-particles

Bamboo charcoal is known in Japanese as “takesumi”(竹炭). 竹 is bamboo and 炭 is charcoal.

Why is Bamboo Charcoal useful?

It purifies water

The minerals in bamboo remove harmful substances and mineralize the water.

It absorbs moisture and controls humidity

Toss a small bag or a few pieces in places where you want to control humidity. This might include closets, show cupboards, the laundry and so on. Obviously it is particularly helpful for those who live in humid climates.

It eliminates odours and purifies the air

Bamboo Charcoal acts as a deodorizer as it is capable of adsorbing odours.

It has a range of skin and body care benefits including that it as:

  • an effective cleanser
  • it is an anti-fungal
  • highly effective in drawing out dirt, debris and toxins from your pores

Is using Bamboo Charcoal sustainable?

Absolutely. Bamboo Charcoal is made from the carbonised branches of Bamboo plants. Bamboo is actually a grass not a tree. It is also the fastest growing woody plant in the world. Once the branches are cut down to the stalks, bamboo is able to regrow from the existing root structure. This makes is a very sustainable and an environmentally friendly resource.

For those looking for a high quality activated charcoal and who seek skin and body care products that represent an ethical duty to our planet, then charcoal bamboo is for you.

Is Bamboo Charcoal safe?

Bamboo Charcoal is produced as “food grade” which has a legal definition meaning it is fit for human consumption. In simple terms this means that it doesn’t contain chemicals at concentrations that are deemed to cause harm.

Some people do ingest charcoal in variety of forms but we won’t get into that in this post. We would encourage you to contact your health professional before ingesting anything containing charcoal.

Here at Charcoal and Body we focus on products used on your skin. From time to time we also reference this form of charcoal being used around your home to adsorb odours, filter water etc.

How does Bamboo Charcoal work?

Bamboo is highly porous and capable of absorbing pollutants from both air and water via a process called adsorption (see below).

Adsorption or Absorption?

Let’s look at the difference between two words often used when discussion bamboo, aDsorption and aBsorption (thanks astralcollective.com!):

  • Absorption occurs when a fluid is dissolved into liquid or solid. An example would be soaking up spilt milk with a paper towel. Similarly, when we pass a nutrient or medication through tissue walls, such as the intestine.
  • Adsorption occurs when atoms, ions, molecules (otherwise known as really tiny stuff) form a substance that can range from gas to liquid. All those tiny particles become attached to the surface of the adsorbent, in this case the Activated Bamboo Charcoal. The charcoal grabs onto a toxin, or the built up dirt and oil in the pores of our skin. The charcoal is then removed when water is added, the debris with it. This is similar to how soap attracts the dirt on your hands, then is washed away when you rinse. It does not pass into our skin (absorption), therefore creating no further blockages that most skin cleansers can create.

Products We Like

moso air purifying bag
MOSO Natural Air Purifying Bag
herbivor botanicals cleansing soap bar
Herbivore Botanicals All Natural Bamboo Charcoal Face/Body Cleansing Soap Bar
konjac sponge
Konjac Sponge Activated Bamboo Charcoal Cleansing and Exfoliating Sponges

charcoalogy cleaser
Charcoalogy Bamboo Charcoal Purifying Facial Clay Cleanser

 

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