Buy or Bye: Carbon Coco
Carbon Coco is an Australian company that sells all-natural teeth whitening products. They're also a company that has been all over my Instagram and Facebook, drawing me in with their pretty girls with black teeth, convincing me that I want black teeth as well.
Fifteen years of a beloved coffee addiction has turned my “pearly whites” into “don’t wear red lipstick” teeth. Over the past few years, I have professionally whitened my teeth three times and never had results beyond a lifting of one shade. While the results were always disappointing, it was the sensitivity that drove me insane. The prices usually sucked too.
Carbon Coco is all-natural and inexpensive, so I decided to give it a try. Before I begin, allow me to digress for a moment - all of the products I mention below claim to promote good oral health. I am not a medical professional and cannot actually speak to any of those claims. My intentions with this post are to tell you whether I personally found the products effective and whether I would buy again or say bye to it. Also, I purchased these myself because I'm not popular enough to get free stuff and I love a good Instagram-famous product. Digression over, let's continue.
There are four products from the line that I purchased:
Activated Charcoal Tooth Polish - $29.95
Activated Charcoal Toothpaste - 2 for $29.95
Toothbrush with Bamboo Bristles - $4.95
14 Day Organic Oil Pulling Spearmint - $26.95
There are bundles that are less expensive than buying the products individually. I purchased the Ultimate Carbon Kit which came with the paste, the polish, and the toothbrush for $49.95. I later purchased the oil pulling kit at full price, but could have received all four items for $64.95 if I had bought the Complete Carbon Kit. They often have coupon codes, so keep an eye out for those.
Here is the breakdown for each product and my thoughts on each:
Activated Charcoal Tooth Polish
You can't tell from the picture below but there is super fine powdered activated coconut shell charcoal inside that container. You dip your wet toothbrush into the powder and it turns into an abrasive paste that polishes your teeth. Your smile will turn black from the charcoal, but do not fear, it rinses away.
After using the product once, I saw results! It makes sense because the powder is essentially exfoliating your teeth and removing some of the surface stains. I was really impressed! I've used the powder about three times a week for the past two months and I can't say that my teeth have whitened much more since that first use - but, I definitely feel like I'm preventing my daily cups of coffee from adding further stains to my teeth.
I use the powder after my normal brushing and flossing, and use the Carbon Coco Toothbrush only for the charcoal products. I would definitely recommend having a dedicated toothbrush specifically for charcoal use only.
My only complaints are that the powder can make a mess and bits of powder can get trapped around your gum line. Because of that, I would not recommend using this in the mornings - only at nights. Getting the super fine black powder on your face or clothes before you leave for work can be awkward. As for the gum line issue, brushing with their bamboo toothbrush and charcoal toothpaste afterwards helps me to get rid of any of the stuck charcoal powder.
Pros:
You see results after the first use.
It polished away surface stains.
No smell or taste.
Great for scaring partner with a black smile.
Cons:
Powder can get stuck around gum line.
Does not appear to work on deep stains.
Makes a mess.
BUY or BYE?
I dig it, so I say BUY!
Activated Charcoal Tooth Polish - $29.95
Note: They recently released a tooth polish with Sweet Mint flavoring for $5 more. I have not used the product but I am super curious to see if it actually does have a taste.
Activated Charcoal Toothpaste
This toothpaste is the color of my soul - black. The moment you start brushing with it, it turns light grey and is really foamy and minty! Honestly, I really couldn't tell you if this toothpaste is any better than other toothpastes, but I use it immediately after using the powder and it helps to get rid of all the product that did not rinse away. Plus, it’s a good second step in attacking the stains on your teeth.
Pros:
Minty and foamy.
Fluoride free (if that is something that is important to you).
Cons:
Pricey for toothpaste.
BUY OR BYE?
Eh, it's your choice. If you order this a la carte, you get two for $29.95 and that is a lot for toothpaste. If they brought the price down to around $8 each, I would definitely say BUY so you could use in conjunction with the powder.
Activated Charcoal Toothpaste - 2 for $29.95
Bamboo Charcoal Toothbrush
While the toothbrush looks simple and basic, it has bamboo embedded in every bristle and it's really soft and does not shed. It is included with a few of the bundles and only costs $4.95 if you buy it separately.
PROS:
Durable.
Affordable.
Soft.
CONS:
Not something I would use to replace your regular daily toothbrush.
BUY OR BYE?
Buy. It's cheap, it works, it doesn't shed.
Toothbrush with Bamboo Bristles - $4.95
Organic Oil Pulling Kit
Note: If you're unfamiliar with oil pulling, I would suggesting doing a bit of research first. I am not going to explain the benefit claims, the history, or the weird controversy around it - but it's definitely worth looking into before you proceed. Some claim it’s good for you, others claim it’s terrible - make your own decision after educating yourself.
Carbon Coco has this 14 Day kit with pre-measured sachets containing coconut oil and peppermint flavoring. For convenience purposes, I give them two thumbs up on their packing. You can easily tear the top off the sachets to squeeze the contents into your mouth without making a mess.
This was my first ever attempt at oil pulling and I have to say, I AM NOT A FAN. Swishing the oil around my mouth for at least five minutes has been really hard to do. My jaw gets exhausted and it makes me want to puke when I spit it out - which you can't do down a drain because it's oil, so you have to find another solution for disposing of it. An entire sachet was WAY too much and it would kill my cheeks from having so much liquid in my mouth for minutes. The oil mixes with your saliva and you end up with twice the amount of liquid being swished around. I had to use only half a packet and after two weeks, I still wanted to gag every time. No, I wasn't swallowing any of it it. I'm not sure if it is the peppermint flavoring, which barely tastes like peppermint, that made me want to gag - but after two weeks of trying, I'm throwing in the towel.
Pros:
Convenient packaging.
Cons:
Makes me want to puke when spitting it out.
Aches my cheeks and jaw.
Really expensive for simple coconut oil.
Buy or Bye?
BYE. If you really want to oil pull, buy yourself unrefined organic coconut oil from your local store and save your money.
14 Day Organic Oil Pulling Spearmint - $26.95
SUMMARY
If you buy the Ultimate Coco Kit and use a coupon code, the products and the price point rocks! I've noticed my teeth are a bit lighter than before I started and that's great since the products are all-natural and don't cause any sensitivity. I plan to keep using the powder, the toothpaste, and the toothbrush - and plan to never ever oil pull again. Ever.