Confession – I drink coffee, tea and love a good (or average, I’m not fussy) red wine in winter. My love for pigmented drinks shows on my teeth, they’re yellowish and have some obvious-up-close stains.
I also have teeth that will not handle whitening products. They can say they’re kind to sensitive teeth but my teeth will still end up aching after a few uses with no whitening to be seen, so I was very excited to try this product, being natural I figured it had to better than the cheaper and more painful alternatives.
The packaging is pretty simple – a black pottle with a screw-top lid and a little lid under that, which you lift off to reveal what looks like finely milled soot. First tip – be careful opening the pottle up as the charcoal has the potential to fly everywhere and this stuff is black as black and has great staining potential.
I was lucky enough to have a spare unused toothbrush at home so I was able to use this to start the brushing process (there was no way I was going to mix this blackness up with my regular toothbrush).
I decided to make this part of my nightly routine so as to wash the coffee and tea drinking stains away. So I did as suggested, wet the toothbrush, dipped it into the pottle, picked up a little product (and you really don’t need much at all), bent waaaaaayyyyy over my basin and began to brush in circular motions for two minutes with my lips closed, or as closed as I could get them because when I got to the back of my teeth I had to open my mouth a little, which resulted in black splotches all over the basin. Let me tell you I’ve spent the last ten days taking great delight in my blackened teeth and with the Rorschach-style designs that have been created in my basic. Do the designs tell me I'm crazy? Crazy about this product!
Post brushing I rinsed with warm water a few times then brushed my teeth as normal, as I didn't like the lack of minty-fresh feeling in my mouth.
On the first use I saw that it made my teeth cleaner than usual, then it seemed to not do much more and the disappointment was real. Then all of a sudden it went into overdrive and I can now see a definite brightening and whitening of my teeth. It hasn’t dealt to the more ingrained stains, though to be fair I wasn’t expecting it too, but it has helped the overall surface and most importantly my teeth haven’t become painfully sensitive.
I’ve finally found a whitening product that works and doesn’t cause pain. Yes, it’s not the cheapest product out there, but it’s a heck of a lot more affordable than a whitening trip to the dentist. I think once combined with a good clean from a hygienist to deal to the darker stains I’ll have constantly sparkling pearlers in no time. Can’t recommend it enough, especially for those with sensitive teeth.
I was so stoked to be trying this product. We've all tried the fad toothpastes which promise pearly whites! I must say this product delivers fantastic results.
I must admit when opening the product you cant help but make one big fat mess it seriously looks like eye shadow pigment when its smashed or dropped. A harsh black pot of pigment. I was a little apprehensive and made sure I read the instructions which came with the product. Really really important. I am naturally a clumsy person, so upon first use it was unavoidable to make a mess.
So all you need to do is wet a toothbrush- I would recommend purchasing a new brush for this purpose only. You then dip the wet toothbrush into the pot and there we have one black tooth brush.
You need to pop it into your mouth and slowly move the brush over your teeth whilst keeping your mouth closed- this can be harder than what it seems. It's recommended to slowly brush the product all around your teeth for two minutes for effective results. Upon reading the ingredients charcoal's obviously a biggie, and it claims to have a pepperminty essence- all i could taste was charcoal- but if it was going to give me white teeth who was I to complain?
So the important thing is to spit directly into the plug whole- if you try and do anything fancy you are going to get one hot mess. And when I say mess I mean big fat black mess- everywhere. I highly recommend having a dark wash cloth close by for when you use the product for the first time.
You really do need to rinse the product off thoroughly- the great thing about charcoal is you sure know when you have removed it all. For one your smile is completely gruesome and black- and of course if it's not removed you can still taste it.
I found the most effective way to remove all residue was to rinse with water a few times-spit spit spit, then brush your teeth as normal afterwards followed by mouthwash. The first time I used it the product clung in between my teeth and gums- making me look like I had a bruised gum- so not sexy. But seriously persevere with this product its great!
I am a massive green tea drinker- and I honestly felt like i saw an instant difference from just one use, all the staining had gone! the more I've used the product the better its gotten- talk about giving your teeth a whole new lease of life!
A little bit of product goes a long way- total value for money right there my pot is going to last me ages! I've been doing my warpaint once a day and am loving the results- every day the improvements grow.
Tips: Don't leave the lid open for god sake- if you have pets lock them out of the bathroom. Mr.Bumbles my ginger maine coone managed to get his nose and paws into the pot....he looked like a little sooty cat! To limit the mess do not over dip your toothbrush into the pot- this will work greatly in your favour, less clean up time in the long run.
Most importantly- STICK WITH IT! keep going, be thorough read the instructions and you will have fantastic results.
Take before and after photos!