If you鈥檝e relegated charcoal to the backyard or the water filter, you鈥檙e missing out. The activated form, typically made from bamboo, is ultra-porous so it鈥檚 highly absorbent and makes quick work of oil, sweat, bacteria, and airborne funk鈥攁ll fixtures of warm-weather workouts. Here are five products to keep you clean this summer.
Boscia Konjac Cleansing Sponge with Bamboo Charcoal
The antithesis of clean: a musty-smelling washcloth, sponge, or pouf. Konjac sponges are an addictively scrubby, traditional Asian grooming tool made from their namesake plant鈥檚 starchy roots. This one from Boscia gets a skin-cleansing boost from bamboo charcoal that also helps it resist shower-dwelling microbes. Bonus: It gets skin clean without soap, too. $18,
Craftsman Soap Company Rough Stuff Exfoliating Bar
This soap looks tough鈥攁nd it is, with ground pumice, walnut shells, and coffee beans that slough off every last trace of that five-mile trail run. Some charcoal cleansers leave skin overly stripped, but Craftsman Soap鈥檚 blend includes olive, coconut, and avocado oils to keep things smooth. $6.50,
Morihata Binchotan Pumice Stone
Pumice stones are great for keeping calluses in check, which tend to harbor bacteria and fungus鈥攖he last things you want grinding against your feet. Morihata鈥檚 is actually made of polyurethane foam that鈥檚 been blended with ultrafine charcoal powder, so it fights irritating, odor-causing microbes while you scrub. $16,
Origins Clear Improvement Mask
Slim-cut, move-with-you athletic wear has huge performance advantages. The price, however, can be an unfortunate flare-up of backne鈥攐r its even more unsightly colleague, buttne鈥攁nywhere that seams or panels trap moisture long enough to clog pores. pairs charcoal with white clay to absorb oil and debris. Masks are usually a chore to use, but this one isn鈥檛: when you jump in the shower, just soap up and rinse off the affected area, smear on a thin layer, and let it work while you tend to other matters. By the time you鈥檙e ready for the final rinse, you鈥檒l be in the clear. From $17,
Mini Moso Charcoal Deodorizers
If you鈥檙e like us, you鈥檙e occasionally guilty of leaving sweat-soaked workout clothes to moulder for days in your gym bag, maybe excavating them for a spur-of-the-moment lunchtime run or yoga class. Believe us, then, that these tiny sachets work wonders. Toss a couple in your bag or stuff them in your sneakers and they鈥檒l absorb the brunt of BO and bacteria after even the most brutal CrossFit session. Just give them a few hours of direct sunlight once or twice a month and they鈥檒l be good to go for up to two years. $9.99 for two,