For centuries people have been using purifying and cleansing properties of clays. Clays are packed to the rafters with minerals and other ingredients that remove the excess oils and impurities from your skin leaving it soft and clean, which makes them the perfect option for your ongoing skincare regime.
Obviously, we all have varying skin types but don't dismay, there will be a most excellent choice of clay to suit your skin. Some of these beautiful clays are explained in more detail below so that you can determine which is best for you. This is not an exhaustive list.
Brazilian Clay
Brazilian clays come in a variety of vibrant shades which are due to the particular regions of Brazil from which the clays are sourced.
Most sought after is the beautiful purple clay. Its' beautiful shade is due to the very high content of magnesium. It also contains other beneficial minerals such as Titanium, Silica, Iron and Aluminum, and its reputed benefits are mostly anti-aging.
This rejuvenating magnesium rich clay is perfect for all skin types, but is especially popular with normal, dry or sensitive skin as it helps nourish and detoxify, eliminating wastes such as impurities, oils and dead skin cells.
French Green Clay
French Green Clay has a fine texture and it's commonly used for face masks. The light green color comes from plant matter (typically algae or chlorophyll) and iron oxides. It has an excellent array of trace minerals including (but not limited to) calcium, magnesium, silica, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, copper - this list goes on!
This clay is known for its terrific absorption properties, so it's best for those with oily skin.
Many of its qualities and topical benefits include drawing out impurities from the pores, exfoliating dead skin cells, toning and firming the skin, stimulating circulation, and helping to heal blemishes
Kaolin Clay
Kaolin, also known as China clay, is a naturally occurring porous, soft clay that is rich in the mineral, kaolinite. It is a very fine clay, which is excellent in helping to draw out excess oil or sebum from the skin as well as being a gentle exfoliating clay. Its most common colour is off-white, but it is also often mixed with other organic components to create other hues such as pink or green. Kaolin clay is particularly suited to oily, acne prone or combination skin types, and is brilliant as a face mask.
Rose Clay
This is a type of kaolin clay. Depending on where it is sourced, it may be a combination of white kaolin and red kaolin clays, producing the rose hue. The rose pink shade may also come from a naturally occurring iron oxide. It is rich in silica, magnesium, zinc, selenium and calcium, which have strong healing and anti-inflammatory properties. This gorgeous clay is reported to help stimulate blood circulation and improve skin tone. It has a fine texture and is suitable for dry or sensitive skin.
Rhassoul Clay
Really an awesome clay for both skin and hair. I have written the wonderful properties of this clay in my post on washing your hair. Please have a look at this post for all the information needed to decide on your mask. I love it and use it all the time.
Dead Sea Clay (mud)
Dead Sea clay is a greyish, green colour and is packed with essential minerals like potassium, magnesium, sodium, bromine, and calcium, all of which help to naturally moisturize, cleanse, and strengthen your skin. This amazing clay has an excellent exfoliating affect with the sodium content's ability to remove toxins from the skin and the high levels of calcium assisting to promote cell regeneration, while magnesium is maintaining proper amounts of moisture.
Dead Sea clay helps to promote blood flow and improve circulation to the skin’s surface which will result in a firm and balanced complexion. Dead Sea Clay is highly recommended for normal to oily skin.
Skin Type and Clay
While all clays have the most excellent benefits for skin (and hair), there will always be the most appropriate clay for your particular skin type.
For instance, if you have Dry to Normal skin then Rose, Kaolin or Brazilian clay might be your recommended options. Similarly, if your skin ranges from Normal to Oily, then Dead Sea, French Green or Brazilian clay would be better suited.
The Masks
If you are creating a mask for yourself, all you really need to do is add water to the clay and it will do its awesome best to make your skin feel wonderful.
If you wish to add further ingredients to your mask, I have added a few recipes to the File Share (free, but you have to access them through the Plans and Pricing section on the Home Page).
Some of these recipes are for one mask (you can always upsize for larger batches), and others include ingredients such as preservative so that you can make a good-sized batch, particularly if you propose to sell your created masks.
Dead Sea Clay Mask * Aloe Vera, Oatmeal & Rhassoul Clay Mask * Rhassoul Clay Mask * Rhassoul Hair Mask * Calendula & French Green Clay Mask * more to come
Leave a comment and let me know what you think, or if you have tried any of the mask recipes, I would be interested to know how they made your skin (or hair) feel.
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