Alexandra Ramirez
What is Natural Skin Care?
In today’s day and age, the push is towards all things natural and healthy. We tend to think of this mainly in terms of what we put IN our bodies, but how about the things we put ON our bodies? Many of the body care and skin care products on the market are filled with harsh ingredients that seemingly help our skin in the short term but may be drying it out or damaging it long term. Most sensitive to all of this is the delicate skin on our faces. What can we do?
One way to halt the negative effects of chemicals is to go all-natural. There are many healing “products” which exist that are nothing more than one simple ingredient – products such as Coconut Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar and even Vitamin E. Interestingly, there is one such element that has been around throughout history that has largely been forgotten in recent times yet is now experiencing a resurgence. This amazing, healing product is Bentonite Clay.
Bentonite Clay Mask
Healing Clays have been around since the dawn of time. Ancient cultures often used healing clays such as Bentonite as a detoxifier during illness or distress. Even animals turn towards eating clay and dirt to remove toxins and heal themselves. Healing clays, including Bentonite, are made up of naturally occurring volcanic ash. The clay can help eliminate mineral deficiencies and is also able to bind to toxins to help flush them from your body. Bentonite Clay can also lower your body’s PH levels and some brands can even be taken internally to flush your internals of heavy metals.
One popular way to externally use a Healing Clay is to make a paste, or poultice, out of the fine, powdery clay material and bit of water. You then place the paste on your body like a mud pack, also known as a clay bath. Bentonite is a swelling clay so it will increase in size when you add water. As the clay dries on your skin you will feel your skin becoming tighter as the clay shrinks and dries. It commonly takes about 20-30 minutes for the clay to become dry enough and be ready to wash off. While the clay is on your skin (most commonly your face), an amazing event is happening. The hydrated Bentonite Clay produces a very mild yet undetectable negative electrical charge. This negative charge bonds to the positive charge of many toxins, allowing the clay to remove heavy metals, impurities, and chemicals from your skin – toxins that can cause side effects anywhere from muscle cramps to cancer to disease. Reading about this amazing process sounded so fascinating to me that I decided to try it at home.
Trying a Bentonite Clay Mask at Home
First off, I ordered some food grade Bentonite Clay online. I decided to go with food grade because I felt that somehow it would be even healthier for me and it also gave me the future option to investigate its internal uses.
When the clay arrived, I grabbed a bowl, rounded up my teenage daughter and set off to the bathroom sink. It took a bit of back and forth to get the proper consistency but we finally had it. I recommend using a spoon or fork to mix up the poultice. I’ve heard it’s best not to use metal. We tried using just our fingers but it was too difficult to get the clay fully mixed with the water.
Next was the application. Many of the online pictures show a beautifully smooth application of clay on people’s faces. Ours was thicker in some spots, thinner in others. I even had a big clump on my eyebrow! However, the clay got right to work and within 5 minutes we could feel our skin tightening. Not a bad feeling at all and somehow exciting knowing that we were detoxifying our skin.
After 30 minutes I went first and rinsed the mask off in the sink. I rinsed the majority off with just my hand and then used a wash cloth the get the rest. My skin was smooth as a baby! Same for my daughter. The mask even smoothed out the skin around her nose which is her teenage trouble spot. They say it can unclog and shrink pores and we definitely experienced that. It also exfoliates, so we followed up our masks with a light layer of coconut oil. Overall, we were both delighted with the experience.
Wrapping it up
The list of benefits to using Bentonite Clay, and clay masks in general, goes on and on. You can certainly find more information and read all about its wonders on the internet. We experienced softer skin with a lovely glow. It exfoliated, unclogged and diminished our pores. I’m currently looking forward to new ways to use my Bentonite Clay. I’ve read that you can moisten it with Apple Cider Vinegar to make a powerful yet natural exfoliating scrub. So, for now, I’m off……if you need me you can find me mixing up new poultice combinations at the sink.
