The clay mask: a natural facial treatment

 

The Clay Mask

The Clay Mask

Purifying, nourishing, regenerating: clay is a beauty asset with multiple virtues. To ensure that your homemade clay mask is adapted to your skin, discover the different clays and their colors. On your masks, ready, go!

Clay, a naturally beneficial soil

Natural cosmetic, clay is plural: it comes in different forms and in different colors. Choosing your clay well means adapting the treatment to your skin type.

Clay and its virtues

Clay is a soil also called "loam". Rich in silica and many other minerals, it comes from the erosion of certain hard rocks. There are actually different varieties of clay but certain virtues are common to all .

The common virtues of clays

The many properties of clay make it a valuable cosmetic and natural treatment. For the skin, it is:

  • detoxifying  : clay is able to absorb the skin's sebum and capture impurities and toxins.
  • remineralizing  : clay provides the skin with minerals that are useful for its proper functioning, such as magnesium, zinc, calcium and iron. It rebalances the epidermis.
    regenerating: it soothes skin irritations and promotes skin renewal. The clay mask hydrates the skin as long as it contains enough water. On the contrary, dry clay dehydrates the skin: do not let the clay dry on the face. Highly absorbent, clay damages the lipid (fat) film that protects the skin, which is why it is necessary to restore this barrier after a mask (see below).

In addition to these common virtues, each clay is differentiated by specific virtues.

Specific virtues of clays: which clay for which skin?

Each type of clay has its own specificities and is more suited to certain skin types. Clays come in different colors:

  • Green clay  : highly mineralized, it absorbs and detoxifies more than other clays. It is an ideal solution for oily and acne-prone skin. Montmorillonite green clay is more versatile than illite green clay. Richer in minerals, particularly silica and magnesium, it is more suitable for cosmetic treatments for its superior remineralizing and detoxifying actions. Illite green clay, much more absorbent, is more suitable for poultices.
  • White clay :  also called kaolin , it is rich in silica and alumina. Very pure, it regenerates the skin and prevents skin aging. White clay is suitable for all skin types, especially the most sensitive.
  • Red clay :  its high iron oxide content stimulates cell regeneration. On the face, it is not used alone but rather in the form of a clay mixture (see pink clay below).
  • Pink clay :  it does not exist in its natural state and is the result of mixing red clay and white clay. Rich in iron oxide, silica, and many other minerals, it is regenerating and accelerates cell renewal. Pink clay gives a healthy glow: it is ideal for dry and mature skin, as well as irritated skin.

The different presentations of clays

In commerce, clay can come in different forms:

  • in crushed pieces , especially for the preparation of poultices;
  • in ultra-ventilated or superfine powder;
  • in ready-to-use paste .

Ultra-ventilated powder or paste clays are perfect for cosmetic use because they are easy to use. Ready-to-use paste has a shorter shelf life than dry clay.

Clay mask, a natural facial treatment

To enjoy the benefits of natural clay, you can make your own treatment at home. The clay mask is ideal for purifying and regenerating the skin on your face.

Make your own clay mask at home

At home, you can enrich your clay mask with natural active ingredients . Vegetable oils and floral waters are the ideal candidates to enhance your face. It is possible to incorporate both types of active ingredients into the same clay mask. On the wise advice of a health professional trained in aromatherapy, it is also possible to add a few drops of essential oils .

For ease of use, there are ready-to-use masks available in pharmacies that combine the powers of plant-based active ingredients with the virtues of clay.

Vegetable oils

Vegetable oils are real treasures for your skin. To benefit from their virtues, you can incorporate a few drops into your clay mask before applying it. This more nourishing mask will also promote skin hydration by preventing the water in the epidermis from evaporating. Masks with vegetable oils are gentler on the skin since they are more respectful of the skin's protective hydrolipidic film.

Argan oil for dry skin, borage oil for mature skin, jojoba oil for oily and acne-prone skin or apricot kernel oil for all skin types... you will choose the vegetable oil that suits you best! Read our article on vegetable oils to find out more.

Floral waters

Floral waters are your allies to soften, soothe or tone your skin. Mixing them with your clay mask also allows you to improve the radiance of your complexion and illuminate your face.

For oily skin, witch hazel water is ideal: purifying, it tightens pores. Rose water or cornflower water restores radiance to dull and tired skin. Softening, orange blossom water soothes tight skin.

How to apply a mask on the face

The mask is a treatment to be practiced with restraint: 2 times a week is a maximum. The mask is distributed on the areas to be treated in a thick layer, avoiding the eye area where the skin is too sensitive. After leaving it on for 5 to 10 minutes , rinse with clean water before the clay is dry. You can remove any residue on the skin using a damp washcloth.

After a purifying mask with green clay in particular, it is necessary to apply a face cream or a suitable vegetable oil. These restore the skin's protective hydrolipidic film and promote skin hydration.

Multi-masking with clay, a more targeted treatment

The different areas of the face do not all have the same skin characteristics. The T zone (lower part of the forehead, nose, wings of the nose, chin) often tends to be oilier than the rest of the face for example. The oval of the face or the wrinkles on the forehead will be more marked by age.

Multi -masking responds to this diversity: it is a treatment which consists of applying several types of clay on the same face to best adapt to the skin's problems.

For example, we could target on the same face:

  • the T-zone, which tends to be oily and has dilated pores, with a purifying mask with montmorillonite green clay;
  • the cheeks and the oval of the face with the application of a moisturizing mask with pink clay for a healthy glow and regenerating effect, as well as on the forehead to fight against the signs of aging.
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