People have been using clay for centuries to improve the health of their skin and hair. Although most of the evidence to back the use of clay masks is anecdotal, several studies (not to mention my own personal experience) have found that these masks may be effective. It’s thought that these masks have several benefits, like absorbing excess oil, helping manage dry skin, and preventing acne.
Clay facial masks are made up of one of several types of clay, such as kaolin or bentonite. Clay has a natural ability to absorb oil from your skin and prevent mild forms of acne, such as pimples, blackheads, and whiteheads.
The best part is that because clay is readily available so, they are super cheap and make for the best beauty step in your beauty regime.
So let’s see why Ayurdeva thinks that a good clay mask can be a beauty aficionado’s best friend.
Through the course of the day, your skin encounters many pollutants, such as dirt, oil, dust, and many other impurities that can accumulate on your skin, clogging the pores leaving them enlarged giving a rough look to the skin. When these aren’t dealt with properly & regularly, it may lead to a breakout in the foreseeable future.
It is the primary reason that exfoliation is recommended to be carried out regularly to keep your skin clean and get rid of any pollutants that might want to stick around. So, one of those days, when you feel your skin isn’t glowing like it used to, grab a clay mask and treat your skin to some.
When you are younger, your skin cells regenerate every 28 days. The skin gets rid of dead cells and new cells come on. As you age, this process slows down to 40, 50, or even 60 days. This leaves the skin dull and lifeless. Exfoliating helps to get rid of dead cells. Clay naturally absorbs oil and impurities.
Using a clay mask for a mere ten minutes multiple times a week may significantly help your skin health and leave it looking bright and fresh.
If you struggle with oily skin then a clay mask is the answer to your prayers. The detoxifying abilities of clay can help give your skin a matte texture, and that is what everyone with oily skin prays for.
The clay mask can help absorb the excess oil on your skin – essentially, this reduces the amount of excessive shine you may struggle with. You can sit back and relax; rest assured this won’t be a problem any longer.
Even if you have great clear skin, your skin, being the largest organ of your body, still needs a tad bit of care – that care presents itself in the form of moisture. Your skin is a sucker for moisture.
If you’ve ever experienced dry, scaly skin that may have an ashy appearance, then maybe your skin needs moisture. Lucky for you, clay masks can help with that, too.
However, it is important to note that this is specific to a few variants of clay; some types of clay can oil so well that it can hinder dryness.
While it may seem redundant still relevant, to say the least, this is a point that is never emphasized enough – allowing the build-up of debris on your skin can cause your skin to become rough, and your pores to enlarge.
Larger pores mean more accumulation of oil, which can, in turn, make an environment perfect for nurturing bacteria and eventually result in breakouts and skin that is more prone to acne. The use of clay masks can help avoid all this and make your skin less prone to acne.
Hydrated clay can also play a significant role in regulating microscopic life on your skin. When applied to your skin and left to dry, the clay binds to the bacteria and takes the dead bacterial cells down when you wash them.
It not only cleans your skin surface but, once it unclogs your pores, it allows for more oxygen to be in contact with living skin cells. This increased amount of oxygen can be beneficial to the skin tissue and aid in the rejuvenation of the cells. It has an overall positive impact on circulation and results in healthier skin.
Sebum is secreted naturally by our skin; it is an oily substance to ward off dryness. But, in many cases, as our immune systems are hyper-activated or the body is under tremendous stress, the body can over-produce sebum.
This excess sebum can result in the development of oily skin and consequently, acne, blackheads, whiteheads, and skin blemishes.
While treating the root cause of the overproduction must be done by adjusting diet and lifestyle, clay masks can help minimize the symptoms by soaking the excess sebum.
Clay masks have the lowest side effects when compared to other cosmetic products because they are completely organic and do not include any man-made chemical compounds that may irritate your skin.
It is a huge plus point when we consider the current ecosystem of skincare products, which are loaded with synthetic compounds, such as BPAs and parabens.
Various ingredients can be added to clay to give a customised treatment. For instance, if your principal concern tends to lean towards acne and associated blemishes and resulting dull skin, try using clay with activated charcoal, which in itself is very useful for this purpose. You could add hyaluronic acid if your concern is ageing skin or glycerine or honey if your skin needs some tightening.
One of the most potent clay varieties is bentonite, which is also the one used most commonly. Remember, though – since this is such a powerful cleansing agent, it can leave highly sensitive skin itching at contact. It has the strongest ability to detoxify the skin and draw out impurities. Only use this clay if you’re certain that your skin can handle this tough clay.
Rhassoul clay (or sometimes referred to as Ghassoul Clay) is an ancient clay from Morocco, which is excellent for skin and hair. It is relatively less potent than bentonite but is potent, nonetheless. Imagine its mechanism like that of a magnet. That attracts toxins, blackheads, sebum, and bacteria out of your skin. Rhassoul clay is gentle and will not have a drying effect on your skin.
Kaolin clay is undoubtedly for you if your skin is very demanding and can get irritated rather quickly. It is excellent for mild cleansing but isn’t as potent as the others. While there are hues of Kaolin clay, a general rule of thumb to these varieties of clay is that as the colour brightens, the potency of the clay increases.
Fuller’s Earth Clay or Multani Mitti as it is called in India is a particularly effective cleanser. The strong oil-absorbing abilities of the clay make it a useful ingredient in facial masks and can help combat skin oiliness and shiny complexions.
The clay can help improve your complexion and keep your skin fresh and invigorated.
So, if you’re having trouble with how your skin looks, make sure that you give clay masks a try and tell us if we missed something in the comments down below!
Kadhambari – Golden Glow Face mask
Our vision is to create nourishing skincare products that feed your skin, keep it healthy and make it easy for you to maintain gorgeous skin.
At AyurDeva we want to keep it simple. Simply speaking therefore we have tapped into Mother Nature’s vast resources to keep your skin beautiful all round the year.
When natural is not just an option and luxury remains a staple, turn to the kindand tender skin and hair care range from AyurDeva.
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