Clay-based Face Masks

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There are so many different ways to use and apply clay-based face masks!!  I want to share some of my favorite methods and encourage you to set aside a bit of time each month to nourish your face, help deeply cleanse the skin, and introduce herbs to your facial skin in a slightly different way.

Most clay-based face masks come 'dry' -- meaning you mix them with whatever liquid you prefer. This can feel a little daunting sometimes, how do you choose what kind of clay based mix to use and what to wet it with?  The answer totally depends on your type of skin and what your goals are. 

The two masks we offer are based around french green clay and rhassoul clay.  French green clay is best for oily skin as it's very drawing and absorbent.  Rhassoul clay is more mild in action, and more suited for drier skin types or sensitive skin.  It's very gently cleansing and exfoliating and encourages an increase of circulation to promote more blood flow and nourishment to the skin.  

Common hydrosols used for skin care are:

  • Chamomile ➳ great fro dry, aging, irritated or slightly inflamed skin.  It's very soothing and can help calm areas of irritation, redness, puffiness and is especially suited for sensitive skin.
  • Cucumber ➳ besides smelling awesome, this hydrosol is great for all skin types but especially for peri-menopausal or menopausal women.  Cucumber hydrosol is calming, cooling, and helps balance skin moisture (which aids in soothing the skin changes that can accompany this life transition).
  • Geranium ➳ another great hydrosol that is is suited for every skin type.  Geranium is one of my favorites and it's actions and abilities are so abundant!  It can help sooth inflammations, balances the skin tone and moisture content, and promotes cellular healing. 
  • Helichrysum ➳ also known as immortelle, this hydrosol is great for all skin types and is so incredibly healing.  It's especially suited for damaged, mature, oily or acne prone skin.
  • Lavender ➳ this hydrosol is as amazign as it's essential oil counterpart!  It helps alleviate areas of inflammation, soothes the skin, reduces fine lines and wrinkles by toning and astringing, and is overall healing and rejuvenating!  
  • Neroli ➳ if you haven't smelled orange blossom water, now's the time.  It's intoxicating.  This is a great hydrosol to choose if you have combination skin (areas of dryness and slightly more oily areas).  It helps balance the skin through boosting the flow of blood, making it great for those with a slightly duller or lusterless complexion.  
  • Rose ➳ this is my favorite hydrosol for dry skin (which I have an abundance of!).  It's incredibly hydrating, very mild, and promotes deep healing of the skin cells.

Honey is all around great and I like to add a little to the final mixture.  I've found that a pure honey mask is a little hard to smooth over my skin and that adding just a spoonful to my wet mask is the perfect balance.  Honey has so many skin enriching properties -- what can't it do!?  Seriously! 

I haven't dabbled in the world of using egg whites or yogurt -- for some reason the idea of putting either of those on my face makes my a little squirmy!  BUT!  There's lots out there in the internets world about their benefits for skin care, so if you're down with this and want more info, I encourage you to seek it out!  Green tea provides amazing antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties to the skin and can be a really sweet addition to summer-time masks.

I find that I also usually add a little bit of aloe vera gel to my masks when whipping them up.  This helps sooth and nourish dry skin and helps stimulates the growth of new cells aiding in cellular generation and healing.  It reduces itching as well, and just feels really great and like such a sweet treat to incorporate for skin health. 

So!  Now you have an arsenal of different things to choose from, mix and match.  Here's what I like to do:

  1. Get everything together with a spoon and small bowl.
  2. Add 1 spoonful of the clay mask to the bowl
  3. Add 1/2 spoonful of aloe vera gel
  4. Add 1/2 spoonful of your hydrosol (or other wetting agent)
  5. Add 1 tsp of so of honey
  6. Mix!!!
  7. Let sit for about 10 minutes before applying
  8. Apply to skin evenly and wait about 8-10 minutes.  Don't let the mask fully dry as then it begins to pull moisture back out from the skin, resulting in more dryness and damaging the cells.  When the mask just begins to feel dry to the touch, that's a good time to gently rinse with warm water.
  9. Apply your toner + face lotion!

Enjoy!  I'll look forward to hearing about some of your favorite combinations!!