Cosmetic clays are an amazing ingredient for natural skin care products. What makes them so amazing??? They are versatile and they have so many beneficial properties for our skin.
Clays are high in mineral content which gives them active properties on the skin such as cleansing, detoxifying, drawing, exfoliating, healing, soothing, and toning. They are mined at specific depths in areas free from contamination and are sun dried in order to retain and enhance their healing properties.
The uses of clay in preparations to heal the skin is known as pelotherapy. Clays can be used in masks, poultices, absorbent powders, scalp treatments, and to colour soaps, bath salts and other skin care preparations.
There are a variety of clays available and the ones selected are generally based on the condition you are trying to address. Clays are generally available in the following colours which are due to their various mineral contents. This gives each clay type their unique healing properties.
Green – it is used in preparations such as face masks to help with tissue repair, to draw out toxins and calm inflammation. It is very useful in the treatment of acne.
Yellow – improves the condition of devitalised and tired looking skin.
Red – improves the condition of dry, sensitive and capillarised skin.
Pink – is cleansing and toning to the skin and is suitable for use on all skin types, especially skin losing its tone.
White – soothes and softens the skin and is suitable for all skin types. It has the gentlest drawing action of all the clays. This is the more common clay found in skin care as anyone can use it and yet still enjoy the benefits of cosmetic clay in their skin care regime.
So when choosing your next skin care product, have a look and see if it contains any clay. You will be surprised at how softening, soothing and clean it makes your skin feel. I didn’t believe the difference “dirt” could make to my regime until I started incorporating clay cleansers and clay masks into my skin care regime. Now I get it! I have Australian organic clay in all of my cleansers because I love how gentle it is on my skin and it doesn’t strip my skin of its natural oil protection barrier.
For those who have specific skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis, blemished and irritated skin etc, this is an ingredient you should really look into because it helps you keep your skin clean without drying it out and stripping your skin of its natural oils.
Give it a try today!
Manni V Manirath is the founder of Skindustrie Actives Pty Ltd. They specialise in vegan natural skin care products and educate on how to address common skin care issues. At you can get instant access to valuable information on vegan nutrition for the skin, natural skin care products and how to address skin concerns such as anti-ageing, acne prone and hyper-pigmentation using natural ingredients. Subscribe to their updates to be sure you receive the most recent information on how to take control of your skin using natural skin care ingredients. Lip stain