Beloved readers, my skin care regimen would be incomplete without Bentonite clay.
Why Bentonite clay instead of the other popular clays out there? Behold:
“Bentonite clays are essentially a molecule of Silicon, Aluminum and Oxygen. Before you get all jumpy about aluminum, understand that these are the three most common elements in the earth’s crust. Mother earth’s “skin” is made up of:
When silicon is combined with aluminum and oxygen, they tend to generate an electrical charge on the surface of the crystalline lattice. The cumulative power of that charge is directly proportional to the total surface area of the crystal. And shockingly, Bentonite clays, due to their Montmorillonite content have an unbelievably enormous surface area.
If the total surface area crystals in one gram of the really fine Bentonite clay material (like ION-MIN® montmorillonite) were exposed, it would cover a football field! The amount of electrostatic charge on such a compound is simply tremendous.”
What’s the point? It turns out that nearly all heavy metals and most pathogenic organisms are oppositely charged. Bentonite clay is negatively charges (anionic; pronounced “an-eye-on-ic”) and pathogens are positively charged (cationic, pronounced “cat-eye-on-ic”). And according to simple physics, opposite charges in nature attract. So Bentonite clay nanoparticles stick to pathogenic compounds and heavy metals like flypaper to flies. This is called adsorption (with a “d”).
When this happens (and in this case a lot of the “flypaper” is much smaller than the “fly”), the harmful substance is smothered and can be eliminated by natural body processes. This detoxification can happen in the blood, on cells such as skin or liver, and in the colon.
This property is not manifested in other clays like Kaolin. The ionic drawing power of most other clays is too weak to pull detox duty.
Calcium Bentonite clay has a slight swelling capacity and can be mixed with water and oils to create various kinds of preparations from drinks to pastes to masks or slippery massage substances. Plus it tends to have a good balance of minerals, and a moderately high pH value.*“
In short:
This stuff is good skin Mojo! Baa!
For my face, my recipe is simple:
- Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar. The only one that goes in and on my body. It is the highest quality, organic, vinegar you can find and includes “the Mother” strain in it, to give you all of AVC’s amazing health benefits.
-Bentonite Clay
That is it!
I mix equal parts clay and vinegar, which magically puffs and fizzles into an airy, LUXURIOUS mousse! It spreads like a charm and vacuums all the not-so-awesome out of each and every pore. Better still, you can use it on your body as well as your hair.
I DO have to make a note of a few things, with this clay.
You will read it on the tub it comes in: it DOES pulsate.
Yes, PULSATE.
With every heartbeat.
It will leave your face red for about 20-30 minutes after wards, so do not do it right before a big date.
It will cement your expression in place like Botox. This can be hilarious. It can also be uncomfortable, particularly if you spread this on your eyebrows (DON’T!!). DO NOT PUT IT AROUND YOUR EYES!
It may making popping sounds or crackle on your face, depending upon how thickly you spread your mask. The thicker it is, the stronger it will be. This is normal, though a bit unsettling.
I went for a 1/2″ thick mask (The BIG treatment) myself, being a glutton for punishment. I scared my little, golden self silly the first time it popped! Now I keep to 1/8″ and 1/4″ thick masks.
Those pseudo-discliamers may have you nervous, beloved readers, but this is hardly a trial.
A light smear on your T-Zone or whole face, left to dry for twenty minutes and washed off, will have you jaw-agape before your mirror saying: IS THAT MY NOSE!? THAT IS MY NOSE! LOOK AT MY SEXY NOSE!!
Or something to that effect.
Doubly-awesome: You get anywhere from several months to a year’s worth of treatments, depending on how you use it, for about $6!! Spa-quality results for pennies a treatment! Egads, I love natural remedies!
I do use the brand pictured above (please Google for a variety of vendors online, it can also be found at certain Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s stores). ANY 100% PURE BENTONITE clay will work.
I have TWO IMPORTANT TIPS for you, beloved readers, in closing:
1. MIX THIS WITH PLASTIC OR CERAMIC UTENSILS ONLY!
2. If you mix this with water, it will be a lumpy, sticky, gooey mess. Vinegar, even if it is not Apple Cider Vinegar (it does not have to be Bragg’s brand of AVC), is still better than water. If you use water, try to use distilled water.
*Source: http://www.californiaearthminerals.com/science/clay-minerals-research.php?16
I’ve heard people talk about this clay before, but I was never sure how to use it! Thanks for your post. I was wondering – does this help get rid of acne, or does it mainly minimize pores? And should you not use it if you have broken skin/a cut?
I responded to your comment with a post. The answer will be under the Q & A Taglist, if you miss it on the homepage with your screen name in the title. Thank you, for stopping by! ^_^
Dearest Golden One, do tell… how often do you suggest this be used on you face and hair? At present, I am using a calcium mask from my spa once or twice a week and it does work well. However, it is quite costly. The Bentonite will be a dream come true in a all departments if I could replace the calcium mask with this.
Thanks so much,
Lori
I responded to your question with a post. It will be under the Q & A Tag, with your screen name as the title, in my Taglist if you miss it on the homepage. Thanks for commenting! ^_^
Question for you please….
Water or VINEGAR?
The action of the clay is extremely dependent on the ph level of the raw powder being 9.7 ( alkaline) adding water keeps the ph at 9.7 adding vinegar or lemon juice ( as I have seem) drastically changes the ph to be much more acidic… And no web site addresses what would happe
.. It cant be JUST vinegar makes the masque ” moussey” IE creamy to apply and the water makes it lumpy and thick.
Any info? Because Im
Not a stranger to chemistry or geology … I cant understand what the difference is because it MUST be drastic just due to
the change of ingredients.
Thank you,
Alex ( andra)
Chicago
IL
I responded to your question here. Baa!
Dearest LGL,
Alas, the video tutorial you mention on how to use Bentonite clay on hair is a dead link
But what I meant to ask in general is, what would you say are the benefits (on hair and on skin) of a bentonite based mask? How do you mix it and use it? Because I see it doesn’t do very well with water
Thanks so much! xx
Thank you for bringing this to my attention! I answered your question here. Baa!