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Clay, a natural substance formed from volcanic ash, offers a multitude of beauty benefits across various areas, including the face, body and hair. If you’ve just bought a big container of say, bentonite clay, and don’t know what to do with it, scroll down and you’ll be happy to hear there are plenty of options – we’re sharing 12 if our favorite clay beauty recipes below. But if you’re still trying to decide which type of clay to buy, you might want to read these two posts first: How to Choose the Right Clay for Your Skin Type and 5 Homemade Clay Face Mask Recipes.
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The Beauty Benefits of Clay
Incorporating bentonite clay into your beauty regimen can offer numerous benefits, from clearer skin and healthier hair to potential internal detoxification:
Deep Pore Cleansing: Clay acts like a magnet, drawing out impurities, toxins, and excess oils from the skin, leading to clearer pores and a refreshed complexion.
Detoxification: When applied to the skin, bentonite clay binds to toxins and impurities, aiding in their removal and promoting overall skin health.
Oil Control: Its high absorbency helps in controlling sebum production, making it ideal for oily and acne-prone skin types.
Exfoliation: The clay gently removes dead skin cells, promoting smoother skin texture and enhancing the effectiveness of other skincare products.
Pore Appearance Reduction: Regular use can minimize the appearance of enlarged pores by removing impurities and tightening the skin.
Anti-Aging Properties: Rich in minerals like calcium and silica, clay supports collagen production, which could help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Soothing: Its anti-inflammatory properties make it effective in calming conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.
Relief from Bites and Rashes: Applying a bentonite clay paste can alleviate itching and inflammation caused by insect bites or allergic reactions.
Scalp Detoxification: Clay removes buildup from hair products and hard water, promoting a healthier scalp environment.
Enhanced Hair Texture: It can improve hair elasticity and shine, making hair more manageable and reducing frizz.
Oil Control: By absorbing excess oils, bentonite clay helps in maintaining a balanced scalp, which can reduce dandruff and promote hair growth.
12 Clay Beauty Recipes
1. DIY Dead Sea Mud Mask
You can make a mud mask with white kaolin, red clay, bentonite, green clay or Fuller’s Earth to benefit from the anti-inflammatory, detoxifying properties and clear your face.
This DIY Dead Sea mud mask can be customized to your skin type by using different types of clay. The end result? Super smooth, glowing skin.
Check out this recipe
2. Argan Oil + Rosewater Pink Clay Soap
This homemade soap is a treat for normal, sensitive, and mature skin types. Pink clay is the mildest clay to use in skincare, which makes it perfect for a facial soap. Pink Himalayan salt is used here are a gentle exfoliant, while rosewater is calming and anti-inflammatory.
Pink clay, rosewater and Himalayan pink salt come together to make a super pretty-in-pink clay soap bar that makes a great gift.
Check out this recipe
3. DIY Clay Hair Mask
Clay is not just for your face – you can also use it to detoxify your locks! You can either use a classic bentonite clay for this one or opt for Moroccan red clay, white kaolin clay, French green clay, or Fuller’s Earth for an effective hair mask.
This DIY clay hair mask is chock full of hair helpers like chamomile, neem, and castor oil to soften locks and nourish the scalp.
Check out this recipe
4. Aztec Clay Mask for Every Skin Type
It doesn’t matter if your skin is too oily or too dry – you can still use an Aztec clay mask! Softening, while still absorbing excessive oil and impurities, an Aztec clay mask is basically my secret skincare weapon.
5. Armpit Detox Mask
If you’re considering switching to natural deodorant (or if your pits simply need a break), detox your armpits first. You’ll be glad you used this simple armpit mask made with just 3 ingredients – one of which is water.
Switching to natural deodorant can be tough! Start off with this armpit detox mask, and follow these simple tips to make things easier.
Check out this recipe
6. DIY Calamine Lotion
Summer is – whether we like it or not – a time of many a bug bite. Soothe bug bites with an all-natural “calamine” lotion, made with bentonite clay, baking soda and essential oils.
This homemade calamine lotion contains all-natural bugbite soothing ingredients, like honey, baking soda, lavender oil, and witch hazel.
Check out this recipe
7. Almond Vanilla Clay Face Soap Bar
This goat’s milk soap bar recipe is enriched with bentonite clay, almond oil and vanilla to soothe, moisturize, and draw out impurities at the same time.
Make your own homemade facial cleansing soap with bentonite clay, almond oil and vanilla to soothe and cleanse.
Check out this recipe
8. DIY Blackhead Masks
Dermatologists suggest treating blackheads in their early stages to prevent more breakouts from happening. A simple way to make that happen is to mix clay with a liquid (lemon juice, egg white, water etc.) to create a blackhead mask or spot treatment.
9. Cellulite Body Wrap
The key ingredients in this cellulite-busting, slimming body wrap are seaweed and clay. They tone the skin and stimulate the lymphatic system, and the whole process feels like a spa treatment.
10. Peel-Off Face Mask
Purify your pores with an agar-agar peel-off mask, that’s enriched with ingredients such as bentonite clay and rice flour or witch hazel and activated charcoal.
Chock full of nourishing and detoxifying ingredients, this charcoal peel off mask clarifies pores and absorbs excess oil – all without the ouch factor.
Check out this recipe
11. Activated Charcoal Black Salve
Apply homemade black salve to insect bites, stings, boils, splinters, and other minor skin irritations and watch the combination of activated charcoal and clay work its magic.
Activated charcoal makes a powerful salve to relieve bug bites and stings and even to draw out splinters.
Check out this recipe
12. At-Home Detox Body Wrap
You don’t need a spa day when you have this detox body wrap in your arsenal. It uses nutrients and enzymes from papaya, relaxing epsom salts, detoxifying French green clay and exfoliating rice bran, among other ingredients, for a super relaxing experience.
