Clay Mask Recipes

[Tresses]

Here's one I did (for dry skin) tonight for the first time.

The original recipe comes from The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood, New World Library, 1991, page 120.

Ready-for-Action Mask

Basic Mask:

Green clay............................2 ounces (I used pink clay, as From Nature With Love states that green is not recommended for dry skin.)
Cornflour (cornstarch)..........3 teaspoons

Mix together and keep in a jar.

To make mask (Dry Skin formula):

Basic mask mix.............1 TBS
Egg yolk.......................1
Almond or EP Oil...........1 tsp.
Carrot Oil.....................2 drops
Water..........................2 tsp.

Combine and use one drop:
Chamomile...................1 drop
Rose............................1 drop

Blend ingredients together to form a smooth paste and leave on the skin for 15 minutes. Rinse off and apply a facial treatment oil. Dab the face with a tissue.

NOW....I ended up adding about another TBS of clay because this was extremely runny. I couldn't see how it would stay on my face! Even with the addition, it was still runny, but worked. It really makes enough for two people, so invite over a friend (or get your honey to join you ;)...mine's not home now, but I might convince him to use the rest tonight. If he won't I'll have to pitch it. :( )

I also combined 4 drops each of the chamomile and rose otto in a tiny vial, figuring it would be easier to get one drop of the blend out of that. I'll use the rest in future masks (and if I ended up not liking the mask, I'd use it for something else.)

Results? Wonderful! My skin feels very soft and normal. Not dry or tight in the least. :) My pores are clean and one thing that surprised me very much is that the slightly-more-than fine lines I have on my forehead are gone. I don't know how long that will last, but for now I am suitably impressed!

(Oils for moisturizing have worked wonders on my crow's feet and laugh lines, but these forehead lines are deeper. I'm very expressive with my eyebrows - I even get teased about it sometimes - so it's the price I pay. ;) )

Got a recipe to share? :)

[Stephanie]

Great topic! :whoohoo: I'll be trying that recipe this weekend, Tresses! (btw, where's that gorgeous avatar you had?!)

This is my Oil Ripper formula that has the sucking power of a Hoover on steroids. Sensitive and dry skin should probably stay away from this one or only use it on spots.

By weight, measure:

80% Bentonite Clay (draws oil)
17% Rose Kaolin Clay (draws oil)
2% Baking Soda (exfoliates and balances)
1% Rose (I use an infused rose oil for its balancing, toning, and soothing properties)


Directions:

Mix the formula well. Try mixing the rose oil with a small portion of the dry mix and once incorporated, mix into the rest of the dry mix.
Add liquid of choice (water, milk, etc.) to form a smooth paste.


Application:

Steam or moisten face with hot/warm water.
Apply paste and gently massage.
The baking soda will exfoliate as you gently massage, allowing the dead skin to be removed while the clay moves in to pull out the crud lodged in your pores.
Allow mask to dry for no more than 10 minutes and rinse well with cool water.
Moisturize and enjoy smooth, glowing skin with remarkably diminished impurities.


Note: It is very easy to over exfoliate, so please keep in mind that, especially with this formula, less is more! :gurn:

[Shermie Girl]

Thank you for this recipe, Stephanie. I am always on the lookout for good ways to cleanse my Lake Superior sized pores. I think I will give this a shot.

Now, to buy supplies......:whoohoo:

[Stephanie]

I'm so bummed! I'm out of green clay!!! I love the stuff, so I'm definitely going to put an order in for it so I can do this mask, Tresses. I'm interested to see how my dryish cheeks respond to it. :grinhappy:

And you're very welcome, Shermie! :happy:

[Tresses]

(btw, where's that gorgeous avatar you had?!)

At first I thought you were referring to my LHC avatar (Bronzejewelers' slide), until I remembered that I had one up here for a few minutes the other night, but took it down. Is that the one you mean? Gorgeous? :blush: Thank you. :happy: I was afraid it was too HI, I'M TRESSES IN YOUR FACE!!! But maybe I'll put it back up if it doesn't seem to freak people out. ;)

:flower:

Sorry to hear you're out of green clay, though. DRAT! :evileye:

[Stephanie]

LOL! I don't think you ever have to worry about coming across as TRESSES IN YOUR FACE. :happy: You are a very modest and humble person and that picture couldn't be further from obnoxious.

I'm ordering some green clay this weekend. I can't believe I'm out!

[Tresses]

OK. It's back. :whoohoo:

Modest and humble....my plan is working! :p (Actually, I really appreciate that. Thank you! :flower: )

[SunCat]

I have 3 different clay masks that I use depedning on what my skin needs at the time.

Instead of water I use brewed herbal tea either chamomile, elder flower, red rooibos or green rooibos or a combination. Elder flowers are known to be slightly astringent and help to clear the complexion. Chamomile is soothing to the skin. Rooibos both red and green are full of anntioxidents.

French Green Clay pulls oil and impurities from the skin and can be harsh on sensative skin. Kaolin Clay does not pull oil from the skin but will absorb excess oil and is good for all skin types especially sensative skin.

PULL EVERYTHING OUT MASK - Really sucks out the oil and impurities I tend to have sensative skin so I only use then when I really feel my skin needs it.


French Green Clay about 2 Tablespoons
Lavender Essential Oil - 1 Drop
Tea Tree Essential Oil - 1 Drop
Lemongrass Essential Oil - 1 Drop
Enough brewed herbal tea to make a pasteMix in a small jar or bowl to make a paste and apply to clean skin. Leave on for about 15 minutes then rinse with warm water.

EXFOLIATING MASK

Kaolin Clay - about 1 1/2 Tablespoons
French Green Clay - about 1/2 Tablespoon
Chamomile - 1 teabag cut open
Lavender Essential Oil - 1 Drop
Enough brewed herbal tea to make a pasteMix in a small jar or bowl to make a paste and apply to clean skin in a circular motion then allow to dry for about 15 minutes then rinse with warm water.

GENTLE MOISTURIZING MASK - You can adjust the amount of oil or use whatever oil your face likes.

Kaolin Clay - about 2 Tablespoons
Jojoba Oil - 6 drops
Grapeseed Oil - 6 drops
Lavender Essential Oil - 1 drop
Enough brewed herbal tea to make a pasteMix in a small jar or bowl to make a paste and apply to clean skin. Leave on for about 15 mintues then rinse with warm water

[kimberlily]

Must get ingredients for Stephanie's mask. Maybe that will suck the crud out of my pores ;)

[Stephanie]

Great recipes, SunCat! Thank you! :D

[Calista]

Anybody German read this thread? What kinds of clay are available in Germany, what are they called, and where do I get them? The only kind *I* know is "Luvos Heilerde". It would be lovely to use all kinds of clays as stated in this thread - green, pink, kaolin, bentonite... I have clay envy, so somebody help me out there! ;)

[Elerxia]

Tried the 'Pull everything out mask' by SunCat and it's very lovely, especially with the scented oil infusions. I did mine with tea tree only, and my face felt amazing afterwards. Many, many thanks, Suncat. :)

[birdiefu]

Okay, here is my mask recipe, it's made for acne-prone/oily skin. For very dry or sensitive skin, you can use kaolin white as all the clay parts. For super oily skin, you can replace the french green with morocco red clay (heavy duty stuff).

1 T- French Green Clay
1 T- Kaolin White Clay
1 t- Bentonite Clay
1 T- Ground oatmeal (can use baby oatmeal or grind in a coffee grinder)
1 T- Honey Powder
1/2 t- Sandalwood powder
1/2 t- Rose Petal Powder
1/8 t- Allantoin
5 drops- Tea Tree EO
6 drops- Lavender EO

Add the EOs to the oatmeal, mixing as you do. Sift in other ingredients, mix well, store in capped jar. To use, mix about 1-2 T with green tea to desired consistency. For a more sensitive skin, you can also mix with oil (hazelnut is great for oily skin) or cream. Milk for 'normal' skin, witch hazel for super-oily skin.

[SunCat]

Tried the 'Pull everything out mask' by SunCat and it's very lovely, especially with the scented oil infusions. I did mine with tea tree only, and my face felt amazing afterwards. Many, many thanks, Suncat. :)

Glad you liked it. I have it on right now actually.

[Stephanie]

Yup...tonight's a mask night. :lol: Time to get rid of these stress spots. Yuck.

[Dulci]

*bumping old thread*

I use Aztec Secret (http://www.aztec-secret.com/index.htm) (bentonite) clay, the recipe on the back of the jar is good. Mix equal parts clay with ACV (it says best to use something like Bragg's raw ACV). Another recipe calls for a spoonful of honey added, I haven't tried that yet.

[Carolyn]

When you guys mix up at batch of masky stuff do you try to mix up enough for just one time or do you mix up a lot and try to store it? I'm thinking one use batches might be best.

[Shermie Girl]

I would think that one or two uses would be best, unless you have some kind of preservative you could add to it. Otherwise, you might end up masking with critters you don't want anything to do with. :gurn: