Do-it-yourself beauty: green clay and its many qualities

green clay mask
14 novembre 2016

Do-it-yourself beauty: green clay and its many qualities

argilla-verde

Have you ever thought about how many precious raw materials and elements are present in nature? Too often we take for granted or don’t really appreciate all the wonderful and extraordinary things nature offers us for our health and beauty. It is truly unbelievable!

This is why this isn’t the first time we write about the benefits of beauty (but not only) products with contain natural ingredients: we started in the summer when we were looking for ways to keep mosquitoes away, then we told you all about how marvellous aloe vera, fermented papaya and aromatic herbs are for relieving swollen legs. 

Today instead we want to tell you about another really phenomenal product: green clay.

Both in nature and in shops you can find various types of clay which differ not just by their characteristics and features, but by colour too: this depends on the age of the clay, its chemical composition and where the deposits are located.   We can therefore have:

– white clay, often used in beauty products;

– yellow clay, rich in iron and copper, used to reduce tiredness and repair muscles;

– red clay, iron-rich and low in aluminium, perfect to help relieve swelling;

– blue clay, found in soil near the salt-water Yesterup lake in Siberia;

– grey clay, which contains a high percentage of silica and has slimming and firming properties;

– green clay, which contains essential minerals, iron oxides and other vegetal content such as algae.

Today we will focus on green clay in particular. It is maybe one of the best known natural remedies, something that has been used since ancient times to prepare skin treatments and soothe joint and muscle pain. Green clay is a prehistoric earth substance, rich in minerals, and it can be used to help our bodies both inside and outside. Before moving onto some techniques and practical uses of green clay,  we want to tell you a little about why it is considered such an exceptional product, and about its main properties. 

Energising

Clay contains many oligo minerals and other minerals which, penetrating through our cells, come into contact with our body bringing relief to joint pain and anaemia.

Anti-bacterial

Clay can defend our organism from bacteria. It is particularly effective with bacteria of the gut and can help restore intestinal flora after enteritis, colitis and colibacillosis.

Healing

Thanks to its basic qualities (it has an almost-neutral pH) green clay helps heal wounds, both internal (such as in the case of gastric ulcers) and external.

So, all in all, it truly is an extraordinary substance, rich in properties beneficial for our whole body. Ok, but…how do I use it?

Well, as we were saying, green clay can be used to purify and detox our skin and hair. Masks are a good way of taking advantage of all its great features. Don’t worry, they aren’t hard to prepare, quite the opposite. You only need a few ingredients and of course a little time to apply them and leave them to work.

Purifying face mask

First of all, buy some clay powder: you can find it in all good health store.

Then you need to remember that to prepare the mask you should only use containers made of ceramic, plastic or wood: absolutely avoid using metallic object as they can alter the clay’s unique properties.

Ok, now onto the actual recipe: you will find loads online, here’s our suggestion for one that’s quick and easy:

These are the ingredients

  • Two tablespoon of green clay (ventilated green clay)
  • The juice of half a lemon
  • A teaspoon of olive oil (or some drops of tea tree oil or jojoba oil)
  • 1/2 glass of natural mineral water

maschera-argilla

In a container, mix the clay with some water and honey, folding them in slowly; add the oil to the mix and keep stirring until you end up with a creamy consistency. Adding oil is particularly indicated for people with very oily and problematic skin or acne.

Once you have made the cream, apply it to the face leaving just the eye and mouth area out. Leave to work for 20-30 minutes, or until the mask has become dry. Don’t worry if you feel some slight skin pinching, this is normal. Once the mask has done its job, you can remove it by washing your face first with lukewarm, and then with cold water (which helps close up pores). With this mask, your skin will be soft and glowing!

Hair mask

Green clay is also particularly suitable for people with oily hair or dandruff. In this case, it can be a truly precious ally.

Just mix a handful of green clay with some vinegar diluted into 50% water and apply directly to the hair. After leaving it to work for 10 minutes, rinse out using lukewarm water.

To fight dandruff, you can prepare a mask, and it is even simpler: all you need is clay powder and water! Mix them together and apply to your hair, leaving on for 30 minutes before rising off. 

Anti-cellulite treatment

The same mix used for the anti-dandruff mask can be used on your body too! Clay has a beneficial effect against the skin defect commonly known as cellulite. If you want, you can add birch tree oil and rosemary or geranium essential oil too, which can also help against cellulite. This treatment, if applied regularly, can really help you keep that unattractive orange peel skin at bay.

And your kids will have lots of fun seeing you with your face all green!

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