Bentonite Clay Masque

Facial masks have recently become one of my favorite beauty routines to do every once in a while. Even though I don't do them every day or even every week, I think they are an important and incredible part of a natural beauty routine. It always makes me think of the ayurvedic principle called "dinacharya", which means the importance of a daily routine, be it health or beauty. And though you definitely don't have to do clay facial masks everyday, I think there's a lot to the concept of "self-pampering", especially in our modern society in which self care and self love seem to be kind of taboo. Taking time out of your day to make sure you appreciate yourself and your body is supremely important both mentally and physically, and throwing in a few of these  face masks every once in a while definitely helps!

So let's get to the brass tax of this. I used bentonite clay, and here's what it is/ does:

"Its highest power lies in its ability to absorb toxins, impurities, heavy metals and other internal contaminants. Bentonite clay's structure assists it in attracting and soaking up poisons on its exterior wall and then slowly draws them into the interior center of the clay where it is held in a sort of repository. To state it another way, Bentonite is swelling clay. When it becomes mixed with water it rapidly swells open like a highly porous sponge. From here the toxins are drawn into the sponge through electrical attraction and once there, they are bound. This happens because the Bentonite has a negative charge while the toxins have a positive charge. Opposite charges attract thus the poisons are bonded to the clay and both are eliminated from the body.

A Bentonite clay mask draws excess oils and debris to the surface of your skin, boosts circulation to tighten the skin and stimulate blood flow, and whisks away dead skin cells that can clog pores. " 

(http://www.morethanalive.com/Bentonite-clay-powder)

So what I did was mix about a tablespoon of clay and a tablespoon of water together, let it absorb for a few minutes, and once it was nice and goopy I added a few drops of vitamin e oil to make the skin extra nice and pretty.  Try mixing in different herbs or essential oils! For starters I would try out things like lavendar, citrus, rosemary, etc depending upon the results you're trying to get. Wash and dry your face, then put on the mask and leave it on till it dries, then let it sit maybe 15-20 minutes more (or however long you feel like!) and wash off after again. And last but not least...enjoy! Feel all the toxins leaving your skin, and relax and let some of those stressful life toxins be forgotten about for a little while!

And of course here's my goofy face mask pride picture...