Let’s talk about clay face masks! Clay face masks are designed to detoxify the skin by drawing out excess oil, impurities, and bacteria from your pores. What does a clay mask do? They work by soaking up pore-clogging elements sitting on the surface of your skin.
As the mask dries, you can feel your face tighten as it soaks up oils and draws impurities to the surface.
Do clay masks work? Yes! They’ve been used for centuries in health and beauty routines to help control oil, refine and detoxify skin.
The trick is choosing the right type of clay for your skin and concerns. There are several different types of clay used in skincare - we’ll introduce two of our favourites: kaolin clay and bentonite clay.
The benefits of kaolin clay
Ideal for all skin types including dry and sensitive skin
Fine-grained clay with mild absorption properties, kaolin clay is one of the best clays to look for in a face mask.
Kaolin is well suited to all skin types, including sensitive and dry, and offers a host of skin-beautifying benefits:
- Helps control oiliness by gently removing excess sebum from the skin but not stripping your skin’s natural oils.
- Draws out impurities while being gentle on the skin. Kaolin is a mild clay so you get the detoxifying benefits without any irritation.
- Cleanses skin with mild exfoliation action.
- Leaves skin feeling softer and brighter.
- Helps fight acne. Kaolin absorbs acne-forming bacteria from the pores without drying or stripping the skin like many acne products can.
Where does kaolin clay come from?
So, where does kaolin clay come from before it ends up on your skin in a face mask?
In its natural state, kaolin is a layered silicate clay mineral found in deposits throughout the world, including Brazil, USA and the UK. Kaolin has been nicknamed White China Clay because it’s found in abundance in the Jiangxi province of China.
After kaolin is mined from the earth, it’s cleaned, dried and milled into a fine, fluffy white clay powder. You can also find kaolin in different coloured hues, like pink, red or yellow depending where it’s been mined.
The benefits of bentonite clay
Ideal for normal and oily skin types
In the world of clay masks, bentonite clay is also a popular choice for detoxing and clearing skin. With stronger absorption properties, bentonite is a great fit for normal and oily skin types.
Bentonite clay mask benefits include;
- Detoxification for smoother, clearer skin.This clay is known for its skin detoxing powers! It attracts, bonds to and absorbs chemicals, metals, and other impurities to draw them out of your skin.
- Exfoliating dead skin cells from the surface to reveal softer, brighter skin beneath.
- Healing blemishes.
- Minimising the appearance of pores. By sucking up all the dirt and impurities from clogged pores, skin appears more refined and clear.
What gives bentonite clay its incredible ability to detox the skin? This special clay carries a negative electrical charge.
This helps with detoxification because many heavy metals and toxins are positively charged. Bentonite’s negative charge attracts the positively charged toxins, just like a magnet, to draw them out of the skin.
Where does bentonite clay come from?
Formed from volcanic ash, bentonite clay is sourced from ancient sea beds.
These areas are now dry but were once covered in water. Because the ash was soaking in seawater, bentonite is brimming with minerals including calcium, magnesium, sodium, silica, copper, potassium, and iron.
Get the benefits of kaolin and bentonite in a single mask!
All skin types, including dry and sensitive, can experience the clay mask benefits with esmi Soft Skin Refining Charcoal Clay Booster Mask.
The mask is formulated with both kaolin and bentonite clay - the ideal detoxifying, exfoliating, and skin softening clay duo.
The addition of aloe vera in the mask helps soothe and maintain the skin’s moisture balance so your complexion is clearer and shine-free, but not dry.
