The Healing Power of Clay

by Christina Cannes

The gentle beauty of adding kaolin clay to your daily routine.

Have you ever had one of those days where you just wanted to dig a hole in some damp, dark clay and crawl inside? Despite our displeasure of dirt and dust, one of the cleanest things you can do is smooth on some soft, wet clay and take a deep breath out.

Clay has been used for thousands of years to purify the skin. When applied wet, it draws out toxins and impurities from the pores as it dries leaving your skin soft, clean and refreshed.

Kaolin clay has a neutral pH and is rich in silica dioxide. Compared to other clays (such as bentonite clay), kaolin clay does not dry your skin. It is gentle and healing and can be used daily to clean and clear. Kaolin clay is especially helpful for people with dry, sensitive, and mature skin.

We use kaolin clay daily to cleanse our skin instead of harsh cleansers that strip natural oils and negatively affect our protective layer’s ph. You can shop our range of Australian kaolin clay here.

We list the six biggest reason you should add kaolin clay to your daily routine:

1. Soaks up excess oil

Kaolin clay is a fine and light clay that has natural absorbency properties. Add a small amount to your palm and mix with water to make a mask. When applied on skin, it will soak up excess oils and stale sebum.

2. Detoxifies and purifies

Kaolin clay sucks out impurities such as grime, dirt, pollution and germs from the pores. Cleansing the pores prevents them from clogging up and causing breakouts and other skin irritations.

4. Cleanse skin

Kaolin clay can be used as a daily facial cleanser. It is gentle and can safely replace harsh facial cleansers. To make a facial cleanser with kaolin clay, place 1tsp of clay in your palm and add a small amount of water. Mix into a paste and then smooth over wet face. Leave on for one minute or less and rinse with warm water.

5. Sooth sensitive and irritated skin

Being the mildest of all clays, kaolin clay is suitable for sensitive skin types. It soothes easily irritable skin and skin prone to breakouts, rashes and redness. Mix it with aloe to calm your skin.

6. Treat Acne

Kaolin clay is wonderful for acne. You can treat acne effectively with kaolin clay by making masks that include other healing oils and botanicals such as aloe vera, tea tree oil and raw honey. To treat acne, leave the mask on for up to 10 minutes.

7. Exfoliation

With its slight abrasive texture, kaolin clay makes a good exfoliant. It scrounges off dead cells and flaky skin, keeping skin looking smooth and soft without affecting pH or damaging the external layer of your skin.

The healing power of clay has been known for thousands of years. Cultures all around the world have utilized clay for healing including the ancient Egyptians, Aztec and Incans. Nomadic people carried a ball of clay with them , which they dissolved in water and ingested it with their meals to heal stomach ailments such as dysentery and bacterial food infections. Wherever clay was found as a natural resource it was used as a remedy externally and internally.

Do like the ancients and love your body and skin with some nurturing kaolin clay.

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