Mask Time!

Have you ever heard about the wonders of clay. Yes clay, a natural ingredient produce from the earth that is good for the body internally and externally? I have known little about clay in the past, but never got around to it until recently.

I was on the hunt to look for au naturel mask because I'm sick and tired of sheet mask doing nothing to my face except making it smelling nice. So I went to search online and came across an online shop called Handmade Hereos, It's a Singapore based beauty brand. I was stoked that they sell clay masks. That is when I was first introduced into the world of clay. I got mine off their website and ever since that, I was obsessed with it. However, it ran out and for awhile, I stop using clay. No, I stop doing face mask (worst!)

I was introduce back to clay mask after watching random YouTube videos. Clay, as we all know is good for the skin. Mainly for absorbing excess oils and impurities. It can cling to dirt on the skin surface which is why it can be an excellent exfoliator. Besides that, it has properties that helps to reduce the pore size. I wanted to buy again the same clay I used previously, but part of me wanted to try something else from a different brand to see what they can offer. So I went to iHerb.com. An online heaven! iHerb carries tons of clay masks from variety of brands. I looked for the one that is the most popular and most bought by people. It is the Now Foods Solution European Clay Mask. It has bajillion good reviews both on the website and some beauty blogs.

When I received the mask, I immediately did a patch test to make sure I didn't react to it (you got to do this every time you're trying new products). I took half a tablespoon of clay - recommended to use plastic spoon rather than metal (some say the clay will absorb the metal particles) and mixed with water until the consistency of the mixture is gloopy and gooey. After which, I slather it along my jawline. I waited for at least a minute. I felt a burning/tingling sensation but I kept the clay on to see if any reaction will occur. Thankfully, nothing happens. So I leave it for another 5 mins. I could feel the clay doing it's job.After a good whole 10 minutes, I rinse it off with tap water.

After the jawline experiment, the next following day, I tried it on my whole face. I followed the exact step and felt the same sensation. It goes away after awhile. I don't usually wait for the clay to be fully hardened (some say it is bad for the skin), when it is semi hardened, I would rinse it off. I have been using this for about 5 times (one clay mask per week) and each time I noticed results. My skin texture becomes smoother. The size of my pores reduced and I experience less breakout.

You can try mixing clay with other things like essential oils to make it less dry. There are gazillions clay masks recipe out there for you to try. Pick one that suits your needs. For me, I prefer mine mixed with water. Easy and simple. I'm not entirely sure if clay can be use on dry skin people. Clay, itself is already dry and if you put it on, your face will be even drier. If any of you dry skin people out there use clay and no drying effect, do comment below to help others:)

For now, I shall stick to using clay. So move over sheet masks!

If you're interested to read on further about clay and it's benefits, you can visit here, here, here and here. Next mission of mine is to try Rhassoul Clay.

See you in my next post!

W:)