• What types of cosmetic clays are there?
• How can we use cosmetic clays?

Clays used in cosmetics—green, black, red, and others—occur naturally in nature. They are formed through complex biological, chemical, and geological processes. This is the so-called clay mineral. It is mined from the Earth's bowels in various parts of the world. Its largest deposits are found at depths of 20 to even 70 meters. These most valuable clays are mined from the deepest deposits. They are effective and relatively inexpensive, so they are often used in home care, most often in the form of cleansing face masks. However, this isn't the only way to use clay. Let's look at how they work and how to choose the one that best suits your individual skin needs.

What types of cosmetic clays are there?

Clays, also known as kaolin, come in a variety of colors. This color depends on the minerals and elements contained within the clay. For example, green clay is rich in divalent iron ions, while red clay is colored due to its high content of common iron. Each clay, even of the same color, can vary in mineral composition depending on where it was mined. The most popular types of clay include:

• Red Clay – extracted from silica-clay rocks. It contains an exceptional wealth of micro- and macroelements, including silicon, manganese, aluminum, iron, and calcium compounds. It is especially recommended for delicate rosacea skin. It strengthens small blood vessels, seals them, and prevents them from breaking. It perfectly cleanses and refreshes the skin, regulates sebum secretion, tightens pores, smoothes the skin, helps remove dead skin cells, and stimulates skin regeneration. It relieves the symptoms of rosacea and evens skin tone.
• Green clay – it owes its color to the content of mineral compounds of iron, manganese, and titanium. It has cleansing, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and disinfectant properties. It is recommended for oily skin. It helps remove toxins from the skin, deeply cleanses pores, and normalizes sebum secretion. It relieves redness and irritation of the skin, as well as the symptoms of acne. It contains many micro- and macroelements, including silicon, phosphorus, and magnesium compounds.
• White clay - recommended for sensitive and irritation-prone skin, as it is the most delicate clay. It smoothes and nourishes the skin and also has regenerating and scar-relieving properties, mainly due to its high aluminum oxide content.
• Pink Clay – a combination of white and red clay, it is especially recommended for the care of couperose skin, which is sensitive and prone to allergies. It soothes irritations, cleanses, disinfects, and improves skin tone. It seals blood vessels, cleanses, and helps remove muscle fatigue and accumulated toxins during bathing. It also relieves skin inflammation, moisturizes, nourishes, and tones.
• Black clay – Bentonite clay with the addition of activated charcoal, it has detoxifying properties, helps effectively regulate sebaceous gland activity, and tightens pores. It is recommended for people with heavily polluted, oily skin with enlarged pores. After applying black clay, the skin is unified, regenerated, and smooth.
• Ghassoul clay – occurs only in the northwestern part of Morocco, which is why it is also called Moroccan clay. It is especially recommended for the care of sensitive and allergic skin. In the oriental Hammam ritual, it is used as
  A cleansing mask used for both the face and the entire body. It helps rid the skin of toxins and dead epidermal cells, thus facilitating the absorption of valuable substances in the next steps of skincare. Ghassoul clay makes the skin
  smooth and soft, relieves all types of irritation and redness and reduces the visibility of scars.
  
  

How can we use cosmetic clays?

Ready-made clay in paste form: simply apply to cleansed skin and leave on for the time recommended on the package. If you buy powdered clay to make a mask, mix the clay with water until you get a paste-like consistency and apply it to your face for about 15 minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water. Do not use metal objects to mix the clay; only plastic or wooden ones. After washing off the clay, it's a good idea to apply a moisturizing cosmetic, such as a few drops of argan oil. Clay can also be applied locally if necessary, for example, only on the forehead, nose, and chin area. Making a mask is just one way to take advantage of the beneficial properties of clay. We can also use it:

• to make a scrub at home - just mix the clay with, for example, oatmeal and some water,
• For the bath - add about 150 g of the selected clay to a bathtub with warm water. A bath with added clay is an easy way to provide the skin with nourishing and regenerating minerals.
• Body compress – mix a few tablespoons of clay with hot water to create a thick cream-like consistency. Apply the prepared mask to the entire body or selected areas, then wrap it in foil for about 30-60 minutes. After this time, wash off the clay in the shower without soap.
• For hair care - Clay mixed with water can be massaged directly into the scalp or added to your favorite conditioner or hair mask. After a few minutes, the mixture should be washed off with shampoo. When used regularly in this form, clay helps reduce hair loss by adding volume and prolonging its freshness.

Cosmetic clays are a very simple, inexpensive, and, above all, natural way to improve the condition of our skin. They are free of preservatives, artificial colors, and other additives. Their nourishing, regenerating, cleansing, and smoothing properties have been valued for centuries, making them definitely worth using regularly, or at least occasionally, when preparing a relaxing home spa.