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I’m back to using my favorite natural home spa treatment, a bentonite clay mask and I’m loving it! Several years ago, I don’t remember why, I stopped using it. But, when I was in the health food store last week, it caught my eye and I picked up a new jar of bentonite clay powder. I’m so glad I did!
Just after one use of the bentonite clay mask, my skin felt super clean and refreshed!
Bentonite clay is very effective and beneficial for your skin no matter what your age. What’s special about the bentonite clay mask is that it draws out toxins from the skin, shrinks your pores (noticeably just after a few uses), prevents breakouts, and leaves your skin soft and smooth.
One other benefit that I’ve noticed from using it is that it is also exfoliating. It has noticeably reduced the red marks and discoloration on my skin.
Since I started using the bentonite clay mask, I now apply it every day in the morning and leave it on while I do my oil pulling and dry brushing. My skin has never looked better!
What is Bentonite Clay?
Bentonite clay is a natural healing clay comprised of minerals and it’s formed from natural volcanic ash, which was originally discovered near Fort Benton, Wyoming. It’s very powerful and produces a negative electric charge when water is added to it, which aids in binding and removing toxins. When you mix water with the clay, the components alter in order to allow it to become a powerful tool to absorb toxins. This clay is commonly used for removing toxins, not only externally on your skin, but it can also work internally, something that many do. So, yes it is safe to consume if you have a good quality bentonite clay. You can use it both internally and externally. Another benefit of the clay is that it is commonly used to remove heavy metals from the body.
When used externally, you can apply it to any area of your body, such as your face or feet. Some even apply it to their whole body and take a bentonite clay bath. I don’t have any experience with using the clay internally, but many people say it helps digestive problems such as acid reflux.
Minerals are abundant in healing clays, like bentonite clay, including; iron, magnesium, sodium, calcium, and potassium, and this results in the addition of many nutrients to the body.
Where to Get Bentonite Clay:
There are two types of bentonite clay you can choose from, either sodium (sodium bentonite clay) or calcium (calcium bentonite clay). But, some contain a combination of both, depending on the brand you buy. Typically, sodium bentonite clay is used for detoxing as it’s able to draw out more toxins and calcium bentonite is often used for more remineralizing purposes.
Before I knew about the different types of bentonite clay, I bought this jar based solely on the amazing reviews. Luckily, I had such great results with it, I must have made a good choice. If you want to try it, this is the one I’m still happily using. It contains calcium bentonite clay. Since it is working so well, I am going to stick with it!
Benefits of a Bentonite Clay Mask:
There are so many benefits of using bentonite clay, but I just wanted to focus on the amazing benefits you’ll get by applying this mask!
- Heals and regenerates skin tissue
- Draws out toxins
- Treats acne (prevents breakouts and helps clear up acne)
- Unclogs and shrinks pores
- Prevents blackheads
- Reduces appearance of scars
- Excellent natural exfoliator
- Evens out skin tone
- Leaves skin feeling softer
- Leaves your face glowing!
How Often Should You Use the Bentonite Clay Mask?
I apply the bentonite clay mask daily and leave it on for about 20 to 30 minutes, which is probably longer than most leave it on, but it has been working great for me doing it this way. I’ve noticed such a great improvement in my skin in just a week of using it daily!
Many use the mask just a few times a week or once a week and have great results. But, if it’s your first time applying a bentonite clay mask, I would start out with doing it once a week and see how your skin responds, as it is quite powerful and this way you can work your way up to using it daily!
Ingredients/What You’ll Need:
- 1 teaspoon bentonite clay
- 1 teaspoon water or apple cider vinegar
- Optional: a cup or bowl and a spoon to mix them
*If you use a spoon to mix them, make sure it isn’t metal because this causes metals to leach from the spoon into the clay, making the clay not as effective.
Directions:
1. Take about 1 teaspoon of the bentonite clay powder and about 1 teaspoon of water or apple cider vinegar (ACV) and put it in a bowl or cup. Since, I do this mask daily and want to do it as quickly as possible, I usually just put the teaspoon of powder in my hand and then hold my hand under the faucet to add the water to the clay and mix it with my fingers.
Note: You can use water or ACV as a liquid for the mask. The ACV tends to make the mask a little more powerful/harsh on your skin, so if you have sensitive skin you may want to use water (which is what I use).
2. Mix the two ingredients well, until it forms a paste consistency. You can add a little more water or a little more powder, if the consistency doesn’t seem like it will easily spread on your face.
3. Apply the bentonite clay mask to your face. Some people also spread it down their neck and upper chest, too. I use my fingers, but a cotton ball or cosmetic sponge also works great.
4. Leave the mask on for about 20 to 30 minutes. I apply it fairly thick and it does take about 15 minutes to just dry. As the mask dries, your face will start to feel tight.
5. Rinse off the mask using just water. You may have to gently scrub a little with your fingers to get it off. It tends to try to stick to your skin.
After you rinse the mask off, your skin may look a little pink for a few minutes. This usually happens to everyone after using the mask because the clay increases blood flow to your face as it pulls out toxins.
For Those with Sensitive Skin:
If you have sensitive skin, apply a thinner layer and leave the mask on for a shorter time. Then increase the frequency and how long you leave it on depending on how your skin feels.
I have sensitive skin but if you’re brave enough to publish a picture of yourself in the mask stage then maybe I can muster the courage to take the risk on a new mask, thanks for the great writeup(and picture, hehe). In all seriousness though, I’m looking forward to trying this one now. Thank you.
This has been my best face and body mask after child delivery. I’m a Nigerian, where I’m from we used it mostly to clear postpartum decoloraton. I have it in my bathroom and I don’t use it only on my face, I used it on my whole body. I mixed mine with sandalwood powder to make a paste and used.
Its helps to clear off and exfoliate my skin. I apply it after having my morning bath, and wash it off in the evening. I will then moisturized my skin with cold press coconut oil and sleep. Within a month my skin return back and I was good to go.
I even used the dry clay on my baby skin as a powder. It smoothen his skin and prevent him from having heat and napkin rashes.
Glad it is helping you 🙂
does the clay mask work for stretch marks….does anyone know anything about this?
I’ve heard of using it for stretch marks but, haven’t tried it myself yet.
Your skin and body doesn’t hold “toxins” your liver is the only thing that will “detox” you
Am trying it out tomorrow… bentonite clay+turmeric+ACV+Castor oil..wish me luck.
Good luck!
Hi I store an already mixed bentonite clay with acv. And now its forming a mold. Is that normal or is it bad? Thanks
How long did you store it for? Once I mix them, I use it right away. In time, it begins to harden and you can’t really apply it easily.
Metal spoons don’t ‘leech’ metal into the clay – but a metal spoon will change the negative charge of the clay and make it inert. Also I see a lot of comments on here about the redness afterwards — If you use this as a mask, you HAVE to use a very nourishing moisturiser after – I use rosehip oil followed by a rich night cream (mainly made of chia seed oil, macadamia, aloe, Vit E etc) as the clay dries your skin up something fierce. The redness is from the clay drying and tightening your skin which increases blood flow.
My spouse has thyroid nodules and I’ve been giving her a multi-vitamin (non-gmo)/iodine/liver detox combo. She has minor redness/itchiness. I’m wondering if it has anything to do with toxins leaching from her skin. Should I lather a small amount of bentonite clay where her thyroid is located or hold off on it. Thanks.
I should add that the minor redness/itchiness is coming from her neck close to her nodules.
Where is the redness?
Hello, I’m new here and thought I’d use it on my feet first. Does anyone know, or has anyone heard of using this for varicose veins? If so, what should I expect, and how long will it take?
I haven’t used it for varicose veins. Hopefully someone else will be able to comment about it 🙂
can i mix the clay with lemon and honey?
Sure, that sounds great. The lemon might make it a little stronger than just water though, so just be cautious if you have super sensitive skin.
I Tried this for the first time last night with organic apple cider vinegar on only my chin. I only had 3 blemish’s on my chin, but still wanted to try the mask to help clear them up. I kept it on for 45 minutes then washed it off in the shower by simply using hot water and no washcloth, then went to bed without putting anything else on my face. The next morning I was grateful that I only did it on my chin because it looks like I got some sort of chemical burn on my chin. I do use apple cider vinegar in my daily toner and bentonite clay in my deodorant and toothpaste, so I know why I had such a bad reaction to this. I’d love to post a picture, but I’m not smart enough with computers to figure out how to.
Sorry to hear you had a bad reaction. I would try using just water with the bentonite clay next time. It can be harsh for sensitive skin.
Hi Lori
Been trying the mask on with water and my skin is soo red. looks like burn marks that want to start peeling. Is this good? Ive got african skin and mild acne but also spot prone skin.
My skin now looks like its semi-burnt.
Will it peel off in time? Is anybody else experiencing this?
PLEASE HELP
Do you have sensitive skin? The clay can be a little harsh. I would only use it for a few minutes at a time until skin gets used to it.
I only discovered the healing properties of bentonite clay about a month ago. I love using it as a mouthwash & am now in love with this mask. My face was red and had a warm sensation afterwards, so I put a small amount of coconut oil on. I could tell a huge difference once the redness went away. The blackheads on my nose are now practically nonexistent! I added raw honey & cinnamon to my mix, & I used the acv instead of water.
After reading the comments I was worried I might wake up today to a complete break out! So I used my magnifying mirror & was able to see & remove a ton of blackheads that the clay had brought to the surface, but were still holding on. After tweezing them I used an alcohol soaked qtip to go over all those spots. No breakouts! My skin looks beautiful! This clay is amazing!
Happy to hear it helped!
If you want a really nice mask that not only is detoxing the skin but feeds your skin.. mix betonite clay with spirulina powder and do a mask😉 of course patch test…but i have very sensitive skin and havent had a problem. But im not you, so test it first😀
I’ll have to try that.
I had a very deep boil on my shoulder, an abcess and my doctor said I needed to have it cut out, it was painful but had no head on it just a round lump. While waiting for the specialist to make an appointment for me i applied the clay a few times a day and right away the pressure and pain left the area and from then on pus would come out all the time, after a week or so it healed up and has now vanished, so the clay is a drawing substance for sure. Also it is good for killing pain if you get a splinter in your hand or finger , it stops pain by 90%, I had a cut on my toe and applied it there and next day it was healed. Amazing healing substance. I apply it to any blemish on my face like a pimple and it goes away over night.. You can take it internally but it HAS to be a food grade clay, make sure the package says food grade green clay, buy in health store or on Ebay.
That’s amazing!
What is the recipe for taking bentonite internally?
If I were to make up a large batch of this mask how long would it keep?
Thank you
It hardens up after you mix the ingredients. So you have to mix it each time, unfortunately.
I do a bentonite clay/acv mask at least 2x a week. I also add a little activated charcoal and turmeric 2x a month. I not only do my face, but neck and chest. It exfolliates and definitely improves pore size.
I used to do glycolic peels and microdermabrasion regularly… i quit because the results of the masks is more effective and a heckuva lot less expensive/convenient
Although I highly recommend NOT answering the door with the clay/charcoal mask on bc I scared the ___ out of my UPS guy. *and I warned him before opening the door!
Haha! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad I found this website as I just used this mask for the first time ( I actually bought the clay to detox my armpits as I have switched to natural deodorant but then thought why not detox the face while I’m at it!!) and then panicked when I washed it off and my face was all pink!! It’s still a bit pink and warm now but feeling it start to go down! Do you have any natural DIY remedies for dark circles under your eyes by any chance?
Vitamin k cream is great for under eye circles. I use it morning and night. After two weeks I no longer look like a panda.
Yes! Here’s my post on some remedies for it: https://www.treasuredtips.com/natural-remedies-for-dark-under-eye-circles/
I started using this bentonite clay with water and ACV as face m mask two days back. After using it,face was fine except for two new pimples.I was wondering if getting pimples fine.
I was thinking of using this face mask on alternate days so on days I am not using this clay I use turmeric powder with water
Alternating is a great idea!
I use the Bentonite clay and it’s my fourth day using it. I also use sandalwood face mask powder on alternate days.
I don’t see any further breakouts of using it so far but maybe that could be due to the oil cleansing method I do plus I massage for about 15 minutes this oil concoction I made at home into my face.
I was so afraid of oils but since I’ve started, it has not left me like an oil slick at the end of the day nor in the morning when I wake up. This might help someone so thought I’d mention it.
Thanks for sharing Karen. So glad you’ve seen an improvement. Acne is so frustrating, even a small improvement is fantastic.
You bet it is, been struggling with acne for years so lets see what this clay mask does for me. It’s getting tiny bit better by the day so fingers crossed. Thanks for your blog though…it’s so informative.
I have been using Witch Hazel with Aloe as my toner after oil cleaning and mask. Do you think that’s ok?
Yes, witch hazel is great for acne prone skin.
Hi….can i use witch hazel instead of water or ACV to mix with the (Aztec) bentonite clay. You see…i already have Thayers withc hazel and dont want to invest in ACV. Your reply will be much appreciated. Great work. Thanks!
I haven’t tried it myself. Do you have sensitive skin? It would probably make it a lot stronger.
Recently I began detoxing and had the WORST breakout ever on my face (bumps EVERYWHERE except my eyes) and rashes on my body. After reading hundreds of reviews I bought Aztec calcium clay (didn’t even know sodium existed lol). I just started using the mask today and also took a bath in it. It’s literally my last hope after trying so many things these past days. What’s worse is that I’m supposed to go vacation in less than 2 weeks. Do you think if I use this everyday my skin will be clear again in a few days? I’m can’t stand this public humiliation any longer.
It can help pretty quickly. I noticed in an improvement the next day and even fewer breakouts over several days. Hope it works for you!
Here is the clay mask recipe I use for my oily and extremely problematic skin:
1 tbsp of Aztec healing clay
1 tbsp of ACV Vinegar (I use Braggs)
1 tsp of vitamin E oil
1/4 tsp of powdered spirulina
I leave it on for 30-45 minutes, but I always suggest that people leave it on the for recommended 10 – 20 at first to make sure this recipe works for you. I always follow up with tea tree oil water and a moisturizer.
While it does cause some dry skin on the active and healing pimples I have, with this mixture I find that it doesn’t dry out my skin as much as it did when I used just ACV and the clay.
Sounds like an awesome mask recipe!
Do you wash your face prior with a cleanser? Use a toner after or prior to the face mask? Or ditch everything and just use the mask now?
I use the oil cleansing method to wash my face. I don’t use a toner, just the mask.
Hi, what oil cleaning do you use? I made one with coconut oil, baking soda, lavender oil and tea tree oil
I do oil cleansing with jojoba oil. It is non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog your pores. I do it once in the morning and again at night time. I use it instead of soap.
Can you mix this recipe up ahead of time and store in a sealed glass container?
Yes definitely!
I have a lot of trouble mixing this mask so that it’s a smooth paste. Twice now it’s come out wicked lumpy, even when I mixed in the water slowly, and that makes it difficult to spread evenly on my face. (Skin is too sensitive for AVC, which I’ve heard can be easier for making a smooth paste.)
Any suggestions for getting the paste to be smooth when mixed with water?
Hmm..I’ve never had a problem mixing it with water. The only thing I can think of is to keep adding a little more water or bentonite until you reach the right consistency. Wish I could help more.
I use a plastic container with a lid, add my BC, ACV, and water, screw lid on and shake. This seems to help with the clumping. Also, I think you’re not using enough water.
I use two little rubber spatulas (the ones that bakers use) in a bowl one to smash and mix and the other one to keep the first one clean. Works great I’m bale to get the consistency perfect just like a pro.
I am in love with this face mask. I bought the exact product you use about two weeks ago and I’ve used it twice. I have had the worst acne over the last six years. I tried every over the counter product before going vegan and using all natural products. My face is super sensitive, which is why I only use the face mask once a week. Suprisingly, after leaving it on for 20-25 minutes, my face doesn’t get red at all. I follow up by washing it with Dr. Bronners lavender soap and than moisturize with Shea Moisture, aloe Vera and vitamin E oil. The clay mask leaves my skin feeling so clean! I’m thinking about doing it every five or six days, now that I know this product is amazing and my faces reacts wonderfully to it. To anyone reading this who has troublesome skin and acne, TRY THIS FACE MASK!!
So happy it’s helping your skin!
I Use it on my face and in the bath and it works wonders!
My skin is so refreshed and soft!
So glad it works good for you too!
I’d like to give this mask away as gifts this Christmas! Can it be stored? How? Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Dalia, were you able to give it as a gift? You can mix the ingredients and store it in a pretty glass jar.
I use mine with kunkuma essential oil or olive oil & a tablespoon of regular water. It’s itchy when applied but after about 15 minutes, the itchiness stops. Then gives a pinkish colour. But it works.
I never though of using it with olive oil, interesting!