DIY Bentonite Clay Anti-Acne Face Mask Recipe

DIY Bentonite Clay Anti-Acne Face Mask Recipe

Bentonite clay is really neat. It’s extremely absorbent, and when a tiny amount is mixed with water, you’ll end up with a gelatinous goo instead of a typical clay + water creamy paste. Bentonite clay’s amazing absorbency makes it fantastic for deep-cleaning face masks, and when combined with enzyme-rich raw honey and pH balancing apple cider vinegar, we’ve got a mask that’s brilliant for battling zits and brightening the complexion.

When bentonite clay is hydrated, the molecules become charged, and because of that, we want to avoid contact with metal as it interferes with that charge. Don’t worry, you won’t get zapped, and contact with metal won’t harm the clay or make it harmful, it just makes it less effective.

Makes 1 Mask

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL) raw honey
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (4 to 5 g) bentonite clay

Instructions:

1. Stir the water, vinegar, and honey together in a small nonmetal dish. I find a single chopstick is a useful non-metal stirring implement for this mask.
2. Once the honey has dissolved into the water and vinegar, start sprinkling in the clay a tiny bit at a time, whisking as you go. Bentonite is quite prone to clumping, and adding the clay a wee bit at a time and stirring thoroughly between additions helps keep clumps at bay. The addition of vinegar to the liquids also helps prevent clumps from forming. You’ve added enough clay once you have a thick, frosting-like paste.
3. Spread the paste on your face, avoiding your eyes, lips, and nostrils, and paying special attention to any zitty problem areas.
4. Let the mask dry for 10 to 15 minutes before washing it off — it should feel a bit tight on your skin. You can leave it longer if you’d like, but 15 minutes is plenty of time to get the benefits of the mask. One of my favorite things about bentonite masks in particular is the dot matrix of pores you’ll notice on the mask as it dries — it makes me feel like my pores are getting some serious deep cleaning.
5. Washing a clay face mask off can be a bit of a messy task. I find soaking a washcloth in warm water and holding it to your face for a few moments to hydrate the mask a bit first helps with the washing-off process, as does simply applying your mask about 15 minutes before getting into the shower.
6. After rinsing off the mask, moisturize your skin.

Tip:

Because bentonite clay is so absorbent in comparison to other clays, it’s not a great substitute for other types of clay in a recipe, especially if the recipe contains liquid.

More from Make It Up:

• DIY Clay Face Mask Recipe
• DIY Mineral Makeup

Make It Up (Running Press, 2016) by Marie Rayman is a guide for readers interested in creating their own safe, natural, affordable cosmetics using easy to come by ingredients. Following these simple, yet effective recipes readers can forget about drugstore or beauty counter products and instead venture to create exactly what they need right from their own kitchens.

Reprinted with permission from Make It Up © 2016, by Marie Rayma, Running Press