At Sensica, we’re all about taking your beauty into your own hands, saving time, cutting costs, and all from the comfort of your own home. Here are some great tips on how to make your own mud/clay mask from ingredients you have in your pantry – and come out shining and refreshed.

Benefits of Homemade Masks

Mud and clay masks are great at soaking up surplus oils from your skin, so they are particularly effective if you have an oily or combination skin type. As well as being super easy to use and prepare, and containing no preservatives or chemicals (because you’re making it fresh from scratch), a mud or clay mask is also good for:

• reducing acne and minimizing blemishes
• cleansing and detoxifying your skin pores and letting them breathe
• removing dead cells and bacteria
• anti-ageing by tightening the skin and reducing slight wrinkles and lines
• improving skin texture
• relaxing facial muscles like a massage
• saving you the trouble of travelling to expensive clinics or salons, which may have dubious hygiene standards

Prepping the Skin and General Guidelines

• It’s best to use your homemade mask on clear skin, so start by washing your face with warm water. This will also open your pores and make the mask more effective.
• Leave the mask on until it dries – at least fifteen minutes.
• Try not to pull faces during the treatment – the mask might crack.
• Wash the mask off and gently pat your skin dry.
• Finish off the treatment by applying a moisturizer that is appropriate for your type of skin.

 Types of Clay/Mud to Use

There are several kinds of clay that are suitable for the skin. Bentonite clay, for example, is great for drawing out toxins, chemicals and even heavy metals from the skin. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory, making it particularly effective on acne-prone skin, and is rich in silica, calcium and magnesium minerals. Fuller’s Earth Clay, Kaolin clay, green clay, red clay and white clay are all gentle options, giving them soothing and softening properties.

3 DIY Clay Mask Recipes using Bentonite Clay

Acne-Fighting Tea Tree Mask

Ingredients:

• 1 TB bentonite clay
• 1-2 TB water
• 1 TB ground oats (grind with a blender, food processor, or spice grinder until flour like and coarse)
• 4 drops tea tree essential oil

Directions:

Combine the bentonite clay and oats in a small, non-metal bowl. Slowly add water, mixing well until it forms a spreadable paste. Add the tea tree oil and mix again. Apply the clay mask to your face and leave for 10-15 minutes. Remove the mask with a washcloth and warm water.

Soothing Yogurt Mask

Ingredients:

• 1 TB bentonite clay
• 1 TB plain homemade yogurt

Directions:

Mix the yogurt and bentonite clay in a non-metal bowl. Apply the paste to your face and leave for 10-15 minutes. Remove the mask with a washcloth and warm water.

Acne-Fighting Honey Mask

Ingredients:

• 1 TB bentonite clay
• 1 TB raw honey
• 1 TB water

Directions:

Mix the bentonite, water and honey in a non-metal bowl. Apply the mask to your face and leave for 10-15 minutes. Remove the mask with a washcloth and warm water.

Now that you’re feeling fresh and clean, you’re ready to face the world!