How is kaolin beneficial for the body?
Kaolin (white or porcelain clay) is a component that can often be found in cosmetics. It has many useful properties. Kaolin is also used as an independent remedy – mainly for masks and wraps.
Characteristics of white clay
It is a fine white powder – soft, free-flowing, homogeneous and somewhat greasy to the touch. If you add a little water to the composition, it acquires the consistency of sour cream and becomes viscous, similar to gruel. In its pure form, kaolin quickly dries out and cracks on the skin. To maintain a viscous consistency, it must be regularly moistened or covered with film from air.
Properties of kaolin in cosmetics
- Gentle and delicate exfoliating effect. White clay removes the keratinized layer of cells, but does not damage the skin or cause microdamage. But this can happen if you allow the kaolin mask to dry on the skin, so this should not be allowed (as a rule, cosmetics manufacturers focus on this).
- Gentle cleansing. With regular use of products with kaolin, the pores become cleaner and gradually narrow.
- Sebum absorption. Clay absorbs sebum well, as well as impurities that have accumulated on the surface of the skin. After using it, a feeling of freshness and lightness appears, the skin becomes matte.
- Effective fight against inflammation. Cosmetics with clay reduce redness and dry out acne. If the composition contains other anti-inflammatory components, then a pronounced effect will be achieved after the first use.
- Improved complexion. Kaolin evens out skin tone, making it more uniform and lighter. It provides light whitening.
- Stimulation of collagen production. It is this substance that is responsible for the elasticity, firmness of the skin, and maintaining its youth.
- Saturation of the skin with beneficial minerals. They improve the overall performance of fabrics – for example, making them more resistant to the environment. Kaolin contains magnesium, potassium, zinc and other necessary substances.
- Increasing the ability of cells to regenerate. Thanks to this, the skin recovers faster and more effectively and fights stress.
- Improving blood microcirculation. These and previous properties make it possible to use kaolin as a wrapping agent. It evens out the skin, makes it more elastic and firm, and also significantly reduces the appearance of cellulite.
Just one component solves so many important problems – it is not surprising that kaolin is used by different manufacturers of cosmetics. This is a universal ingredient that has long proven its effectiveness.
In what products can you find kaolin?
White clay is found in cosmetics that are temporarily left on the skin. It is not added to creams or serums, but it is often used to produce the following products:
- face masks – regular and alginate;
- peelings and scrubs;
- compositions for anti-cellulite wraps;
- baby powders;
- face powders;
- toothpastes and powders.
Kaolin serves several functions in oral care products. It not only heals the mucous membranes and gums, but also helps whiten teeth. You cannot achieve a perfectly white color with its help, but with regular use it can lighten a strong yellow coating.
Contraindications to the use of white clay
There are no contraindications for this substance as such. Properly processed and well-purified kaolin is completely safe. For this reason, it is used in children’s cosmetics. But you should be careful with clay of unknown origin. This is especially true for products that are sold by unknown manufacturers and sites. There are high risks that small trading platforms sell a composition that is not intended for direct application to the skin. It is better to choose products that are produced by well-known brands that take full responsibility for their products.
Skin types that are suitable for kaolin
Theoretically, kaolin is suitable for any skin type, because the variety of its capabilities is very large. But still there are some peculiarities. White clay is best used for oily and problem skin. This is especially true for pure composition, without any additives. If you want to use this component for dry skin, you need to make sure that the product formula contains softening and moisturizing components. Otherwise, there is a risk that kaolin will add dryness and tightness.
Regardless of the skin on which kaolin or a product with such clay is applied, after its removal you need to use a serum and a suitable cream. Only in this case the result of care will be correct.
Used in India for over 5000 years, Neem is considered a medicinal herb in Ayurvedic medicine and is widely used for health.
21 April 2019, 13:54 Helpful
Clay has a considerable list of healing properties and, under certain conditions, can literally absorb diseases. Since ancient times, people have known that there are no bacteria in clay, and that it kills toxins, odors, and pathogenic bacteria. It was used to save people from various poisonings, epidemics, muscle pain and skin diseases, taken internally and used externally. You can talk about the beneficial properties of clay for a long time. It is necessary to highlight, first of all, the following healing property: clay is an excellent absorbent.
So, when consumed orally, in the stomach and small intestine, clay absorbs poisonous and toxic substances, that is, it takes secretory poisons from microbes, makes them harmless and removes them from the body. This property has been proven by biological laboratory experiments conducted on experimental rats. In the same way, clay affects other animals and humans, and this confirms that it is capable of absorbing, in the literal sense of the word, disease. Clay absorbs and removes everything negative and harmful from the body, for example, pus, liquids, unpleasant odors, gases, etc.
Another very important property of clay is radioactivity. Radium is the main radioactive element found in clay. This is a very rare element with great power. It is noted that the longer the clay used for therapy is kept in the sun, the more it will contain the radium obtained from it, which expels from our body everything that rots, decomposes and leads to cellular disorganization (tumors, etc.). When treating with clay, the body receives radium in its pure form, its natural state and, what is especially noteworthy, in the doses that it itself needs.
Due to its radioactivity clay is the best natural sterilizer. It has an antibacterial effect. Conduct an experiment: put a spoonful of clay into a liter of milk; as a result, without a refrigerator and even in the heat, the milk will remain unsoured for several days. And you will receive milk that is naturally sterilized and also endowed with great vitality. No wonder the Egyptians used clay for embalming. Unlike chemical antiseptics, which kill not only microbes, but also destroy healthy cells, clay, by eliminating microbes and their toxins, creates immunity in the body against new microbial infections.
Besides radium, clay contains almost all mineral salts and trace elements necessary for humans, among which are such important ones as magnesium, calcium, potassium, nitrogen, iron, phosphate, silica, and in the most beneficial combinations for the body. There is even an opinion that clay can even out a weakened human biofield.
Clay is used in the form of ointments, pastes, rubbing, medicinal baths, aqueous solutions, powders, applications to sore spots, etc. In addition to the remarkable properties of general strengthening and health-improving effects, clay is also an excellent cosmetic product.
It is known that clay comes in different shades.
The most common are: white, which is also called kaolin, blue, green – they can most often be found on store shelves in their pure form.
And the rarer ones: red, yellow, gray clays are usually already included in some cosmetic products, such as masks, shampoos and toothpastes, and are practically not found on sale in their pure form.
Each type of clay has its own specific properties and is used for various purposes in medicine and cosmetology.
White (kaolin)
White clay (kaolin) is suitable even for the most sensitive skin, and for oily skin it perfectly absorbs excess sebum and normalizes the fat balance.
White clay is a traditional raw material for the production of cosmetics. Its purity, whiteness, non-abrasive nature and harmlessness to human tissue make it a valuable ingredient in cosmetology. It is also used in the form of powders, ointments, pastes, as well as for diaper rash and burns. White clay is an indispensable component in cleansing masks that eliminate acne.
The effect of kaolin on facial skin is truly beneficial. Its main advantage over other types of clays is that it is suitable even for the most sensitive skin, and for oily skin it perfectly absorbs excess sebum, which leads to harmonization of the fat balance.
Kaolin is a delicate abrasive, which allows it to be used as a soft scrub. This property of white clay is very valuable for skin with inflammatory acne, for which rough abrasives are unacceptable, as they can aggravate the course of this skin lesion.
Kaolin is able to absorb waste products of body cells. It absorbs poisons, toxins, gases and even radiation from the gastrointestinal tract before they can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Therefore, white clay is still used for serious intoxications. Kaolin also copes with pathogenic bacteria just as well as modern antibiotics. But, unlike drugs, the clay itself remains chemically inert, and therefore absolutely harmless to the body. For example, if you put a spoonful of white clay in milk, it will not turn sour during the day, even in the sun. And while artificial antiseptics kill both pathogenic bacteria and healthy cells, clay eliminates only harmful microbes and toxins, renewing cells and developing immunity in the body.
White clay is healthy teeth and hair
Today, kaolin seems to have been born for the second time. Cosmetic companies have begun to use its anti-aging properties in cleansing masks, shampoos and even toothpastes.
White and blue clay are used to combat baldness: it strengthens weak and brittle hair. Shampoos containing kaolin are great for treating oily seborrhea and dandruff.
It now replaces chalk in toothpastes. Previously, in order to achieve the required consistency, surfactants were added to chalk, which severely destroyed the microflora of the oral cavity. Kaolin does not require “helpers”. It removes tartar, strengthens enamel, whitens the teeth of even heavy smokers, reducing the threat of caries. This is the main secret of all whitening gums.
Today, neither facial masks nor anti-cellulite preparations can do without kaolin. White clay collects waste, toxins, dead epidermal cells, excess fat, saturating the skin with minerals. The vessels of the upper layers of the skin become flexible, clay promotes the formation of collagen, which gives elasticity to the tissues.
In professional white clay procedures, the skin is deeply cleansed before a course of mud, algae or paraffin wraps. It effectively replaces glycolic acid, which often causes allergic reactions.
White clay masks are very effective, they cleanse the skin of the face, improving the flow of oxygen. True, such masks are not recommended for acne or blood vessels on the cheeks and nose, but in the case of oily or problem skin they are very useful.
White clay is just a case of “long-forgotten old things.” Our forefathers widely used this “grassroots” material – mainly in medicine. The cleansing, tonic and healing effect that the mineral salts and trace elements contained in white clay have on the body has been known since ancient times. White clay was used both internally and externally – in the form of lotions, wraps, compresses, powders, and relaxing baths. White clay was used to treat varicose veins, mastopathy, arthritis, rheumatic polyarthritis, osteochondrosis, relieve muscle pain, and was used as a cooling agent at the site of a bruise and even for headaches.
Blue clay
Blue clay softens and tones the skin, clears acne, whitens, smoothes wrinkles, has anti-cellulite, antibacterial and anti-stress effects.
Green Clay
Green clay has excellent absorbent properties. This is an ideal product for deep skin cleansing. Best suited for oily skin of the face and scalp, used to combat seborrhea. Helps narrow pores and improves the function of the sebaceous glands.
Has excellent tonic properties. Causes blood flow to the surface of the skin and provides it with the necessary nutrition.
Stimulates skin cell regeneration. Tightens the skin and restores the facial line. Effectively softens, smoothes wrinkles and relieves puffiness. Restores normal metabolism and has antibacterial properties.
High-quality green clay is mined only in France, more precisely on the northern coast of Brittany. Clay is mined from the bottom of the coast from a depth of ten to fifteen meters. Now this area protected by the authorities is one of the most environmentally friendly not only in France, but also in Europe. The peculiarity of the clay mined there is that its history begins in the post-glacial period. Therefore, it is a biologically pure product, completely free of any harmful impurities and “waste” from human activity. This is very important: since clay is an excellent adsorbent, it can absorb waste from the environment in the same way as it pulls it out of the human body. The quality of clay in cosmetic procedures is one of the most important criteria.
Green clay contains more minerals than other clays. Having been on the seabed for a long time, the clay became saturated with all the trace elements and minerals contained in large quantities in sea water.
Green clay contains magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, aluminum, copper, cobalt. The valuable qualities of these substances are used in cosmetology programs to solve various problems, and together they are all vitally necessary for our body. For example, magnesium relieves inflammation, promotes the activity of skin cells; if it is deficient, the skin ages quickly. Potassium regulates water exchange and supports cell growth. Calcium has an anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and soothing effect on the skin.
It is known that a mask made from French green clay causes blood flow to the surface of the skin and provides it with the necessary nutrition, improves metabolism, stimulates the regeneration of skin cells, gives skin tone and restores the face line.
Red clay
Red clay improves blood supply to the skin. Relieves allergies and is best suited for sensitive, redness-prone skin. Used internally for iron deficiency in the body. The color of red clay is due to the presence of a combination of iron oxide and copper. It is less absorbent than green clay. Used for iron deficiency in the body.
Diseases of the ear – warm up a brick made of red clay, lie down in bed, place it opposite your ear on a stand (the fumes from the hot brick should penetrate into the ear). This hot dry clay steam anesthetizes, dries and destroys all germs – inflammation quickly passes. Place a cloth soaked in water behind your ears. Cover the top with woolen cloth. Change often.
Radiculitis – heat a red clay brick and wrap it in thick cloth. Place on the sore spot and cover with a blanket. Rub with clay.
Yellow clay
Yellow clay is able to remove toxins and saturate the skin with oxygen. Best suited for dull skin. Rich in iron and potassium.
light yellow clay, also known as Fuller’s Earth with a wonderful effect against pimples and blackheads. This is a unique natural substance that has been used since ancient times as masks for the beauty and health of the skin. Multani Mitti contains large amounts of limestone, minerals, iron, magnesium, quartz. Clay perfectly cleanses the skin of dead cells, blackheads, acne, eliminates excess fat and helps normalize the functioning of the sebaceous glands, improves blood circulation, and also absorbs bacteria and toxins. Multani improves skin color, rejuvenates and makes it smooth.
Ideal for oily skin, but for dry skin you need to add a little oil. The high content of minerals allows Multani Mitti to be used to reduce joint pain, strengthen nails, teeth and hair. It is used to nourish the scalp and treat split ends, and is added to shampoos and masks. Multani relieves pain from burns and bee stings; drying on the skin, the clay cools and relieves inflammation. In India, this healing clay is added to bath water, and also applied in the form of a paste to the skin and hair, and not only women, but also men can afford such procedures. In everyday life, Multani is used to remove stains from grease, oils and wine.
Gray clay
Has moisturizing and tonic properties. Best suited for dehydrated dry skin.
It is light gray to pinkish brown in color (depending on where it is sourced) and has a very fine texture. The clay comes from very fertile soil in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and has been used since the 12th century in North Africa, Southern Europe and the Middle East. It contains a lot of magnesium, potassium, silicon and calcium and some iron, aluminum and sodium. Our clay has a lighter color which means the best quality.
Clay-based baths have an unusually good effect on the skin of the body, giving it tone. Such procedures are especially recommended for those who have sensitive skin prone to irritation. Clay perfectly softens and nourishes the skin, and also has a peeling (scrub) effect.
Clay baths
1. Add a large amount of clay directly to the water (just like adding sea salt) until the water is very cloudy, and soak in the bath for 30-60 minutes depending on your tolerance to the procedure. After this, rinse with warm water from the shower.
2. Knead the clay with water, mix it well, without using metal objects, to obtain a mass of creamy consistency. Cover your entire body with this mixture and stay in this state for 20-30 minutes. After this, also take a warm shower.
Keep in mind that after using the first method, many may feel slightly weak, while the second method, on the contrary, usually causes a surge of strength. Therefore, you can alternate these methods depending on your condition.