One thing I don’t remember being warned about when it came to adulthood is that someday I’d be gearing up for battle not just against wrinkles….but acne too!!
I mean, once we’re past that hormonal rollercoaster of the teen years, it’s supposed to be smooth sailing and smooth skin, right? No. Not right. At least not for me, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this.
All of you with porcelain, poreless skin walking around like you have a permanent Instagram filter on your face….ugh….count your blessings. I’ll be nice and just leave it at that.
Now to make it clear (see how I just did that?)….I was one of the lucky ones in high school. I was unblemished with nary a zit in sight, and did nothing but wash my face with a bar of Ivory because that’s the only soap my parents would buy.
No astringents, gels, scrubs, or masks. Nothing. Little did I know that sometime around age 30 I’d start battling random eruptions that would leave me looking like a unicorn in training or, if the zit happened to appear on my chin, like a female Jay Leno…because no, I wouldn’t get the petite cute little zits.
Of course not.
When one chooses to appear, it appears with aplomb. Cystic, and painful, and with its own heartbeat.
Awesome.
While I was grateful that these boils of epic proportion were few and far between, it still caught me off guard. This is the time I was supposed to start prepping my skin to age gracefully, but there I was in the acne aisle of Target desperately trying to find a fix along with a bunch of 13-18 year olds.
As it came to be, nothing I bought commercially helped when I’d get a breakout.
I ended up doing my due diligence and finding out the root cause which, for me, was sometimes hormonal…thanks Aunt Flo….and other times stress related.
I became more conscious of eating less sugar, and staying hydrated. (I have noticed that when I don’t drink enough water, I tend to wake up to a nice new friend on my face).
I also started taking supplements that helped support healthy skin like turmeric, zinc, and eating foods high in Vitamins E, C, A, and adaptogens. This definitely helped with hormonal breakouts. However, the stress related buggers kept claiming real estate on my epidermis and I needed to be able to serve eviction notices.
That’s when I discovered bentonite clay. Mixed with a little apple cider vinegar and placed on the offending pustule, it would help decrease the size and the inflammation within hours without any chemical side effects or irritation.
So as you can guess, there’s forever a jar of this stuff in my house now….because I’m waging a war on zits while keeping wrinkles at bay like the urban warrior princess I like to pretend I am.
I’ve already written about activated charcoal, and now I’m writing about Bentonite clay. By now, you must be thinking I spend my free time roaming forests and rolling around in the dirt. Wish I had time for that, but no.
I happen to love earthy stuff when it comes to health, and this clay just falls beautifully into that category. Not only does it help with acne, but it does some other pretty cool stuff too.
So, what exactly is bentonite clay?
Well, it’s a clay composed of volcanic ash which has aged over centuries. Also known as Montmorillonite, it’s full of minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, silica, and potassium. It acts like a sponge absorbing toxins, heavy metals, and pathogens, as well as helps your body restore its natural pH balance.
When used on the skin, it helps to detoxify the offending area and draws out impurities which helps speed up the healing process. Bentonite clay works so well that it can be used to draw out splinters too!
Simply place a paste of the clay mixed with water over the splinter and put a bandage over it for approximately an hour. The splinter will be drawn to the surface by the clay and can then be removed painlessly. Anyone with kids will love this…because removing splinters from a child the regular way is traumatizing (to the parent).
Bentonite clay can also be used to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Sprinkling it on top of your toothpaste, or using it on its own, it draws out bacteria and helps heal inflammation of the gums.
When mixed with clove essential oil it can help reduce painful swelling due to gingivitis and toothaches. This clay has also been used and suggested in tooth remineralizing protocols (more on that in a later post).
Since it’s able to draw out impurities so well, bentonite clay is also often used for detox baths. Adding half a cup to your bathwater will help pull toxins from your skin leaving it soft and thoroughly cleansed.
Food grade bentonite clay can also be used as a colon cleanse and to treat digestive issues like nausea, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, gas, and bloating.
While I’ve only used it on my skin, and my kids use a toothpaste that contains bentonite clay, it always fascinates me how many uses this earthy compound has and how effective it really is.
What I love most is that, unlike the commercially prepared products you buy in stores, this actually works and has nothing in it but clay and minerals. 100% pure…and did I say cost effective? Yep. That too.
The only drawback? When you use it on your face you end up looking like a dried out lake bed….and if you apply it too thickly it feels like you might need a jackhammer to get it off, but have mercy, it is worth it!
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