How to use a Clay Mask—Important Instructions

Although almost every container of clay mask will instruct you to apply the clay to your face and let it dry on your skin, this is not how I want you to use a clay (or any drying-type) mask—ever. The following may be news to you but believe me—you do not want to let a clay mask dry and harden on your skin! 

Here are my instructions for utilizing a clay mask for the optimal benefit of your skin:

• On clean, dry skin, apply a thick layer of clay mask over your entire face, even under the eye area. (Clay can help with puffiness due to its anti-inflammatory properties.) Thick layer means thick enough so you can’t see your skin underneath. A thin application will quickly dry on your skin.

• Unless your neck is broken out, you don’t need to put clay there. Instead, you can apply a hydrating mask or a thick layer of your moisturizer to include your neck in this treatment.

• Don’t forget to get some clay directly under your chin as well as that place between your jawbone and earlobe. I normally apply the clay right up on my earlobe. This whole little area tends to collect debris, and sometimes blackheads will form. Using a clay mask in these hard-to-reach areas will lessen the chance of congestion.

•  Leave the mask on for 15 minutes or so. If you don’t have 15 minutes but you really need the benefits of clay, keep it on for 5 to 10 minutes. Using it even for short amounts of time is better than not using it at all.

Never let a clay mask dry on your face. In fact, you don’t really want anything to dry on the skin’s surface—this will simply dry out the surface of your skin, which is never a good thing. It’s like taking one step forward, two steps back.

Clay doesn’t need to dry in order to draw impurities to itself. There are actually cleansing fasts that require you to ingest certain types of clay. Obviously the whole time the clay is in your body, it remains moist yet it still draws out toxins while it’s going through your system. Here, you’re just applying clay to your face, but the principle is the same. Clay does not need to dry on the skin in order to draw out superficial debris. Keeping the mask moist (see below) may contradict how you have always been told to use a clay mask, but hopefully this new information makes sense to you.

• After your time is up, rinse the clay off with tepid water (not hot or cold)
  
• Pat your skin dry
• Use your spray toner
• Apply your day or nighttime moisturize

When it comes time to rinse the mask off, you’ll be glad you kept it moist. A dried-on, hardened clay mask is very difficult to remove.

How to keep the mask moist. As I stated earlier, you want to keep the clay mask moist the entire time it’s on your face. If you don’t already have your toner in a spray bottle, at your local beauty supply or grocery store, purchase an empty spray bottle. Fill it with clean, filtered water. 

• Immediately after you’ve applied the mask, spray your face thoroughly with the water.

• After five minutes or so, you’ll feel the mask starting to dry (especially around the peripheries where the mask is thinner), so grab your bottle and spray your face again.

• During the 15 minutes you have the mask on, you will probably spray 3 or 4 times—whatever it takes to keep the clay moist. 

This application missed the all-important under-eye area.

Using clay is an integral part of keeping your skin clean and clear, as well as helping to stimulate blood circulation. For more of the benefits of using a clay mask, see:

• What is a clay mask and why use one?
• How NOT to apply a clay mask
• Ideas on when & where to do a clay mask