Imate mastno in problematično kožo? Kožo nagnjeno k aknam in ogrcem? Ali vas morda pestijo mozolji, ki se kar naenkrat pojavijo v tistem času v mesecu, ko hormoni ponorijo? Potem zagotovo potrebujete dobro masko za obraz, ki bo iz kože posrkala vse nečistoče in jo pomagala razstrupiti, obenem pa tudi rahlo izsušiti že nastale mozolje. Ena izmed takih je zagotovo maska za obraz v prahu znamke Maple Holistics Ancient Clay Facial Mask*.
Maska vsebuje le tri sestavine, ki pa imajo izjemne čistilne lastnosti – bentonit oziroma bentonitna glina, suknjarska in francoska zelena glina. Vse vrste glin vsebujejo veliko silicija, železa, kalcija, magnezija, natrija, torej vrsto mineralov, ki ugodno vplivajo na kožo. Saj morda veste, da so nekatere vrste glin primerne tudi za uživanje, saj telo razstrupljajo in iz njega odstranjujejo težke kovine in druge toksine. Zdravilne lastnosti gline imajo poleg mineralne sestave opraviti tudi z njenimi sposobnostmi vpijanja. Glina tako deluje antiseptično, proti infekcijsko in proti gnojno.
Z bentonitno in zeleno glino sem že imela opravka. Bentonitna glina je po mojih izkušnjah zelo močna, ima neverjetne sposobnosti vpijanja nečistoč, glina se na obrazu hitro in zelo posuši. Obraz ob njenem nanosu kar pulzira. Včasih koža postane tudi topla in rdeča. Zelena je za mojo mešano kožo bolj prijetna, še vedno odlična, a na koži ne pride do občutka pulziranja, prav tako ne postane rdeča. Obenem pa jo še vedno dobro očisti. Suknjarska glina pa je zame popolnoma novo odkritje. Pravzaprav jo poznamo tudi pod imenom Fullerjeva zemlja (angl. Fuller’s Earth, Multani Mitti). Poleg izjemnih razstrupljevalnih sposobnostih, je Fullerjeva zemlja znana tudi kot belilna učinkovina oziroma kot “obrazno belilo”. Morda še najbolj zanimiva stvar te gline je, da so jo včasih uporabljali za odstranjevanje maščobe iz ovčje volne. Torej je očitno več kot odlična pri boju z mastno kožo.
Glede na mešanico glin gre torej za zelo učinkovito razstrupljevalno masko. Čeprav moji koži skoraj nikoli ni vse po godu, tole masko uporabljam le dvakrat na mesec. Globinsko očiščevalnih mask se včasih kar malce bojim, ker je moja koža tudi občutljiva, zato z njimi raje ne pretiravam. Po drugi strani so lahko glinene maske tudi izsušujoče. Moj postopek je torej tak, da najprej uporabim glineno in nato vlažilno masko, ki koži vrne vedno zaželjeno vodo. Za en nanos uporabim približno polovico žličke maske in eno žličko vode. Včasih mešanici dodam tudi malo medu ali olja, da ni preveč izsušujoča. Pri mešanju se pogosto ustvarijo kepice gline, tako je masko treba kar temeljito premešati, da grudice izginejo. Maska se na obrazu posuši, a ker to za kožo ni vedno najboljše, včasih obraz navlažim z vrtnično vodo, da se maska ne posuši v celoti. Pustim 10 minut in nato sperem. Prvi vtis, ko masko sperem je, da je koža suha in izsušena, obenem pa tudi bolj gladka, napeta, pore so ožje. Običajno vedno sledi vlažilna maska – skoraj vedno je to med. Evkaliptusov iz Müllerja je moj najljubši. Vidnejši rezultati se običajno pokažejo naslednji dan, ko je koža bolj pomirjena, mozolji se zmanjšajo, tisti manjši pa včasih tudi izginejo.
Mislim, da vam je že jasno, da mi je tale Maple Holistics glinena maska všeč in če imate probleme z mastno kožo in mozolji, vam jo vsekakor svetujem. Glinene maske so super in če jih še niste vključile v svojo nego obraza, vam jih toplo priporočam. Na voljo tukaj oziroma na Amazonu.
Translation
Do you suffer from oily and problematic skin? Is your skin full of acne and blackheads? Are you dealing with spots when that time of the month comes around? Then you definitely need a good clay based facial mask which will remove impurities and detoxify your skin. One of those masks is definitely the Maple Holisitcs Ancient Clay Facial Mask*.
The mask contains only three ingredients – Bentonite Clay, Multani Mitti (Fuller’s Earth) and French Green Clay. All three contain a variety of minerals like Silicon, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium and more. They work wonders for the skin, topically and internally. As you may know, some clays can be taken internally and they are supposedly great for removing toxins and heavy metals from the body. Besides the mineral content, clays also have enormous drawing capabilities, antiseptic and antiviral properties.
I’m already familiar with Bentonite and French Green Clays. Bentonite clay is from my experience a very strong and detoxifying clay. It dries up super quickly and every time I used it my face felt like it was pulsing. Sometimes it also turned red and became warm. I much prefer French green clay, it’s not as strong as is the bentonite clay, but still very much effective. Now as for the Fuller’s Earth or Multani Mitti goes, I’ve never tried it before. Besides its drawing capabilities, the clay has been widely used as a skin-lightening agent and is best known for its ability to be applied as a “facial bleach” (source). Maybe the most interesting thing about it is that it has been used in a concotion to remove dense oils from sheep’s wool. I guess therefore it really is a very useful clay to have when battling with oily skin.
Considering these three clays it’s safe to say that this mask has a strong detoxifying effect. Even though my skin isn’t behaving its best most of the time, I still use this mask sparingly – twice a month. I have to admit that these strong clay masks frighten me sometimes, my skin is combination but also sensitive so I’m careful not to overdo them. And they can also be a bit drying so that’s another thing I don’t really wish for my skin. That’s why I have a somewhat “special” routine, which you’ll see it’s not even that special. 🙂 First I use a clay mask and then go in with a hydrating mask to give back my skin that much needed water. So, to mix this mask I combine half a teaspoon of Maple Holistics mask with about a teaspoon of water. Sometimes I also add a bit of honey or oil into the mix, to make it a bit less drying. I have to mix it well so all the clay lumps disappear. When I apply it on my face, it dries up pretty quickly, but because that’s not the best thing for your skin, I usually spray my face with rose water to keep it hydrated. I leave it on for about 10 minutes, rinse off and then apply a moisuturizing mask. I usually go for honey, eucalyptus honey has been my favourite for quite a while now. My first impression when I removed this mask was that my skin is dry and in need of water, but at the same time more toned, smooth and my pores looked smaller, tighter. I don’t know why but usually the results are more visible the next day, my skin is looking more calm, spots are reduced or sometimes they even disappear, especially those small ones.
Maybe I hyped it a bit too much but I guess you all know by now that this Maple Holistics mask is great for those with oily and acne prone skin. 🙂 Clay masks are wonderful and if you haven’t tried them already, I urge you to get one. You can get this Ancient Clay Facial Mask here.
What do you think about clay masks and how often do you use them?
With love,
Jana xx
*sample generously provided