5 Best Clay Mask Recipes & Benefits For Acne, Blackheads & Oily Skin

Types Of Clay & Their Benefits:

a. Bentonite Clay:

b. Kaolin or White Clay:

c. Multani Mitti:

d. French Green Clay:

e. Rhassoul Clay:

5 Top Clay Mask Recipes: 

1.  Clay Mask For Acne: Using Bentoite Clay

Clay masks can treat acne very effectively. If you have an oily and acne prone skin, this face mask made with fresh neem leaves and bentonite clay will give good relief. Bentonite removes excessive oiliness from the face gently and neem leaves treats acne very effectively. This mask is simple to make but make sure that the paste does not enter the mouth else it will be very very bitter because we are adding fresh neem juice.

To make the mask, take fresh neem leaves and grind it to paste along with little boiled water in a mixer to a coarse paste and strain to get the neem juice. Add the neem juice to the bentonite clay along with little bit of pure organic turmeric powder and form a thick paste. Apply a thick coat on the face, wait for it to dry and wash it off.

Make sure to mix the ingredients in a glass bowl as bentonite clay might not be very effective, if it comes in contact with any metals. If you don’t get fresh neem leaves, you can substitute it with pure neem powder. Mix the clay and neem powder using boiled water. You can also substitute bentonite clay with rhassoul clay in this recipe.

2. Clay Mask For Oily Skin Using Multani Mitti: 

Multani mitti face pack has been used by Indian women for a long time and I love multani mitti in face packs. Multani mitti/ Fuller’s earth is a type of clay that is great for clearing up the blemishes in the face. Multani mitti face pack is beneficial for both oily and dry skin, but we have to add the ingredients accordingly. Multani is either sold as a lump or as a powder. If you got it as a solid piece, powder it and then use it. I got a big lump of good quality multani mitti 2 years back and it got over just a week back and this time I got multani mitti powder.

Instead of buying creams for fairness, try using multani mitti face pack regularly, regular use will lighten the skin tone, giving you a clear and fair skin. Since we are adding vetiver water and turmeric paste, it is also very effective for treating pimples along with excessive oiliness. Vetiver water is made by soaking the vetiver roots in water, vetiver water has a soothing effect on the skin and together with turmeric paste, it treats acne very effectively.

Though it takes some time to make this mask, this mask can be stored in the refrigerator and used throughout the week. Mix the multani mitti, turmeric paste and keep it in the refrigerator, to use add the required amount of boiled water to get a thick paste. If you have a dry skin, just mix the paste with yogurt and skip the water. Yogurt in the pack is ideal for dry skin.

To make the pack, soak vetiver root in water for some time and strain the root. Don’t throw away the root, it can be reused twice or thrice. Rub a turmeric on a coarse stone along with vetiver water to get a thick paste. Now add the turmeric paste to the multani mitti powder and required amount of water to get a thick paste. To use, wash your face well, pat dry and apply the mask all over the face & neck, wait for it to dry and wash it off. Use it regularly, weekly twice to see results.

3. Clay Mask For Dry Skin: Using Kaolin Or White Clay

One of the best uses of kaolin is its ability to remove the impurities from the skin gently without stripping the skin of it’s natural oils. This homemade kaolin face mask recipe has many benefits, as both kaolin and apples are rich in vitamins. This mask is especially useful for people who have a very sensitive skin. I have a normal skin and every face pack agrees with me, so I have not thought about face packs for people with sensitive skin.

But one of my friends, who has a very sensitive skin always complains that she cannot use any face packs on her skin. When I was searching for recipes for sensitive skin, I found that kaolin based face masks does wonders for sensitive skin, so I tried it with fresh apple puree and dried herbs. Kaolin and apple puree are wonderful in bringing back lost shine to dull skin and tulsi leaves in the face pack treats acne & dry skin effectively.

I have used fresh apple puree in the mask, but try using organic apples to make the puree. To make the mask, peel the skin of an apple and grind to a smooth puree with little bit of apple cider vinegar. Now add the kaolin powder, dried herbs to the pureed apple and mix to form smooth thick paste. I used dried tulsi leaves in the mask, but you can use any dried herb that suits your skin and that you like. To use, wash and dry your face and then apply the face pack.

Leave it for 10 to 15 minutes and wash it off with a mild soap or a homemade bath powder. I like dried tulsi leaves in the pack as it is treats and prevents skin infections and it is also good for sensitive skin. You can also try herbs like dried neem, rosemary, but make sure to crush them finely before adding them to the mask.

4. Clay Mask For Open Pores Using Multani Mitti Or Bentonite:

I had some orange peel powder left in my pantry and I was wondering what to do with it. I saw this recipe for orange peel face mask in one of my beauty recipe books and gave it a try. It was very easy to make and it left my face soft and clean. This pack is perfect for normal to oily skin and it is great for treating open pores. This mask has got multani mitti commonly called fullers earth in English, fresh orange juice, orange peel powder and orange essential oil. I have to say, this pack smells so refreshing because of the uplifting smell of orange peel powder and orange essential oil.

Next time you buy oranges, make sure to buy organic oranges that are not wax coated. After eating the oranges, remove the pith, sun dry completely till crisp and powder it finely in a dry mixer. Store it in an airtight box and you can use this powder for a long time, but make sure to sun dry well. Orange peel powder treats dark circles, prevents acne and pigmentation. Multani mitti is an wonderful ingredient to remove the oiliness and black heads from the skin effectively and it also dries to a firm mask in the skin thus helping in open pores.

I just got orange essential oil last week and I strongly recommend this essential oil to everyone, as even a sniff of this amazing essential oil invigorates and refreshes us. But always use essential oils with base oils or like in this face pack. To make the face pack, take orange peel powder and multani mitti in a bowl, add freshly squeezed orange juice to it to make a thick paste.

Now add the few drops of orange essential oil, the consistency should be neither too thick nor too thin and we should be able to spread it on the face easily. This face mask thickens into a thick coat on the face. Once the mask is dry wash it off, you will find your skin considerably softer and smoother. When buying multani mitti, make sure to buy very good quality multani mitti from reputed shops, that has a clean fresh smell and store it in an airtight jar.

5. Clay Mask For Blackheads:

This homemade oatmeal face mask recipe made with oatmeal, honey, lemon juice and clay is very good for removing black heads. You can use any type of clay that you have at home. Regular use of this mask prevents many disorders of the skin. It treats acne, acne scars, dry skin, rashes, rosacea and pimples along with preventing black heads. It is very effective for treating sun burn and redness of the skin.

We get only instant oatmeal in our local town and I always make this pack with it. Originally I was making this pack with gram flour. Once I didn’t have gram flour at home and I simply substituted gram flour with ground oatmeal and clay and I absolutely loved it. Ground oatmeal is very gentle on the skin and combined with clay and honey, it makes a great face mask. This oatmeal face mask can be safely used by people with dry and oily skin.

If you don’t have time to wait for the mask to dry, then use it as a scrub. Just a take a small portion of the mix and rub gently on the face and wash off. Refrigerate the left overs to use it for another day. To make the mask, take the instant oatmeal and grind it to a fine powder in a mixer and take it in a bowl. Add the clay and mix well, now add equal amount of lemon juice and honey to make it into a thick paste. Apply on clean face and once it dries and tightens on the face, wash it off.