Earliest records of history contain evidence of ‘Natural Clay’ being used by mankind for healing ailments and restoring health and beauty. The first records of clay used for ‘Medicinal Purposes’ date back to the 4th Millennium BC , in ancient Mesopotamia.
Originally Clay was used both Internally and Externally.
It was ingested orally to maintain a healthy body and mixed with water to create a paste that was applied externally on the skin for cosmetic purposes as well as to restore, heal, cure and protect the skin from several ailments and infections.
Native American Indian Tribes knew the amazing healing powers of this ‘Volcanic Ash Clay’, for thousands of years and used to call it “Ee-Wah-Kee “, which means “The Mud that Heals”. That is why the world still calls this clay as ‘INDIAN HEALING CLAY.’
Medicinal bath of clay became a fashionable treatment around the 17th century AD, when the significance of ‘Mud Bath’ was acknowledged by many rheumatologists and dermatologists of the western world. These clay baths existed commonly in areas where hot spring water was usually combined with ‘volcanic ash and other clay minerals’
Wide variety of clays are used for Medicinal and Healing purposes.
The clays mostly described in literature and historically been used to heal skin infections and in clay-baths (pelotherapy), to absorb toxins from the skin and for ‘rheumatism treatment’, mostly belonged to Smectite group of clay minerals, commonly known as BENTONITE.
BENTONITE is a naturally occurring absorbent material, composed of ‘Volcanic Ash Sediments’, that have been weathered & aged in presence of water, over a long period of time. It is a part of ‘SMECTITE’ group of clay minerals, consisting mostly of ‘Montmorillonite’.
Sedimentary Layers of Bentonite (Click to Enlarge) Bentonite Lumps (Click to Enlarge)
- The clay most commonly used in skincare products for ‘Facial and Body Mask’ is Bentonite clay.
- Bentonite clay is mixed with water to form a paste that can be applied externally for cosmetic purposes and for skin protection.
- Due to Bentonite’s sponge like, absorptive properties, it absorbs secretions, toxins and contaminants from the skin.
- Bentonite clays also serve to cleanse and refresh the skin surface and to aid in the healing of topical blemishes.