Rhassoul Clay Benefits – Rhassoul

Naturally contains many minerals including magnesium, silica, iron and potassium

Rhassoul clay is found only in the caves at the foot of the Atlas mountains. It is dug out by hand, washed in fresh water then laid to dry in the sun. It is then crushed into powder. Its name comes from the Arabic rassala – to wash and it is also known as Ghassoul Clay.

Rhassoul is a unique clay in that it was formed through millions of years of hydro-thermal action and volcanic magma. As it lay untouched in the mountains its mineral content was preserved & strengthened.

Rhassoul has been used to detoxify and cleanse skin for over 1000 years. From Morocco its reputation carried it across to Ancient Egypt then on to Rome where it was used by the aristocracy to wash & beautify skin.

It forms an integral part of the Moroccan Hammam tradition, where inhabitants go to their local steam baths & spa to socialise whilst being covered top to toe in clay and scrubbed.

Rhassoul Clay Benefits & Uses

This versatile clay has many uses including soap, scrub, pack or mask on both skin & hair; this makes it an excellent value multi-tasking product which is also environmentally responsible – only one natural ingredient on the shelf & washed down the drain. It leaves both skin & hair clean and replenished.

Through ionic exchange its negative charge draws positively charged toxins from skin whilst its mineral content replenishes skin, leaving it clean and smooth. Compared to other clays it is more gentle, irritant & surfactant-free it is usable on all skin types including sensitive or acne-prone.

It is highly absorbent – hence its ability to soak up water, absorb excess sebum (oils) & draw out toxins; this absorbency is increased by the fine particle size of the powder increasing its surface area.

It has anti-microbial properties benefiting all skin especially acne-prone or problem skin.

The clay particles gently exfoliate skin sloughing off dead skin cells promoting health cell turnover, unblocking pores and tightening them.

How to use Rhassoul, first make the clay paste:

Rhassoul Clay should only be mixed with non-metal spoons & in non-metal bowls. Add 1 spoon of rhassoul to a bowl, gently shake to flatten. Add around 1.5 spoons of water to cover it. You could use filtered water or hydrosols (floral waters) such as our Rose water. Leave the mixture for approximately five minutes to activate. Once done it should have the consistency of a thick mousse.

Rhassoul Clay Face Mask

Once your Rhassoul paste has activated, use fingers or even better a face mask brush to apply a thick layer to your face. Sit back and relax. For dry skin or sensitive: leave on around 5 minutes or until you feel it begin to tighten. Oily skin or congested: For these skin types the mask can be left up to 15 minutes. Mask can be kept moist by draping a hand-hot cloth over the face or misting with water. Like with all clay masks – do not allow it to dry hard!
Clay masks have 3 phases:
1) The wet phase where skin absorbs clay minerals,
2) The cool phase where the clay begins to dry & contract stimulating blood flow and,
3) The dry phase where it will dry the skin out, the mask feels hard.
When the mask is beginning to dry (end of phase 2), massage your skin to exfoliate then using warm water & a flannel remove your rhassoul clay mask. Skin may look a little flushed where the blood flow has been stimulated, and it will feel silky soft.

—————————-

Learn the other ways you can use Rhassoul on the Rhassoul product page where you can purchase it with or without spoon, brush and bowl. You can also find a rhassoul clay pot in our Moroccan Spa Set, and it is an ingredient in our award-winning Glow Powder Cleanser.

Image by Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium (High Atlas Mountains Uploaded by russavia) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Save