I like a face mask. I do at least one a week, maybe more, and have a bunch of them to combat the various, manifold shortcomings of my skin. Part of the appeal is the experience, the ceremony of them, which I find relaxing. Sometimes potentially entertaining. Recently added to the selection is the fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar, made of an anti-inflammatory and highly absorbent clay from this one town in Italy that can be used as a detoxing face wash, a mask, or a spot treatment. It’s pricey but it seems like it will last a couple of years, seriously.
It’s a bit messy to use, so if I’m going to bother at all I usually go for the mask, maybe removing with a muslin cloth for added exfoliation.
I am deeply into exfoliation.
So, yes, this gives a very thin layer of intensely absorbent/effective clay, which reminds me a lot of the Aztec Secret Bentonite Clay mask. At a fraction of the price (I picked it up at Whole Foods for around $7) it could be worth checking out first. It comes as a powder and you mix it with water or vinegar [or whatever else you like…I like to add lemon juice and tea tree oil as well, maybe rosewater or some essential oils…] to your desired consistency. When you get the balance of ingredients right, this is an amazing mask: it tightens like crazy, so you look like a maniac when it’s fully dry, and even worse when you take it off as it draws the blood to the surface and makes you bright red for a bit. Twenty minutes later, though, there is a difference. [Part of the appeal may be the experience – imagine would be fun to do with a group.] This is another type of clay that boasts supernormal absorbency, able to absorb many times its own weight in volume, that kind of thing. The ants of the clay world. The nice thing about the Umbrian clay is that it achieves a similar effect with less product and less effort. I find the effort intrinsic to the appeal of the Aztec Secret mask, though, so to each its own.
