Teach Me Tuesdays: Rhassoul Clay

Rhassoul clay is truly an exquisite Spa quality clay from ancient deposits unearthed from the fertile Atlas mountains in Morocco where it has been used for over 1400 years. History sights this mineral rich, reddish/brown clay was also used in ancient Rome and Egypt by those of nobility.

I absolutely LOVE this clay! It is unparallelled with it's ability to absorb free radicals and toxins in the skin. 

Atlas Road

In clinical tests, Rhassoul has been shown to be effective on improving skin appearance, elasticity and clarity and:

• unclogging pores, removing dead skin layers, removing surface oil from skin, reduces flakiness and dryness of both the scalp and skin.  

Try using Rhassoul clay For a luxurious and decadent experience in:

• soap recipes, facial masks, body wraps, clay packs, shampoos, & conditioners 

It won't dry out the skin and leaves it in better condition than when you applied it in one treatment! This clay multiculturally cleanses the hair without stripping- perfect for both Caucasian and ethnic hair. Easy to use Rhassoul is 100% natural and ecological.

*Interesting factoid: Rassola comes from an 

Arabic word meaning "wash"

It is used in a lot of professional skin products it's most impressive properties in skin improvement are its capacity of absorption due to its high level of ion exchange. 

Basically it contains higher percentages of:

• silica, magnesium, potassium, calcium and other trace minerals than other clays. 

These minerals make the clay highly detoxifying as they can actually exchange themselves for toxic compounds like metals in the skin. The clay not only works to remove impurities from your skin, it also replaces them with nourishing trace minerals. The clay's high level of ions exchange makes it ideal for toning and enriching the skin.

Layman terms: IT absorbs all the "crudies"& "yuckies" on the surface of the skin causing it to appear older and giving the skin a dull lifeless appearance. And exchange the trace minerals found in the clay for the toxins in skin helping the skin look fresher, tighter and younger.

 As if you need more proof as to why I LOVE this clay,

 please  indulge me while 

I share one more factoid:

   
What sold me on using was the clinical studies that were conducted by two different research laboratories in the United States to evaluate Rhassoul use for skin conditions. 

The results of this single use Rhassoul study produced these findings….

• Reduces dryness (79%)
• Reduces flakiness (41%)
• Improves skin clarity (68%)
• Improves skin elasticity / firmness (24%)
• Improves skin texture (106%)
• Removes surface oil and oil from inside and around comedons (black heads)
• Removes dead skin layers, resulting in a general smoothing of the surface skin
• In addition to the oil removal characteristics

NOW how do I actually use this miracle clay???

I mix the rhassoul clay with *hydrosols, also known as:

• floral waters, hydroflorates, flower waters or distillates these days

*They are produced from steam-distilling plant materials & hydrosols have similar properties to essential oils but are much less concentrated. Unlike their "essential oil added to water" counterparts, true steam-distilled hydrosols contain all the beneficial components that whole plant materials have to offer.

I typically use these hydrososls as my toner and most times add them to my clay to make a mask:

• helichyrsum,lavender, & lemon balm 

This time I choose helichrysum bc it's well known for its unparalleled skin toning and healing properties & is excellent as a stand alone skin toner for all skin types, especially mature and/or very dry skin. 

In the winter I feel so dried up and oily, really unbalanced with my skin, so I am leaning a lot on my helichrysum, sadly MRH (Mountian Rose Herbs) where I typically purchase my clays, EO, hydrosols, are out of stock of the rhassoul clay and aren't even offering the helichrysum hydrosol anymore. So sad bc I use it a lot and has other uses besides facial products herbalists also use it in pain remedy formulas for bruises, sprains and sore muscles and mix with other hydrosols waters or worked into a lotion or healing salve recipe.

My Rhoussoul Mask with customized Oil Serum

• I used 1T part clay to 2/3-1/2 C helichrysum hydrosol to make a creamy semi-liquid-y Paste. 
• I add drops of hydrosol at a time and watch as it absorbs the clay to get the proportions just right. 
•  I made a  Jojoba(for added toning affects), tamanu, & rosehip seed oil & dropped an essential oil blend with lavender, helichrysum, rose and myrrh powder blend to lay directly onto my skin under the mask so it would ionize into my skin. 
• Then a layer of the clay mask directly over. 
• It gets really tight as is dries, so it really tones and pushes/ionizes the precious oil blend into my skin. 

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For the "no poo" Shampoo

Picture credit

1. Prepare ahead by hydrating your clay. 
2. Combine 2- T rhassoul clay with 1/2 c. filtered water (distilled water is optimal) in a glass jar. Using a non-metallic utensil (chopsticks work great), stir the mixture. 
3. Allow to sit to "hydrate the rhassoul clay". 
4. Stir again and add more water, if necessary, until you have a thick liquid paste. 

TO Use Hydrated Rhassoul Clay:

• Apply to hair  and scalp (I use a hair color brush) then comb through with a WIDE tooth comb to distribute clay mixture. 
• Rinse thoroughly.
• Comb through again and rinse again. 

It is unlikely that a conditioner is needed, but if desired, consider a natural alternative. 

Here's a couple I used, your hair will feel fuzzy, you need to raise PH, with something acidic:
 

 1.) Glycerin conditioner:

• 5 oz. herbal water (infuse nettle or lavender leaves in water) or use 5 oz. distilled water
• 2 oz. glycerin
• 1 oz. lemon juice

Combine ingredients in glass jar and shake well. Apply 1/4 - 1/2 c. after shampooing. Rinse with warm water. Stores in refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

2.) Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse.

• Apply after shampooing, I use a spray bottle to evenly distribute
  
• then rinse.
  

DEEP Conditioner: 
Rhassoul clay can also be used for deep conditioning of the hair. Feel free to adapt the following recipe to suit your unique hair needs. This what I adapted from here to suit my hair needs:

• 1/2 c. rhassoul clay
• 1/2 c. warm coconut milk
• 1/4 c. rose water or herbal water (make your own infusion by pouring 2 c. boiling water over 2 tbsp. herbs or flower petals. Allow to steep for 30 minutes and strain.)
• 1/4 c. distilled water (double this amount if no herbal or rose water is used)
• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil
• 1T glycerine 
• 1 "Squirt" of honey 

Mix all ingredients except oil. Once you have a paste {Basically rehydrate the clay}, stir in the oil. You may add a tad of honey at this point for added conditioning treatment. Apply to hair and allow to sit with a warm, moist towel or plastic hair cap for 1 hour. Rinse and style as usual.

I mix up a batch and keep in fridge in a glass jar for about 4 weeks.
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In place of Soap:
Hydrated clay as described above can be used as soap. Apply as a thin paste over the skin and rinse. I like to add castor oil for a nice lather experience and added moisturizer plus essential oils of choice, up to 7 drops per ounce. You'll be amazed at how refreshed you'll feel!

My Formula:
2 T Rhassoul Clay
1/2 C distilled water or lavender/rose hydrosol
1-3t of Castor Oil
2- drops Patchouli Essential oil
5 drops  Lavender Essential Oil
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