Benefits of Rhassoul Clay

Rhassoul clay is also known as Moroccan Lava Clay, Rasul Clay, and Ghassoul.  It is mined in the Atlas mountains of Morocco under precise conditions and undergoes special treatment before it gets to us Westerners in the form we know it.   Moroccan Naturals has a very detailed article on this process. Rhassoul comes from the Arabic word "rassala" meaning "washing’’ and it has been used for centuries for personal care including skin care, washing, and hair care.

*(In Arabic the actual pronunciation of “ghassoul” begins with a “ghain,” which is a sound that English speaking people find very difficult to pronounce. For this reason many native English speakers have changed the pronunciation to a “ra” sound pronouncing it as “rhassoul.”)  Moroccan Naturals

Rhassoul clay 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 can also replace them with nourishing trace minerals. The clay's high level of ion exchange makes it ideal for toning and enriching the skin.

A study has shown Rhassoul clay to:

Increase skin elasticity/firmness 24%

Reduce dryness 79%

Reduce flakiness 41%

Improve skin clarity 68%

Improve skin texture 106%

Rhassoul is a smectic clay.  Which means it is capable of absorbing large amounts of liquid. Or as is often the case, oils from our body.

It has also been long used for washing and in particular washing the hair.  By simply mixing the clay with water, coating the hair with the mixture and then rinsing you can absorb and remove excess oils from the hair and replace minerals.

With all of these benefits, it's not wonder it is the natural choice for spas and is seeing a revival of it's popularity world wide.

Check out our DIY beauty section for ways to use Rhassoul clay at home and...

Be Beautiful!

Ressources:

Argan Oil Tree

The Black Hair Diary

Mountain Rose Herbs

Do they have to put borax in there?

The short answer? Yes.

Often people ask me "Why the borax? Isn't that what you use to clean things?" In a word, yes.

But, the reason borax cleans is because it is very alkaline (pH approx. 9). Borax is a natural mineral salt. It is found in places where lakes have formed seasonally because of heavy rains but then evaporated. After many years of this the salt accumulates and can be mined. Most borax (sodium borate) comes from Turkey, Chile, Tibet or from Boron, California. Though it is found naturally it can also be reproduced in the lab.

So why is it used in skin care products?

It is an emulsifier. It is generally found in creams where beeswax is used. Bees wax is not an emulsifier on it's own. When bees wax and borax are combined in the recipe, a reaction occurs similar to that of soap making and a true emulsifier is created. This is a very tricky process to master because it is not a guarantee as to how much emulsifier will be created with each reaction even if the amount of bees wax and borax remain constant.

It is a constant in all bath bomb recipes because without it they would not hold their shape and crumble. Trust me, without borax your bath bombs simply crumble into fizzing bath salts!

Now, I understand peoples' concern with see borax listed on the ingredients. I also caution people that just because something is natural doesn't necessarily mean it's safe. Borax can most certainly be toxic if enough of it is ingested. It definitely needs to be kept out of reach of children and pets. However, the amount found in your natural skin care products, when used as an emulsifier, in my humble opinion is more than safe.

Borax also has many other uses you may be interested in.

It is used as a food preservative in some countries to preserve caviar. It is banned in the United States (thankfully) and so they simply use a lot of salt! So, if you're a caviar fan, you might want to check into that!

You probably already know about the myriad of cleaning options such as mold killer, laundry booster, dishwasher powder and all purpose cleaner.

Use it to prevent fleas from hatching in carpets and other bedding.

Mice really don't like it so sprinkle it around where you suspect the devils to be and they probably won't want to come back to that area. (Apparently the don't like peppermint essential oil either!)

So the next time you see borax on the label, think for a moment of the small amount vs. the benefit it creates (without an emulsifier you cream would look like homemade salad dressing) vs. the natural product compared to the chemical emulsifiers in the nasty skin care products!

I say, bring on the borax!

And now you know.