Bentonite Clay

[HerbalEarthling]

Don't know if this topic is best suited here but I really wanted to share this with you all.

I had posted a few weeks ago about bentonite clay and where to get it for cheap. Someone suggested a wine and beer making supply store so I contacted one locally and found 50 pounds for $55!!! Food grade (since it goes into wine to clarify it).

For anyone who is local, the place is called Flying Barrel and they are in Frederick, MD. I'm assuming they would ship but we did the math and it would be about $35 to ship. SCORE! We went and picked it up yesterday. Time to get busy!

On a side note, I've been trying to come up with recipes with bentonite clay. Does anyone have any favorites they are willing to share? Also, any tips to using it like when to add it to soap, etc?

 

[MOGal70]

Wow that is a LOT of clay!

 

[HerbalEarthling]

I know! For that price, I couldn't pass it up! I gotta lot of work to do

 

[Obsidian]

No soap but here is another option for your clay. I use this and I really like it. I used powdered stevia extract since I didn't have any xylitol and I added 10 drops of peppermint oil. I'd like to add a bit more flavor, maybe cinnamon oil or anise oil.

http://wellnessmama.com/5252/remineralizing-tooth-powder-recipe/

 

[savonierre]

That is an awesome find..

 

[HerbalEarthling]

I've tried tooth powder before and honestly, I really wanted to like it but I hated it! I think I will try again though, I need all the help I can when it comes to healing my teeth. Haha!

 

[Robert]

Not sure how pure you need it, but cheap cat litter is mostly to entirely bentonite.

 

[TVivian]

Not sure how pure you need it, but cheap cat litter is mostly to entirely bentonite.

I'm pretty sure she's set for life at this point..


Sent from my iPhone using Soap Making

 

[Ancel]

face masks!! I do a 50% activated charcoal, 50% clay mask that works wonders! It also makes a great, but horrific looking tooth powder.

 

[HerbalEarthling]

I make and sell my products for bath & body so they must be entirely natural. Thanks for the tip though. That may be good to know one day ya never know.

 

[HerbalEarthling]

face masks!! I do a 50% activated charcoal, 50% clay mask that works wonders! It also makes a great, but horrific looking tooth powder.

That sounds kinda cool! Maybe there's my inspiration to try again. Haha!

 

[Ann Marie]

Congratulations on your find! I love bentonite clay and find that since it is so spongy it is important to hydrate it well before adding it to the oils or it will absorb them and the soap will end up crumbly. it also affects the color so either just leave it with no added color or experiment a little with natural colors or micas to know what the final product will look like. Happy soaping!!!

 

[HerbalEarthling]

Congratulations on your find! I love bentonite clay and find that since it is so spongy it is important to hydrate it well before adding it to the oils or it will absorb them and the soap will end up crumbly. it also affects the color so either just leave it with no added color or experiment a little with natural colors or micas to know what the final product will look like. Happy soaping!!!

I knew there was a trick to it! I thought about whisking it in the oils before putting the lye in. I don't do a whole lot of swirls because I do mostly pvc molded round soaps so I don't mind it being all one color. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Hazel]

Awesome score! Bentonite clay is formed from volcanic ash. Search for volcanic ash soap - popular and expensive.

It's also used in body wraps for detoxification, etc. I've never used it in a body wrap. I used aloe juice, sea salt, kelp and essential oils. But I've read you mix half clay and half liquid to form the paste. Follow the procedure for preparing the body for the paste, smooth the paste on the skin and wrap yourself in a blanket. I used the emergency mylar blankets to wrap people because they're inexpensive and I could throw them away afterwards. (Hygiene, state law, etc.) I used towels to cover the person to prevent the person from getting chilled. Even in a warm room, a person can get chilled laying still on a table. Actually, the layers were sheet on the table, then a cotton blanket and then the mylar blanket. After I wrapped the person, I laid towels over the body and then pulled the mylar blanket over and then the blanket.

I don't know if it's possible to make a a dry blend of the clay mixed with ground botanicals and make a kit. I don't know of very many people who are willing to do a full body clay wrap outside of a spa because it would be messy. But it's something to think about - a kit with the dry mix, a small glass bottle with essential oil blend (you could also add a little carrier oil to it), mylar blanket, head band, exfoliating brush or glove, instructions, etc. Turn it into a gift basket. Of course, this might be a bad idea.

 

[HerbalEarthling]

Awesome score! Bentonite clay is formed from volcanic ash. Search for volcanic ash soap - popular and expensive.

It's also used in body wraps for detoxification, etc. I've never used it in a body wrap. I used aloe juice, sea salt, kelp and essential oils. But I've read you mix half clay and half liquid to form the paste. Follow the procedure for preparing the body for the paste, smooth the paste on the skin and wrap yourself in a blanket. I used the emergency mylar blankets to wrap people because they're inexpensive and I could throw them away afterwards. (Hygiene, state law, etc.) I used towels to cover the person to prevent the person from getting chilled. Even in a warm room, a person can get chilled laying still on a table. Actually, the layers were sheet on the table, then a cotton blanket and then the mylar blanket. After I wrapped the person, I laid towels over the body and then pulled the mylar blanket over and then the blanket.

I don't know if it's possible to make a a dry blend of the clay mixed with ground botanicals and make a kit. I don't know of very many people who are willing to do a full body clay wrap outside of a spa because it would be messy. But it's something to think about - a kit with the dry mix, a small glass bottle with essential oil blend (you could also add a little carrier oil to it), mylar blanket, head band, exfoliating brush or glove, instructions, etc. Turn it into a gift basket. Of course, this might be a bad idea.

Ooooo! New soap adventure! Hehe. I just made a batch of CP cinnamon oatmeal with orange and cinnamon EO. I got lucky as it did not accelerate so I was able to get a decent swirl in the pot swirl. I also put bentonite into it which which was my first tine using it in the soap.

The gift basket sounds like an excellent idea! We wanted to do some gift baskets for the holidays and this is completely different tham anything we've come up with so far.

What are your thoughts on the detox baths? Do you think these work just as good as a wrap in terms of releasing toxins?

 

[Hazel]

This is just my opinion - I think a wrap works better for detox because it is more concentrated and the person can be left longer. The clay and EOs would be more dispersed and weaker in water. The recommended time for baths was only 10 to 15 minutes. When I did body wraps, it was an hour service. The beginning of the service was lightly exfoliating the skin (helping to open pores), then wrapping took awhile so the person really was only wrapped for 20 to 30 minutes. (While the person was wrapped, I'd either give them a facial or foot treatment - sometimes both which extended the time of the service). Then removing the wrap, rinsing the person off and the final part was massaging lotion onto the skin. However, I'm not sure how how much detoxification really occurred. I want to mention again that I never used clay. I checked the old service chart and the services were called Seaweed Bath and Mineral Bath which were Dead Sea salt. The body wrap I did was for inch reduction (which did work but only temporarily). Also, I don't do esthetic services anymore so I'm sure there are new ideas for estheticians.

Are there spas near you? Generally, spas list their services online and you could check to see what the current services are to get ideas.

You might find it interesting to browse through some of the esthetician suppliers to see what they're selling. This also might give you some ideas of what is popular. I'll post again if I think of anything else.

 

[HerbalEarthling]

This is just my opinion - I think a wrap works better for detox because it is more concentrated and the person can be left longer. The clay and EOs would be more dispersed and weaker in water. The recommended time for baths was only 10 to 15 minutes. When I did body wraps, it was an hour service. The beginning of the service was lightly exfoliating the skin (helping to open pores), then wrapping took awhile so the person really was only wrapped for 20 to 30 minutes. (While the person was wrapped, I'd either give them a facial or foot treatment - sometimes both which extended the time of the service). Then removing the wrap, rinsing the person off and the final part was massaging lotion onto the skin. However, I'm not sure how how much detoxification really occurred. I want to mention again that I never used clay. I checked the old service chart and the services were called Seaweed Bath and Mineral Bath which were Dead Sea salt. The body wrap I did was for inch reduction (which did work but only temporarily). Also, I don't do esthetic services anymore so I'm sure there are new ideas for estheticians.

Are there spas near you? Generally, spas list their services online and you could check to see what the current services are to get ideas.

You might find it interesting to browse through some of the esthetician suppliers to see what they're selling. This also might give you some ideas of what is popular. I'll post again if I think of anything else.

Nice! Thank you for being so willing to share your experiences, knowledge, and opinions. You have given me a few really good ideas! I can't wait to try a wrap on myself I get really cold easily though; thinking about it makes me feel cold. Time for some tea! Cheers!

 

[Hazel]

You're welcome! I wish I had more suggestions for you. I'll browse some sites and see if anything may be useful for you. I don't have time tonight but I'll do it tomorrow. Of course, I may not find anything helpful.

 

[Lindy]

Not sure how pure you need it, but cheap cat litter is mostly to entirely bentonite.

For body products it needs to be pretty pure, cat litter isn't going to cut it. :roll:

 

[Hazel]

HerbalEarthling -

Whoops! I did search, then forgot to come back and post what I found. Unfortunately, it wasn't a lot. It appears the main services in this area are based upon Caribbean/Bahama (tropical) type, herbal detox and salt detox. I haven't thought of anything which might be helpful.