Bentonite Clay Trials: Take 1



Sigh. I was just so excited about using bentonite clay, and then became so busy with a youth camp that I was a staffperson for. When I said the last goodbye to the last person at the camp, I was more than eager to try a bentonite clay treatment. In essence, my first take was less than great. It didn't wow me at all. In fact, I grew frustrated. But I am not throwing the towel in just yet. I am just trying to figure out what to do differently next time.

Here is my experience:

I mixed the clay with apple cider vinegar, castor and olive oils, and bottled water. The ACV made the clay react almost like when you add vinegar to baking soda, which sort of freaked me out. But I decided to continue with my experiment. I tried to get it to a runnier than yogurt but not as thin as water consistency. I also tried my hardest to get clumps out of it. Fail. Clumps stayed no matter how much I stirred. I would have whisked, but you are not supposed to use metal when mixing bentonite clay, as it can tarnish the metal. I then  applied the mixture to my hair, which took a while. Then let it sit under a plastic cap. Then I proceeded to rinse.

OMGosh. I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed. It got so annoying, that even after rinsing for quite some time, I hopped back in the shower in my birthday suit in order to rinse some more. I could still see clumps of clay on my scalp. Not cool. I was also using a cheapie conditioner to help get all the clay out. (Is this what a henna treatment feels like). After all this, I took a break. Then I twisted my hair using coconut oil. Guess what? I found more clay on  my scalp. Like gray dandruff. Ewww. I decided the next morning I would be shampooing my hair again, clayless, to get all the bentonite out of my hair. Oh yeah, and after the bentonite treatment, my hair felt weird. Not dry or stripped, just weird. I don't know about this. Bentonite might just become a facial mask for me, not a hair treatment.

This morning I shampooed with my Babassu and Marshmallow Shampoo Bar from Chagrin Valley. I then did a conditioning treatment with coconut oil and Say Yes to Cucumbers. After rinsing that out, I did an ACV rinse with tea tree essential oil added. My hair is still twisted up, so the process went by faster than usual. Bentonite clay is on the shelf for now. I just don't know.

If I give it another try, I will be making the mixture much thinner, as in a little thicker then or as thin as water. I also see why those who like clay treatment break down and splurge on the pre-mixed Terressentials Mud Wash. In good news, the clay did leave my feeling clean, where leftover clay was not present. And it is all natural. But all natural products don't mean all good. Shampoo bars are all natural but not nearly as messy as clay treatments. My bathroom looked like I had a mud wrestling fight in it for a while. Anyway, I will keep you posted.