Made from minerals, clays are highly bio-compatible and have fascinating properties. Due to disc-shaped particles and charged surfaces, clays can interact with a range of macromolecules such as drugs, proteins, polymers, DNA, etc. Most clays are naturally alkaline, absorb oily substances, and have strong negative electromagnetic charge for ionic exchange during iontophoresis (an “injection” without a needle). The interaction of water and ions is extremely important since the body cells are also generally negatively charged*. Type I Bentonite usually forms from weathering of volcanic ash, most often in the presence of water, and is rich in Ca and Mg. The pH of Bentonite clays is 8.3 - 9.1. Due this high alkalinity it is usually blended with an acidic component such as aloe Vera for masques. It is a high swelling/shrinking clay type. Australian washed blue clay, for example, is made up of bentonite and is excellent for drawing toxins and impurities from oily, porous skin and tightening it up. Type II Red clay on the other hand has a pH of 6.9-7.5 which is significantly lower. The bulk of red clay is eolian dust - quartz, clay minerals, volcanic ash, residue microfossils, and local minerals. These open-water formed sediments are typically bright red to chocolate brown in color from coatings of iron and manganese oxides on the particles. They contain less than 30% biogenic material. For instance, Rhassoul/Moroccan clay contains silica, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, lithium and trace elements. It helps to heal inflammations and calm sensitized, irritated skin. Type III Green clay, also known as illite, is formed in cooler climates by the decomposition of micas and feldspars, predominant in marine clays and shales. Comprised of a host of essential minerals, iron oxides, and decomposed plant material such as kelp and seaweed, it is non-expanding, grey-white to silvery-white or greenish-gray and has a pH of 7 - 9. The mineral content of green clay is extraordinary, including but not limited to: magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, silicon, selenium, iron, copper, and cobalt. Raymond Dextreit, a French naturopath, claimed that the minerals in green French clay provide healing power: copper battles infections, selenium boosts liver function, cobalt treats anemia, and all the minerals together work to stimulate blood circulation and retard the aging process. Clays naturally have a powerful, negative electromagnetic charge, while the majority of toxins embedded in your skin have a positive charge. This makes clay-based treatments ideal for effective skin therapy. * An example is the energy that forces breakdown of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP - a complex organic chemical that provides energy to drive many processes in human cells, e.g. muscle contraction, nerve impulse propagation, chemical synthesis). |
Helen Mallett,
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