Treat Your Face With Lavender and Clay

One day, while visiting a friend, I was browsing through a book about herbs that she had on her table, and I saw a recipe for a facial mask using ground lavender flowers and lavender hydrosol. It sounded interesting, so I jotted down the simple recipe. Today I finally got around to making it.

Lavender has a reputation as being gentle and soothing to skin.

Clay masks are for deep cleansing, and Kaolin Clay is a widely used ingredient. Any skin type can benefit from a mask once a week to draw out impurities and deep clean the skin.

I like Kaolin Clay because it is very fine and is the least absorbent of the different varieties of clay. In my super dry climate, I don’t want to make my skin any drier than it is. French Green Clay is wonderful if you have oily skin or live in a very humid environment. It is the most absorbent of cosmetic clays.

Lavender has been used in beauty products for centuries for its reputed gentleness and healing properties. Some people don’t like the scent of lavender, however. (I’ll have an option for you at the end of this blog when I discuss variations.)

MAKE IT

Here’s what you’ll need to make this super simple project.

RECIPE

1 Tablespoon dried Lavender Flowers
2 Tablespoons Clay of Choice
Q.S. Lavender Hydrosol to hydrate mixture

INSTRUCTIONS

You can whip this up in moments for immediate use, or package the dry and liquid ingredients separately for storage. Once hydrated, the mask is not suitable for storage, as there is no preservative.

Grind the lavender buds to a powder. I began with a mortar and pestle, but that was not getting the buds crushed. I switched to my coffee bean grinder which I reserve for spices and herbs. That did a much better job of turning the lavender buds into powder.

Add the clay to the lavender buds in a small dish and stir to combine.

The mortar and pestle weren’t getting the lavender buds ground to the fine powder needed for the face mask.

I used a coffee bean grinder to get the lavender buds as powdery as possible.

Adding the Kaolin Clay to the powdered lavender buds. They smell so good!

After mixing well, the powder part of the mask is ready.

The next step is to add enough of the Lavender Hydrosol to get the appropriate consistency. I used a small flatware spoon to measure the hydrosol, adding it one spoonful at a time. It took 5 spoonfuls to get the paste-like consistency that would be easy to spread.

To prepare the mask to be used, add just enough Lavender Hydrosol to achieve the consistency you like.

This seems like the right consistency for spreading.

If I were making this to sell or give away, I’d package the hydrosol in a bottle like the Boston Round PET Plastic Bottles with a disc lid. The clay and herb powder blend would be best in a wide mouth jar like Clear PET Wide Mouth Jars with black lids. I might try to find a cute scoop to include.

TO USE

Wash your face, then spread the mask over your face and neck. Find something to do for 10 minutes or so while the mask dries.

Once the mask has dried, use a face cloth to gently wash it off with warm water. Pat your face dry, and follow up with your favorite facial lotion or serum.

Of course I had to try the mask, and mine was the only face available. I nearly got some in my eye! (Hint: don’t get any in your eye!)

After about 10 minutes, my face would not move! Must be time to rinse off. (I was trying to smile – really!)

NOTES

After using the mask, I think I’d like it to be a bit wetter for easier application.

When I finished rinsing off the mask, my face was red where the mask had been, which was a bit alarming. However, my skin returned to its normal hue within about 15 minutes. I’ve heard that kaolin clay can cause a slight stinging feeling, so perhaps that was what caused the redness. I did not notice any stinging sensation while the mask was on my face.

After removing the mask, I definitely needed moisturizer. I used the facial lotion I make. (See my recipe here.)

VARIATIONS

I know at least one person who can’t abide lavender. If you are one of those folks, or if you just like other options, try this. Substitute Rose Petals and Rose Hydrosol for the lavender, and voila! You have a rose face mask!

Any type of clay can be used in place of Kaolin Clay. Use what you love or what you have on hand. Try different kinds of clay to see what you like best.

Let us know what type of clay mask you like to use. Would you try this mask?