Greatest DIY Lavender Clay Face Mask #facemask #DIYbeauty

This Lavender Clay Mask is great for dry skin. It's formulated with argan oil, primrose extract and lavender essential oil.

Usually clay masks are designed for oily skin. Because clay absorbs oil, it’s a natural fit. This Lavender Clay Face Mask was specifically formulated for dry and sensitive skin. Don’t let the list of ingredients intimidate you – it’s surprisingly easy to make! Transforming the clay, water and oil into a luxurious mask is a satisfying and rewarding creative process.

This Lavender Clay Mask recipe contains a luxurious blend of argan and avocado oil to moisturize the skin. Argan oil is well known for its nourishing properties, and contains high percentages of vitamins A and E. The oils and distilled water are mixed together with Polawax Emulsifying Wax and BTMS-50 Conditioning Wax. These emulsifiers create a smooth, creamy, lotion-like texture, and prevent separation of the oil and water.

A mixture of kaolin and purple Brazilian clay is added to the water and oils. The majority of the clay in this mask is kaolin clay, which is very fine and gentle. Purple Brazilian clay adds a beautiful color and helps create a thicker mask. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil adds a light scent, but can be omitted if your skin is extremely sensitive. Evening primrose extract adds skin-loving properties, but can easily be swapped for any other extract you may prefer.

Overall, this mask has a lotion-like texture that spreads easily on the skin. Because it’s formulated with dry skin in mind, it contains a fairly small amount of clay. If you apply a very thin layer to the skin, you’ll find that after about 10 minutes it will dry. But if a heavier application is used, it may not fully dry and will continue to have a wet, lotion feel. If you prefer the mask to fully dry on the skin, increase the amount of total clay in the recipe to about 6 ounces.

Ingredients:

• Four Short 8 oz. Bail Jars
• 21.4 oz. Distilled Water
• 1 oz. Argan Oil
• 1.3 oz. Avocado Oil
• 1 oz. Polawax Emulsifying Wax
• 0.8 oz. BTMS-50 Conditioning Wax
• 3.5 oz. Kaolin Clay
• 1 oz. Purple Brazilian Clay
• 2 mL Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
• 0.5 oz. Evening Primrose Extract
• 0.2 oz. Optiphen

Instructions:

EQUIPMENT PREP: Disinfect your utensils by dipping them in a 5% bleach water solution and allowing to dry. This includes mixing containers, your stick blender, and any spoons or spatulas that may come in contact with your mask. Your products must be as free of germs, bacteria, and microbes as possible. To be safe, bleach water all your utensils.
CLAY PREP: In a small separate container, measure 3.5 ounces of kaolin clay and 1 ounce of purple Brazilian clay. If you like, you can add them to the same container. In the steps below I added them separately, but the purple Brazilian clay can be added along with the kaolin clay if you prefer.

1. In a heat-safe container, combine the avocado oil, argan oil, BTMS-50 and Polawax. Heat the container in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts until the waxes have fully melted. Be careful when removing the container, as it will be quite hot. Set aside.
2. In a separate large container, heat the distilled water in the microwave (or on the stove top) until it reaches about 160-170 ° F. Once the water reaches the correct temperature, some of it may evaporate. Remeasure and add more distilled water if necessary until you have 21.4 ounces of hot water.
3. Check the temperatures of both containers. Each container should be about 160°-180° F. If the oil and wax mixture has cooled, place back into the microwave until fully melted. Place the stick blender into the water and burp it to help get rid of bubbles. Pour the oil and wax mixture into the water and use a spatula to make sure every little bit is added. Begin pulsing the stick blender. The mixture will take on a “milky” appearance once the water, oil and waxes have begun to emulsify. Continue to pulse and stir for about a minute.
4. Begin adding heaping spoonfuls of the kaolin clay (or the kaolin clay and purple Brazilian Clay mixture) and pulsing the stick blender until combined. Continue adding the clay to the mixture and blending in small amounts until all the clay is added.
5. Continue stick blending for about 1-2 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down any clay that may be on the sides of the bowl. Check the temperature of the mixture. Once the mixture is about 130-140°F, add the Optiphen, Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil and primrose extract. Stick blend (don’t forget to burp the stick blender!) the ingredients in until fully mixed.
6. If not already added, add the purple Brazilian clay and stick blend until the mixture is fully blended. Continue to stick blend for several more minutes, just to make sure the ingredients are fully emulsified.
7. Pour the mixture into the bail jars. If you find you have a lot of bubbles on the top, you can spritz the top of the containers with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help get rid of some of them. Allow the containers to cool for several hours with the lid open to avoid condensation. Once fully cooled, the mixture will have become a thick, lotion-like texture. We found that the top of the mask does form a bit of a skin as it dries.
8. To use, apply a medium layer to dry, clean skin. Avoid the immediate eye area. Allow the mask to sit on the skin for about 10-15 minutes. Use warm water to rinse off. There is no need to wash the skin after, but you can if you prefer. For drier skins, do no use more than one time per week.

NOTES:

• Polawax Emulsifying Wax is a highly reliable and strong emulsifier. It could be substituted for the generic version, Emulsifying Wax, if you prefer, although this recipe was not tested with Emulsifying Wax. Due to the clay in the recipe, we splurged and used Polawax Emulsifying Wax to avoid any chance of separation.
• This recipe calls for avocado and argan oil. Other oils can be used instead if you prefer; we recommend staying with liquid oils that absorb easily into the skin. Changing the total amount of oil in the recipe will change the overall texture of the mask.
• Because this recipe is essentially a lotion and contains a large amount of water, a preservative is necessary to prevent mold and bacterial growth. We chose Optiphen, but other water soluble preservatives will work. Learn more about preservatives here.
• Increase the total amount of clay if you want it to be better suited for normal to oily skin types. Decreasing the amount of clay may create a thinner product with more moisturizing properties.
• If you prefer to use different clays, feel free to swap them. Clays have different absorbing properties, which will affect how it feels on the skin. Learn which clay is right for your skin.
• If you have very sensitive skin, fragrance and essential oils can be irritating. Omit from the recipe if you prefer.