Ever heard of a red clay mask? I'm sure you have, clay masks were the in thing a few years ago I think. I still do them even though the fad may have faded. I was first introduced to clay masks from Fran over at High on Health. I tried revisiting the site and finding the link but it doesn't seem to be around anymore.

Benefits of red clay:

Moroccan red comes from deep below the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. This clay is a strong cleansing clay that will draw excess oils from the skin, stimulate circulation to the skin and act as a powerful astringent for oily skin and hair.   From Nature With Love

There are many other types of clay (check the bottom for links for more info) but I chose red because it was most suitable for dry skin (I now know I have combo skin but at the time I thought I had dry, still has use though!). I wanted to zap any acne I had but I didn't want to dry out my skin. I think that's the most common problem acne suffers think they should do.

A brief summary of each clay type:

• Green clay helps to draw toxins from the skin and can calm inflammations. It is particularly good for acne.

• White clay soothes and softens the skin and is suitable for all skin types. This is the gentlest of all the clays.

• Red clay is suitable for dry and sensitive skins.

• Pink clay is particularly useful for toning dull, tired, or devitalized skin. It also has excellent cleansing properties.   Essential Oil Recipes

SO, I TRY to do a clay mask once a week but realistically it's probably once a month. I did it more frequently when my skin was worse but now that I'm finally making some progress I've been slacking.. ^^;; Anyway, here are the products I use and the steps.

• NOW Moroccan Red Clay powder (I think they changed the packaging but here is a link to purchase from well.ca.)
• Agave Nectar (I usually use organic honey but this is all I had on hand)
• Jason Tea Tree Oil
• water

I get a little dipping dish and pour a small about of water (maybe two teaspoons or a tablespoon, depends how much you need for your face). I will squirt some honey/agave nectar and then two-three drops of tea tree oil. Now for the red clay I add in small amounts at a time. I use a q-tip to stir until it's not water-y anymore but creamy. You can always add more water or clay if you need to. It should look something like this:



A bit of info on other types of clay at National Nursing Review.
Benefits of Red Clay @ e-how

So I attended a V.I.P Call It Spring & Lou Lou Magazine event @ Sherway Gardens Thursday evening! I bought a cute pair of shoes (picture below). They look better in person and you can wear them two ways. I'm really excited to blog about it! I wish I took photos but there were too many people around and it's pretty damn rude to take photos in a store (with people around at least. lol). Plus there was a photographer there so hopefully I'll show up in some shots and link em here! haha
I think this pair would be a fabulous DIY project... I want to glue on some studs/spikes!!!