Deep Cleansing Mud Mask Recipe

Katie Wells Avatar

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Deep cleansing mud mask facial recipe with herbs and essential oils
Wellness Mama » Blog » Beauty » Deep Cleansing Mud Mask Recipe

Writing a book is stressful! It caused my first autoimmune flare in months and the first time I’ve had a skin breakout in years. I’m back on the autoimmune reset diet and my symptoms are all fading quickly, but to help speed up the skin healing, I’ve been doing my deep cleansing mud mask recipe (in fact, I have one on my face as I type this!).

I got a natural facial as a gift one time and it was so relaxing and my skin felt great for days. My budget doesn’t allow regular facials, so I wanted to find a good at-home option instead. This mask has been great for clearing up my stress-induced breakout and getting my skin back to normal.

Ingredients Needed

  • Bentonite Clay: I like to use this Essential Living Clay for external uses like facials. I’ve written before about the many benefits of healing clays, and bentonite is especially good at firming and detoxing the skin. It is also great for detoxing the hair and restoring natural volume and shine.
  • Honey: Another facial ingredient I love, honey is naturally soothing and cleansing. I often use honey alone to cleanse my face in the evening (I use the oil cleansing method in the morning) with great results. Raw honey is naturally antibacterial and is great for skin healing. It also adds a smooth and silky texture to the mask.
  • Herbs and Essential Oils: I put some chamomile flowers and calendula flowers in the blender to make a fine powder and add to the clay before mixing with the honey and water to add some extra skin nourishment. I also like to add a couple of drops of lavender essential oil for scent and skin health. If I don’t feel like powdering the herbs first, I just make a strong tea with them instead and use the liquid in place of water in the recipe below.

Mud Mask Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon of bentonite clay
  • 1 teaspoon raw honey
  • 1 teaspoon of water (or more if needed)
  • 1/2 tsp of powdered calendula and chamomile flowers (optional)
  • 2 drops of lavender essential oil (optional)

Mud Mask Instructions

  1. Mix the bentonite clay with the powdered herbs (if using) in a small bowl.
  2. Add honey and mix to form a thick paste.
  3. Add enough warm water to form a thin paste. Add lavender essential oil (if using).
  4. Immediately apply to face and neck in a circular motion, avoiding the eyes.
  5. Leave on 10-15 minutes or until it has hardened.
  6. Wash off with a (dark colored) wash cloth soaked in hot water (really hot water helps to steam off the mask without having to rub the skin).
  7. Pat skin dry and enjoy your smooth skin!

Ever made a mud mask at home? What did you use? Tell me below!

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Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

91 responses to “Deep Cleansing Mud Mask Recipe”

  1. Drew Avatar

    I used bentonite clay for the first time with a mixture of clay and breast milk. It was amazing! I used about a teaspoon of powdered clay and maybe 1 oz of milk. It made more thanews I really needed so I would only use a half tspan clay and enough milk to make it easily spreadable!

  2. Rebecca Avatar
    Rebecca

    So excited to make this recipe. I’m only going to be using the Honey, clay and water though. I found some natural Bentonite clay while i was out camping. So im going to grind it up into a powder and use that. That way the mask will be SUPER natural. Super excited.

  3. David Avatar

    Hi Katie,

    I would like to make this mask for my wife, but I want to give it to her as a gift. Will the mask harden soon after I mix the ingredients together?

    If anyone else has an answer, I welcome your responses.

    1. Jamie Avatar

      I don’t think it’s something you should pre-make. Not sure about bacteria etc but it definitely changes/dries quickly. You could buy the ingredients and wrap them in craft baggies and place them in an open gift basket. Only downside is she has to make it herself, but it is really fast/easy and even better she’ll have ingredients left to keep making the mask and experiment with other stuff on the website. The ingredients have multiple uses. Good luck.

  4. brittish Avatar
    brittish

    Just made a mask this afternoon I mixed activated charcoal, licorice, peppermint , hibiscus powder, orange peel powder, b. Clay , and green tea water. Feels awesome.im kind of a mad scientists when it comes to mask so I don’t know but it feels great.

  5. ashley Avatar

    Do you use a moisturizer after using this mask? Or would that just reclog your pores?

  6. Shannon Avatar

    I absolutely love your recipes wellness mama!! I can’t stop reading your website 😀

    Question though!
    I used this recipe but just replaced the lavender with tea tree EO, and I waited about half an hour and my mask didn’t dry. I am just worried that since the clay didn’t dry that it didn’t absorb all the stuff out of my skin! Any thoughts?

  7. Jamie Avatar

    I wanted to make this (and still will). However It’s called a mud mask, but you’re actually using bentonite clay, as the mud. If I add dead sea mud mix to this, it would be different, correct? Just want to be sure before making a list of what to buy. Thanks, love your site!

  8. Deb Avatar

    I love your “recipes”! My favorites so far are your liquid laundry detergent and remineralizing toothpaste. But my oh my, this mask is number one! It left my skin feeling soft and smooth. Glowing! Too bad I’m just going off to bed. Next time, better planning!!

  9. Astrid Avatar

    Question: Should I use this before or after a shower? Is it okay if I wash my face with different products beforehand, or should I just use water?

  10. Nicole Avatar

    Would using aloe vera or vegetable glycerin instead of honey and water help for longer shelf life?
    I’m thinking making this recipe as gifts for my girls and need it to last longer.

  11. Catherine Avatar

    I’ve tried it with Yogurt Powder, ground Oatmeal and with Cocoa Powder. I have the same question others have asked. Once mixed, how long does the Bentonite mask last? Would putting it in the fridge extend its life?

    Thanks for all your extremely useful recipes, Wellness Mama!! I’m very new to this, and I’ve already made lots of natural replacements for less healthful personal care supplies.

  12. Jessica Avatar

    You mentioned this recipe doesn’t keep for long. How long can it be stored? 24 hours? 48 hours?

    Thank you!

  13. Deyna Avatar

    l use yogurt in my clay and sometimes aloe vera juice. Also add some turmeric, probiotics, and sea salt. That salt might be drying for some but l remember how my skin would always clear up at the beach with saltwater so l add that. l sleep with it overnight. Plastic spoon and glass bowl!!

  14. Erica Avatar

    I just used this mask exactly per the instructions. It was a weird consistency but I think that is bc it is homemade and doesn’t use all those crazy smoothing chemicals. My skin looks unbelievable.

  15. Erica Avatar

    I just used this mask exactly per the instructions. It was a weird consistency but I think that is bc it is homemade and doesn’t use all those crazy smoothing chemicals. My skin looks unbelievable. Wow!

  16. clare Avatar

    I’d like to make this for friends and family as Xmas presents. How do you preserve it?
    Will it spoil and mold up?

  17. liz reynolds Avatar
    liz reynolds

    Hi Katie,
    I’ve been reading up on bentonite and other healing clays, and i was wondering if they would be helpful in getting rid of cold sores. What do you think?
    Thanks!
    L

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