Summer is here and is a time when my skin goes out of whack with larger pores, increased sebum production and more blemishes as my skin gets sensitive to heat. It was with appreciation and good timing then, when I was contacted by the brand Niikam asking if I’d like to try their Bentonite clay mask.
Although I love the Innisfree super volcanic clay mask, it does dry out quicker than I would like, and I also want to try other different ones before I go back to it. The only other clay mask I currently have is the Laneige mini pore waterclay mask, which isn’t anything too special and I can’t stand the smell of it.
NIIKAM Bentonite clay powder – 250g
The Niikam Bentonite pure clay mask is made from 100% natural pure bentonite clay powder and retails for £9.89 on Amazon (see below for 10% off), for 250g of product.
It is vegan friendly and has not been tested on animals.
Benefits of Bentonite clay include:
- Unclogs pores and makes them less visible
- Controls sebum production/ makes skin less oily
- Draws out impurities/toxins from your skin
- Removes dead skin cells
- Contains silica which makes skin softer
- Clears blackheads and pimples/acne
- Reduces appearance of scarring and pigmentation/ evens out skintone
- Speeds up healing and regeneration of damaged skin
This Bentonite clay powder comes in very simple, fuss-free packaging and doesn’t need any gimmicks to sell itself. It’s 100% pure natural ingredient speaks for itself in what it can do for the skin. I do think its instructions on the back of the packaging could be better explained as someone new to this type of powder clay mask could be left a bit overwhelmed as to what to do.
The product comes in a packet with a ziplock closure. Inside the main packet is another clear plastic packet which holds the actual clay powder. It doesn’t have a scent which I’m very grateful for and makes it suitable for sensitive skins.
Unscented 100% pure natural bentonite clay powder – this packet wil last you awhile!
To use this product, you need a bowl and spoon to mix the powder and water together to create the lather to apply onto your face. The instructions recommends a ratio of 1 tbsp powder to 1 tbsp water. For me, it’s always a trial and error when I do it because I don’t think 1 tbsp is enough for me to be able to stir and get a good consistency to spread on. I just keep adding water until I’m happy with how it looks – it shouldn’t be too watery because you don’t want it sliding down your face and it needs to be able to adhere and stick onto your skin. I usually aim for a sloppy, goopey texture; when it starts clumping up I’d say its ready. Don’t make the mistake of continually adding water to try and get the lumps out because it will just end up too watery and you will still have lumps.
1 tbsp of powder
1 tbsp powder : 1 tbsp water – it clearly needs a bit more water to get the lather going
This is approx 3 tbsp of water to get it to a consistency i can spread easily on my skin
Once I’ve slathered it on with my hands (which I always find a really gross process because of how it looks), I leave this on for anywhere between 15-20 minutes. I apply a thick layer which will have semi-dried down after this amount of time. It will harden and make your face feel stiff to move. After time is up, I wash this off my face, which isn’t as much of a stubborn pain to remove as some others I’ve tried.
Just applied – 20 minutes later – after washing off
What I like most about this clay mask is that after use my skin does feel very soft, nicely hydrated and clean (without the dry, stripped feeling), and my pores look much smaller and cleaner. It really does help to get the gunk and blackheads out, and leaves your skin looking and feeling refreshed, especially if you’ve been feeling congested, sweaty and clogged in the summer heat. If my skin is slightly irrirtated or red, this will also calm it and make my skintone look more even. I love using clay masks when I feel sebum production on my t-zone is getting out of control and this helps keep the oil at bay. The effects don’t last forever though, so you will have to use it regularly to reap its benefits. I would recommend aiming for 1-2x a week.
This does bring me onto my only negative point about this type of clay mask though, and is more of a personal thing rather than anything actually bad about the product. As it’s a powder product that requires mixing with water, it can get really messy and time-consuming to use and is usually what puts me off using it more often. You definitely have to be in the mood and have time to spend doing it. Usually after a long day at work I just feel too lazy so for me, this is definitely more of an occasional, weekend pampering product to use.
Overall though, I do recommend this as bentonite clay as it’s very affordable (and you get so much product it will last a good few months at least), great for the skin because it helps in so many ways and suited for so many skin types. If you are normal, oily, combo you can use this. (If you have dry skin, you don’t even necessarily need to use a clay mask, but if you wanted to try one then this is one of the better ones because it doesn’t dry you out). If you suffer from acne, blackheads, scarring, blemishes, skin dullness or overproduction of sebum, then you will find bentonite clay very useful in your skincare routine.
If you would like to try out the Niikam Bentonite clay you can purchase it through Amazon with the discount code WANY2018 for 10% off.
