How about we get in on some mud slinging? Not the regular run of the mill stuff either, I promise this one is totally above board. Perhaps you’ll come to find that a little dirt won’t hurt. It makes me chuckle when I think of how some of my friends proudly stated that dirt grows their hair. Well of course it was a cop-out for not washing their hair… until maybe after eight weeks, but with what I see happening now, I suppose they were on to something (Kinda 😉 ). A clay mix or mud wash is all the rave now in the hair care community! Imagine that.
It makes me think of a relative of mine who was boasting back in 2006 about how much he had spent a good deal of money on some Dead Sea Mud for his skin and I looked at him like, “You must be a new breed of stupid. If you wanted mud you could go throw some water outside and you could make like a pig and splat.” So yeah, I thought it was all hogwash 🙂 .
The first time I saw clay of any kind in hair was when I was in the fifth grade and I was being shown a documentary on an African tribe. Now that I recall I think it might be the Himba tribe. I thought to myself, these people must really love dirt, but these days the natural hair community is seeing the method to what seemed to be their madness.
Suddenly, the web is blowing up with videos and blogs about using various kinds of clays and mud mixtures for cosmetic purposes and more so for hair care. Huh, a clay rinse or mud wash to substitute for shampoo? I was a little baffled since I was thinking that there is no way dirt could cleanse anything.
Little did I know that there are benefits to be had from playing in some dirt. When you think of it, it’s nothing new really since the Himba people have been doing it for ages and even Cleopatra smeared on some mud on her face from time to time, but it has certainly come into the mainstream now and more people have become wise to the benefits of clay to skin and hair.
No thanks. 🙂
Go for it! For me I will reserve the mud masks for pimpled oily skin that needs to be stripped of all oils and left feeling tight and as dry as the Sahara desert. I personally think mud masks are way to harsh to come anywhere near my hair. If you have very oily hair it may be good. My hair is delicate so I will RUN in the opposite direction !
I love clay treatments…I use Bentonite, Soapnit and Rhassoul for cleansing…amla, neem, tulsi, hibiscus, kupur and others for a number of things, conditioning, treating the scalp…I use Henna, hibiscus and indigo for coloring…I have noticed a bid difference is how long my hair stays moisturized, length retention, less shedding, and a soother scalp since using them…most of mine I mix with a tea or aloe vera juice, I add a few capfuls of ACV, and oils my hair like…sometimes honey if it is humid out, coconut milk when I am using one to condition my hair….did an amla treatment on my friend last night and she loved the way her curls popped and how soft her hair felt after rinsing…Some are stronger than others, when using Bentonite or Soapnut, I have to use a good deep conditioner afterwards, but with Rhassoul you can opt not too, it cleanses and conditions…the others mentioned are all ayruvedic and I have had not issues with any of them drying out my hair, but I do add the oils and coconut milk to them also…
Typo…Soapnut…
I use Rhassoul clay mixture and my hair loves it!!
I am curious but my current regimen is locking in the upmost moisture. After finally finding something that works I am not feeling adventrous. I would love to see more people with my 4c hair type, trying the clay/mud before I step out into the unknown. Thanks for the good good knowledge even if i am a scaredy cat….
I bought Bentonite Clay about 8 months ago or so because I watched a few of my favorite Youtubers use it and I’ve got to admit, I’m excited to try it. I recently tried Henna, Amla, and Indigo for their conditioning, strengthening, coloring benefits and so far I like the results. Most of my grays are covered, hair’s shinier, less shedding and breakage, what more could a girl want!