PR Samples
A few weeks ago I was presented with the opportunity to discover Zakia's, a brand that specializes in traditional beauty products from Morocco. I was sent their Moroccan Ghassoul Clay Powder for testing, and ended up having a lot of fun turning my bathroom into my private cosmetics lab!
Ghassoul, or rhassoul, is a natural clay mined in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, that has been extracted and used by local women to beautify their skin and hair for centuries. Ghassoul can be used as a face mask, as a body treatment (similar to a mud mask), or added to shampoo to deep-cleanse oily hair. As all clays, ghassoul absorbs oils and impurities from the skin and hair, which makes it a great base for a purifying treatment.
There are a lot of ready-to-use clay masks out there, but the great thing about getting ghassoul powder and doing your own is that you can control and pick your ingredients. Ghassoul is pure mineral clay, and you can simply add water to make a classic clay mask that's vegan, with zero preservatives or chemicals (the color you see is the natural tint of the clay, due to the presence of iron oxide and other minerals). Zakia's suggests adding 5 parts water for 1 part clay, but that ended being way too runny for me and I had to add more ghassoul. I would suggest to start with very little water and add more until you reach your preferred texture.
Now, that's already a great way to purify your skin, and it's very efficient at absorbing excess oil and refining skin texture in my experience. But the really cool thing about doing your own mask is that you can add other ingredients to customize your treatment to your skin's needs. All you need to do is add them before the water so you can adjust quantities and your mask doesn't get too fluid. There's no limit to your creativity and you can experiment with anything that you know is beneficial for your skin.
A few ideas of ingredients you can add to your mask:
- aloe gel, for added hydration and a refreshing feel
- essential oils, for the scent or for the skin benefits, like tea tree, lavender, rose or ylang ylang. Limit yourself to ONE drop of essential oil for a start, because they can be irritating if you use too much
- a few drops of your hyaluronic acid hydrating serum
- a few drops of your vitamin C serum for a brightening effect
- you could also replace the plain water by a liquid that has more benefit for your skin, like rose water (toning, softening), fresh cucumber juice (moisturizing, soothing), or freshly brewed green tea (packed with anti-oxidants)
The possibilities are endless, and you can choose your ingredients depending on the condition of your skin the very day you're preparing your mask. As always with a clay mask, you want to spread a thick layer (you shouldn't see your skin through) and rinse off as soon as the mask starts to get dry. If you wait for it to dry out completely, your skin may very well dry out too as it sucks all the moisture out of it.
I'm not well versed in hair care, but you could also do your own custom hair mask applying the same method. Ghassoul is great for oily hair as it absorbs the excess sebum, unlike shampoos that break it down to wash it away. If you don't want to get into a custom treatment, you can just add a spoonful of ghassoul to your shampoo while washing your hair.
Finally, it works great as a body treatment if you have oily or acne-prone skin. It would be a great way to solve back acne problems for example, or anywhere you need deep-cleansing.
Overall: Zakia's Moroccan Ghassoul Powder is a great base product to create your own skin and hair treatments. It comes in a secure plastic jar, and is 100% natural clay without any additives.
Where to buy? On Zakia's website.
Beaumiroir readers get a 20% discount with code
ZMBLOG-164
(valid for 30 days from the date of this post)! This discount is valid on the entire store, including Moroccan argan oil and black soaps.
The product featured in this review was provided by PR through Brandbacker for review. I received no other compensation than a sample to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post does not contain affiliate links.
I used a similar powder back in my teenage acne years, it was so much fun.
ReplyDeleteLindaLibraLoca: Beauty, Baby and Backpacking
I like that it allows me to be really creative and be in control of what I put on my skin. Have you stopped using clay masks?
DeleteOh wow this stuff sounds really good! I love trying things like this out.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great base product to have if you like to make your own masks!
DeleteTotally swoon worthy!
ReplyDeleteXOXO, Vanessa
www.WhatWouldVWear.net
It is, right?
DeleteWow - this sounds amazing! I love the fact that you create it yourself and can customise it for your skin :) x
ReplyDeleteBrenda BusyBee
This is exactly why I like it! So much fun building your own mask :)
DeleteI love the idea of mixing the mask with aloe! Plus I think that it's easy to get caught up in the hype of a new + better product even if it's not necessarily what your skin needs... having the ability to tailor it to your individual preferences and concerns seems really cool [=
ReplyDeleteExactly, there are many skincare products I bought because of the hype that didn't do anything for me and actually had a very poor formulation. With this clay you can basically do your own Glamglow mask for a fraction of the price, and add whatever your skin really needs!
Delete