Rhassoul is an ancient clay which is found deep
under the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
The depth of these clay deposits makes rhassoul very difficult to
obtain. Its literal translation from
Arabic means "the matter which washes".
The clay is invaluable for spa treatments, as
its extraordinary power of absorption makes it more effective than other
clays for cleansing, detoxifying, and general skin treatment.
Rhassoul is also extremely rich in trace
minerals. These minerals detoxify the skin by extracting a variety of skin
pollutants. Two US clinical studies have been conducted on rhassoul, and in
general it:
- Reduces flakiness;
- Improves skin clarity;
- Improves skin elasticity/firmness;
- Improves skin texture;
- Removes surface oil, and oil from inside and
around clogged pores; and
- Removes dead skin layers, resulting in a
general smoothing of the surface skin.
Rhassoul clay has a long history of use in
beauty care. It has been used for over
1400 years as a soap, shampoo and skin conditioner. It was used in ancient Rome and Egypt by the
nobility. Today, it is a favourite with
the finest spas and resorts worldwide.
When first mined, rhassoul clay is a brown,
chunky soap-like clay. Fine rhassoul
clay is well suited for more delicate applications like facial masks. The resulting powder is smooth and almost
silky when rubbed between the fingers.
This creates a fine, smooth paste that looks like chocolate pudding and
feels wonderful going on as a mask.
