There are so many ways to use Bentonite clay! It has long been a staple in my house along with other specific supplements, slippery elm bark, charcoal capsules and coconut oil.
Why?
Because it’s such a handy thing to have around!
I’ll be honest. I sometimes go for months without using it. But that’s all good because it doesn’t go off.
It’s dirt, and dirt doesn’t expire…
But every now and then, I find myself bringing it down from the top shelf in the pantry where it lives, and using it again. Often on a daily basis for a while, and I know it’s always there if I need it.
So right now, at the time of writing this post, I’m back using bentonite clay on a daily basis. I’m doing some fasting, working on removing oxalate, and mold from my body, and so I thought I’d write a wee post and share ten ways that you can use this amazing product so that you’ll know how handy this stuff is to have around.
✅Buy Food Grade Bentonite Clay
1. You Can Drink Bentonite Clay
Drinking bentonite clay is very beneficial for health. Bentonite clay (in particular sodium bentonite clay) is great for detoxing and removing things like pesticide residues, parasites and even radiation from your body. But before you head off to buy some clay, make sure the clay you’re buying is EDIBLE!
There are clays out there that should not be ingested – ever! So always ensure your clay is food grade which means it has been tested and approved for human consumption. If it doesn’t say ‘food grade’ then it is for external use only!
How To Take Bentonite Clay
Mix about a teaspoon of the powder into a large glass of water. Ideally leave it to soak for a while (not essential, but makes it more effective if the clay is more ‘wet’). I often mix it at night before bed and then drink it first thing in the morning. Don’t use metal spoons or containers with bentonite clay (soft metals like aluminium and copper in particular). Stick to glass, plastic and ceramic.
How often can I drink Bentonite Clay?
Drinking clay once or twice a day is okay, either first thing in the morning, or last thing at night before bed.
How long after drinking Clay can I eat?
Try to leave at least an hour between drinking clay and eating or taking medication or supplements. This is because the clay may bind nutritional components or medicines and make them unavailable to the body.
2. Bath In Bentonite Clay
You can add clay to your bath water for a long, detoxing soak. The clay will help to detox your body via the skin. This can be really beneficial for removing heavy metals from the body.
Use between one and several cups of clay in warm to hot bath water.
3. Make a Bentonite Clay Mask
Bentonite clay is a perfect addition to a natural skincare routine, and makes a great mask for skin, removing impurities and leaving the skin feeling smooth, and super cleansed.
The absolute ‘bare bones’ basic way of using it for this purpose it simply to mix it with water until it becomes a thin paste, and then apply to the face and neck, leaving it until it dries before washing it off.
However there are other ways to make your face mask even more beneficial and healing for your skin such as using apple cider vinegar instead of, or combined with, water and adding dried herbs or even better, essential oils. Use beautiful skin calming and rejuvenating oils such as Frankincense, Lavender and Tea Tree.
Tip: Using doTERRA essential oils will ensure you’re only putting the purest, most efficacious essential oils on your skin (you don’t want to use contaminated or synthetic oils that may do more harm than good).
✅ Buy doTERRA essential oils here
4. Make a Poultice
Bentonite clay has to be one of the absolute BEST products for drawing things out of your body. No matter whether it’s a splinter, pimples, a boil or a cactus prickle, this stuff will pull it out.
As with the face mask information, simply mix your powdered clay with water, but into a thick paste this time, and apply it thickly over the problem. This time you’ll want to cover the clay to keep the moisture in, rather than letting it dry. I find plastic food wrap works really well for this. Leave it on overnight or longer if necessary, and reapply if needed.
Once again, using apple cider vinegar and/or essential oils can also be really beneficial here, and provide an even better result.
I generally keep a small jar or container of pre-mixed clay (clay mixed with water) in the bathroom cabinet. That way it’s ready to go when needed. It’s really handy to be able to just grab it and apply with a sticking plaster or band-aid to splinters, and even bites and stings (often providing instant relief!) and of course clay that has been wet for a period of time works best.
5. Bentonite Clay Toothpaste
Making your own toothpaste or tooth powder with this is cost effective and it works really, really well.
✅ Check out my bentonite clay toothpaste recipe.
6. Bentonite Clay Hair Mask
So, you’ll be starting to pick up on a theme here…. You can make your own hair mask also! Simply use the same type of ingredients – clay, water, ACV and essential oils – as you did for the face mask and poultice, but make the mixture wetter and runnier so you can apply it to your hair.
Apply it to wet hair and then leave it for about 30 minutes, OR use plastic food wrap around your hair to keep the clay wet for longer.
Use essential oils that are beneficial for hair. For example rosemary, lavender, roman chamomile or cedarwood. Essential oils can promote hair growth, sooth irritated scalps and help make hair thicker and healthier.
The clay hair mask will help to remove impurities, chemical buildup and toxins from the hair, leaving it shiny and manageable.
7. For Eczema, Psoriasis or Dermatitis
Again, using a clay paste, either on it’s own, or with essential oils can help to sooth these skin conditions. You may need to experiment to find which essential oils work best for your skin. Try calming oils such as Lavender, Frankincense, Helichrysum, or Chamomile, but go slowly as too much can easily irritate sensitive skin!
I’ve even used clay successfully to rid myself of plantar warts! Simply keep applying it (a thick layer), covered with a bandage or plastic film to keep it wet, until they’re gone. It can take some persistence, but it works.
8. Alkalise Your Body
Drinking bentonite clay will help to alkalise your body. Bathing in it probably helps too!
9. Drink Bentonite Clay For Digestive Issues and IBS
Drinking bentonite clay can really help with digestive upsets and IBS. Studies have shown bentonite clay to be effective in bowel and digestive issues, and clay has been used for these, and other health issues throughout history.
10. Bentonite Clay For Bites and Stings
As mentioned further up the page, a paste made from bentonite clay and water works really, really well for bites and stings.
I have witnessed the almost instant effects of such a paste on a bee sting on my nieces neck.
After I applied my ready made paste to the site of the sting, she went from crying and upset, to not crying and calm within a minute or so, and the redness around the sting shrank and disappeared before our eyes. Later that day there was no sign of the sting ever having been there.
As you can see, bentonite clay has many uses. It’s really useful to have on hand all the time and because it doesn’t go off, you can buy a large container and just keep it for when you need it.
Where to buy food grade Bentonite Clay?
There are a lot of places to buy bentonite clay these days. It’s a lot more well known than it used to be, however if you want to use clay internally, I will reiterate what I said above – ensure the clay you buy is food grade, otherwise you may be ingesting heavy metals or other unwanted substances.
✅Buy Food Grade Bentonite Clay
Further reading: