KEY-uh-lin

In preparation for my “new lifestyle” I’ve been asking around for beauty tips.
This facial mask recipe came from a Senegalese friend.


Ingredients:
parsley, smooth kaolin powder, 1 egg yolk , henna and lemon.

Preparation:

1. wash the parsley and then plunge it into hot water for 3 minutes
2. mix the kaolin powder with parsley water
3. put in the egg yolk, followed by henna and 3 drops of lemon
4. mix it all until it becomes homogeneous
5. apply to your face and let it react for 5 to 10 minutes
6. wash with tepid water

Until today, I don’t recall ever hearing of kaolin. So naturally I started surfing the web.


KAOLIN, a.k.a. china clay, nacrite, kaolinite, calcined kaolin, and metakaolin is described by Wikipedia as:

one of the most common minerals; it is mined, as kaolin, in Brazil, France, United Kingdom, Germany, India, Australia, Korea , the People's Republic of China, and the southeastern U.S. states of Georgia, Florida, and, to a lesser extent, South Carolina.

Did you know that the Kaolin Capital of the World is Washington County, Georgia? In fact, they have a kaolin festival every fall in Sandersville.


Botanical.com describes kaolin as

“the most versatile and easily applied clay that is commonly found in skincare preparations and cosmetics. It’s a fine, fluffy clay that has natural absorbency properties and is frequently found in powders, body packs, skin care products, and deodorants.”

They sell a pound for five US dollars.

Still not clear on why it’s used in a mask recipe? Well, it’s absorbent qualities are used to draw out impurities and toxins. It is excellent for ridding the skin of excess oil, dirt, pollutions and other waste materials.
Check out the links on this page to learn more about the use of clay in cosmetics.


Serina Kaolin, cites its other benefits and uses as…

Benefits
• naturally-occurring clay mineral which is inert and harmless, even if consumed
• Fine particle size (average particle size is one micron)
• Anti-diarrhoea properties
• Good suspension characteristics
• Soft and non-abrasive (Mohs hardness: 2)
• Consistent creamy-white colour

Besides Cosmetics and Facial Masks, Kaolin is Used in:
• Internal and external pharmaceutical compositions
• Diarrhoea/intestinal treatment (remember kaopectate?)
• Tablets
• Fuller's Earth and foot powders
• Foods
• Soaps
• As a carrier, filler or anti-caking agent
• For suspending, thickening and tablet binding applications

The friend who sent the mask recipe prefaced it by saying: “I don’t know if Malaysian markets have kaolin…”. Now, I’ve got to find out. They do produce it here, but finding it in the form I would need to prepare the mask might be a dilemma. If you know otherwise, do let me know. According to the A to Z of Materials, there are three producers in Malaysia but the main end use isn’t cosmetics.

As for production trends within Asia generally…

The past two decades have witnessed the exhaustion of many natural resources in Europe and North America. In addition high labour costs and increasing environmental constraints have been imposed. This has encouraged interest and investment in the resources in the less populated and/or less developed nations. In terms of clay resources, those within Asia are potentially capable of supplying both the indigenous and export markets, with particular reference to the Asian market where significant industrial growth is predicted to occur during the first half of the 21st Century, with China leading the way. (Azom.com)

If you are interested in making your own cosmetics, you can find recipes at makingcosmetics.com. You name it, they’ve got the recipe: hair relaxers, antipersperants and deoderants, and even mascara and eyeliner. Those recipes are way to much like chemistry lab for me though so if you have any traditional recipes, (you know….the kind made from stuff in the kitchen), please share them.