Multani Mitti (Fuller's Earth) Powder for Face and Body

For Skin

Mixed to a smooth paste and left on for a few minutes, the clay takes up the excess oil sitting on the surface of the skin. Rinsed off before it dries hard, it leaves skin feeling clean and looking matte, and a freshly rinsed face can look brighter simply because oil and surface dullness have gone. The effect is immediate and temporary, which is what a rinse-off mask does. It does not change how much oil your skin produces.

Where It Works Best

On the face, for oily and combination skin, and on the back, chest and shoulders, where skin is less delicate. Combination skin can treat the forehead, nose and chin alone and leave drier cheeks bare. A thinner, pourable mix works on oily roots as a short clarifying rinse, kept off dry, coloured or bleached lengths.

Blends With

Spierb Aloe Vera Powder, for a softer, wetter mask: 1 teaspoon of each with 3 to 4 teaspoons of warm water, rested 5 minutes. Spierb Neem Powder, for a more clarifying blend: 1 teaspoon of each with 3 to 4 teaspoons of warm water, once a week. Besan, equal parts, for a traditional ubtan-style texture. Plain unsweetened yoghurt, for a creamier base on normal-to-drier skin. Water on its own is the baseline and needs nothing added to work.

Face Mask

1. Mix 1 to 2 teaspoons of powder (2 to 3 for face and neck) with cool or room-temperature water, added a little at a time, in a non-metallic bowl with a non-metallic spoon, until it looks like thin yoghurt.
2. Let it stand for 2 to 3 minutes, then loosen with a few drops of water if it has thickened.
3. Apply a thin, even layer to clean skin. Keep clear of the eyelids, the immediate under-eye area and the lips.
4. Leave for 5 to 10 minutes at most, or 3 to 5 minutes for dry or easily irritated skin. Rinse when the mask has started to set and lost its wet shine, before it becomes pale, hard or cracked.
5. Re-wet with lukewarm water, let it soften, then rinse away with light fingertip movements. Do not scrub.
6. Pat dry and follow with a moisturiser.

As a Face Wash

Mix half a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon with 2 to 3 teaspoons of water to a thin slurry. Massage gently over the face for 30 to 60 seconds, avoiding the eyes and lips, do not let it dry, and rinse straight away. Up to twice a week, not daily.

Oily Roots

Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons to a thin, pourable slurry. Apply to the roots and scalp only, not the lengths. Leave 5 minutes, then rinse very thoroughly and condition the lengths if needed. Not suited to dry, coloured, bleached or fragile hair.

How Often

• Oily or combination skin: once a week, up to twice if the skin stays comfortable.
• Normal skin: occasionally, around once a week or less, with a shorter contact time.
• Dry, dehydrated or sensitive skin: less often, on oily zones only, 3 to 5 minutes, or choose a different mask.
• Body, back, chest and shoulders: the same paste and the same timing.
• Do not use it in the same session as a scrub or another strong exfoliating step.

Blends

• Aloe Vera Powder: 1 teaspoon of each with 3 to 4 teaspoons of warm water, rested 5 minutes, 5 to 10 minutes on the skin.
• Neem Powder: 1 teaspoon of each with 3 to 4 teaspoons of warm water, 5 to 10 minutes, once a week.
• Aloe Vera Powder and Neem Powder together: 1 teaspoon of each of the three with 4 to 5 teaspoons of warm water, rested 5 minutes, 5 to 10 minutes, once a week.
• Besan: equal parts with enough water for a soft paste.
• Plain unsweetened yoghurt: 1 teaspoon of clay with about 2 teaspoons of yoghurt, 3 to 5 minutes for drier skin.

Mix fresh each time and discard what is left. Step-by-step guidance is in how to use Multani Mitti on your face.

Solum Fullonum Clay Powder (100%)

Patch Test First

Patch test 24 to 48 hours before first use, using the mixture you intend to use, and again whenever you change what goes in it. A patch test of plain clay does not cover clay mixed with Aloe Vera Powder, Neem Powder, yoghurt or rose water. Apply a little of the mixed paste to the inner arm or behind the ear, leave it for the same short time you would use on the face, then rinse. If there is redness, itching or burning, do not use it.

Using It Safely

For external cosmetic use only. Do not ingest. Do not apply to broken, bleeding, sunburned, abraded, significantly inflamed or severely dry and cracked skin, or to an area already reacting to another product. Avoid the eyes, eyelids, the immediate under-eye area and the lips, and rinse thoroughly with clean water if contact occurs. Do not let the mask become hard or cracked on the skin, and do not scrub when removing it. This clay is absorbent and can feel drying, particularly on dry or sensitive skin, so keep contact short and use it sparingly. A cool, mildly tight feeling as the mask sets is normal; burning or painful stinging is not, so rinse straight away and do not use that mixture again. Stop using it if you get irritation, redness, excessive dryness, burning or discomfort. Scoop close to the bowl rather than pouring from height, so the fine powder does not become airborne. Anything you mix in brings its own allergy and sensitivity considerations. Keep out of reach of children.

Storing It

Store the pack closed in a cool, dry cupboard, away from direct sunlight, heat and bathroom steam, and use a clean, dry spoon. It does not need refrigerating. The dry powder keeps for 2 years from the date of packaging. Once water is added, that no longer applies: mix fresh, use it once and discard the rest. Colour, texture, density and mixing behaviour vary a little between batches, which is normal for a mined material. Individual cosmetic results vary.