Detox Clay Bath

How to Detox with a Clay Bath

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There are many different ingredients you can use to detox while bathing: Epsom salt and baking soda, essential oils, ginger, and more. Bentonite clay is another ingredient that you may enjoy using in your bath. It’s known for cleansing the skin, and its detoxing properties.

What you’ll need:

  • 1-2 pounds (2-4 cups)
    *Note: beginners may want to start with 1 cup
  • 1-2 cups of natural sea salt (start with one)

1)    Pour the sea salt in the tub first, and then 1-2 pounds of bentonite clay in very warm/ hot water as you’re running your bath. Remember to break up any clumps as you do this. Avoid pouring the clay in only one area of the tub to help keep it from clumping. Whisk the clay around in the tub (don’t use metal) to help it dissolve in the water. You can also pre-mix the clay in water in a bowl or container (preferably glass or BPA free plastic), and then pour it in your bath. This is another way to minimize clumps. Get in and enjoy! For better results, soak for 20 – 40 minutes. When finished slowly get out of the tub to avoid getting light-headed.

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2)    Mix the clay in water to create a thick muddy consistency. Do as mentioned above, except rub the clay paste all over your body, let dry for 5-10 minutes before sitting down in the tub. This provides direct skin contact and is known to aid in the elimination process of the skin. If you have some wet clay left over, then you can squish it in the tub.

Cleanup

It’s best to clean your tub soon after you’re finished with your bath. Wear protective gloves to avoid contaminating yourself with the very toxins you just released. You may want to push a cloth (that can catch fine material like cheesecloth) into the drain as the water goes down. This minimizes the amount of clay going into your septic tank and disrupting the balance. It’s also a good practice for those that are connected to city sewer systems. Even though the city sewage can handle the clay better than a septic tank, minimizing the clay going down the pipes can help protect them from potential clogs. You can use a washcloth or towel to clean the remaining clay from the bottom of the tub.

Important Tips:

  • Don’t let the bentonite clay come in contact with anything metal, because it reduces its effectiveness.
  • A good quality bentonite is odorless and should be a grey, cream color. It also has a very fine, velveteen feel.
  • If you can only tolerate the clay bath for less than the mentioned time frame above (e.g.-15 minutes), then that is fine; you are still getting some of the benefits of the bath. Allow yourself to slowly increase your time.
  • Don’t be startled if you see that the clay at the bottom of the tub turned black or green after draining the water, especially the first several times. You are seeing toxins and wastes that were eliminated from your body.
  •  Adding 1-2 cups of natural sea salt can help increase the ionic charge (negative/ positive charge) capability of the clay in the bath, and it helps the clay dissolve in the water.
  • If this is your first time taking a clay bath, then use less clay. The more clay that’s used, the stronger the effect, and faster your body will detoxify. This may sound great, but it can cause what’s known as a “cleansing reaction” or “detox symptoms” to occur. This occurs when the body’s elimination process is going faster than it can properly dispose of the toxins. Oftentimes, one or more of our detoxification organs (skin, colon, blood, lymphatics, liver, and kidneys) may be sluggish, which makes the others work harder.  The temporary cleansing reaction can be mild to severe depending on how toxic your body is. They may include headaches, nasal or sinus congestion, acne, or flu-like symptoms to name a few. Though you may experience it slightly anyway, using too much clay, too soon can heighten the level you experience. You can always slowly increase the amount of clay you use as you take clay baths to give your body the opportunity to adjust to how it disposes of the toxins.

Important Detox Tip:

Something important that I’d like to mention concerning detoxing of any sort. You may feel worse before you feel better during the process of detoxification. This occurs because your body is ridding itself of more toxins at that time than it normally would on a regular basis. For example, you may feel tired after your detox bath, but experience increased energy levels the next day. Though you may be excited about your chosen detox protocol, I encourage you to allow yourself to be patient and balanced as well. Balance is far more important than speed when it comes to a lot of things, especially detoxing.

Understand that all of the toxins in your body will not come out in one detox bath. However, doing this continuously over a period of time will contribute to the elimination of toxins from your body to at least help lessen them. Read about other ways to support your body through detoxification.

Tell us how you enjoyed your detox clay bath or share your tips. We would love to hear it!

 

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Disclaimer

These statements are for informational purposes only and have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information and these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using these products or applying this information.

References

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