why bentonite clay is in every one of our products


What is bentonite clay:

Bentonite clay is formed by the weathering of volcanic ash over millions of years. The American West is a rich source of this finely textured, weathered volcanic ash, which has built up in the fine layers visible in valleys and exposed hillsides in such places as Arizona, Utah and Montana.

Back in humanity’s ancient past, back when fire was still relatively new and the bronze age was still millennia away, early peoples throughout the primitive world used these clays to heal wounds.

Bentonite clay naturally draws dirt and impurities from the skin.

The early builders of the modern world—such as the Mesopotamians, Chinese and Greeks—all used healing clays in mudbaths, mudpacks or poultices to aid a variety of complaints. They recognized the power of clay to draw toxins and impurities from the skin and to help it heal.

In our cleansers, bentonite clay is used to absorb dirt and grime and lift it away from the skin.

Clay attracts molecules of healing oils, so that these beneficial oils don’t rub off… and can release their beneficial properties over time.

Think of clay as a folk-remedy version of time-release: Bentonite clay has “adsorptive” qualities, which means that clay particles naturally draw compounds to themselves. In our formulas, the molecules of our beneficial oils and plant extracts are drawn to the clay and held there, which gives them more time and opportunity to do the good work they’re intended to do. Calendula (in our Weather-Ready Hand Repair Balm) has more opportunity to heal. Capcasin (in our Work Horse Muscle Balm) has more opportunity to gently warm and get healthy blood flowing through dog-tired muscles. And so on. This is very good.

Bentonite clay: no grit.

Consistency-wise, this clay is soft, soft, soft. It seemingly vanishes into our formulations: There is no grit, no abrasive attributes. If we didn’t tell you on our labels and on this web site that our products contain clay, you might never guess that clay is our secret weapon.

Related items:

  • Dirt v. Skin: The science of the dirty hand.… and why some grime seems to imbed itself into your skin, no matter how hard you scrub and no matter what nasty chemicals you try.