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Writer's pictureChristal Cleary

Clay with Christal Clear Soaps

Updated: Dec 13, 2021



(French kaolin clay)


Clay is not always something that comes to mind when you think of soap and beauty products. For me, clay and mud are luxurious and velvety ingredients that not only lend a coloring agent to my soaps but bring a powerful detoxification ability to each bar of my handmade soap.


Clays can come from all over the world and just may even be in your home town. Each clay deposit has been unique in color, minerals, and abilities to help soothe your skin, helping to calm down bug bites, used for oral applications and topicals, can help gastrointestinal protection, used as oral laxatives, anti-diarrheal, even can be used as a sunscreen, while promoting hallucinogenic properties when combined with different plant materials. Clays have been used for centuries and are one of the oldest forms of skincare. Clay is nothing new to the beauty world and will be used long after we are all gone.




(Activated bamboo charcoal, oatmeal, pink clay Christal Clear Soaps)




Soil, sand, mud, and clays are full of beneficial minerals that are helpful for all skin types. The velvety feeling of finely powdered clays can be one of the most gratifying things to use on your skin. With each type of clay bringing its benefits to the table it is hard to pick a favorite. I get excited about seeing different colors of blue, green, red, pink, and white that are the common colors produced. They can be used as a face wash, spot treatment, mud mask, added to bathwater, soaps, and shampoos. These ingredients are so versatile it is hard for any soap crafter not to love them all. One of my all-time favorites is a pink kaolin clay that is used in calamine lotion and is helpful to sensitive skin, rashes, and bug bites. Pink clay soap is one I recommend to those who want a gentle bar for washing your face and makeup off and provides a little exfoliation while it soothes skin at the same time.

(Green clays and mud)


Working with what nature provides has shown me to look into the items that otters overlook. It is a special thing to notice something useful that most people overlook. Sap, sand, and even flowers like dandelions have become things I seak out, and enjoy foraging. This hobby of foraging and gathering has taught me to become more aware, more present, and look at the ground and trees as I walk. By learning what is above me, by knowing what is under me has brought another level of magic to my time in the woods. Studying plants and animals helps me to be more knowledgeable about the soil. Each plant prefers its unique soil, lighting, water, and more. This has helped my foraging skills tremendously. Working with these items in my art, has helped me to set my soaps apart from many others.




(Green clay body mud)


On our 10th wedding anniversary, this year on Whidby Island my husband and I discovered an enormous natural deposit of silica mud leading down a freshwater stream into the Puget Sound and collected some for my soap batters! I am blessed to have a father-in-law who is a Chemist and has the capabilities to test the items I brought back and can tell me what makes this mud special in its unique way. Using what I have personally foraged forgives me joy like no other. It is a way for me to connect to the earth, myself, and you all. When my family, friends, and loved ones bring me items from their vacations, it makes my heart feel full. Being able to transform items into a piece of functional art, and a form of everyday self-care is the fuel that drives me to keep going as an artist. The older I get, I get excited about the natural wonders of nature and how to use and harness the power of the earth to help me create art my way.



(Green clay mud mask)




Chances are you have at least one beauty product you already use with clay in it. Many brands have made a big deal about the introduction of clays into their products. Walking down the beauty aisle at your local grocery store or even at your favorite beauty shop, I am sure you have seen many forms of advertising about the clay in your favorite brand too. Minerals and clays can be used in makeups providing color coverage, helping to even out skin tone and texture, helping with excess oil and sebum production, and making skin naturally healthier with each use. Clays are a win, win in the beauty world.


(Montana pink sand Christal Clear Soaps)




Taking a closer look into items and ingredients used for self-care and beauty needs is something many people these days are trending more and more. Many of us are learning how to make our items and DIY as much as we can. The internet is a versatile tool for self-care and using it to stay informed, find recipes, read about new product reviews, and even purchase items without leaving the comfort of my own home. Reading other soap blogs, following on social media, and even watching soap-making videos has been an inspiring part of my soap journey, and I am thankful to everyone who has helped me along the way. Sharing my knowledge and skills with other soap makers with the hopes of one day sparking someone's passion for soap making and the scientific art involved with every bar. What is your favorite clay, and what ways do you use clay products in your life?




(Washington coast sand Christal Clear Soaps)




Christal Clear Soaps Ingredients: Coconut oil, Olive oil, Palm oil, Water, Lye

All Natural * Fragrance-Free, Custom orders available


*Check out my soaps on social media and read my weekly blog for self-care tips and tricks.




*Leaving reviews and liking my posts and items helps to grow my business, gives more people the ability to see my products. Each like, share, and review is greatly appreciated!

Posting photos of your soaps and tagging them with my hashtags below is a great way to help any and all small businesses grow naturally.



*Thank you to every one of you for supporting me and my dreams of being an artisan soap crafter. Every order is important to me! I appreciate each and everyone who has bought my soaps along the way, either from Etsy, local art shows, local vendor malls, flower shops, and from me.


* All soaps are made by my own two hands, cut, stamped, cured, packaged with hand stamped logos by myself.


* Each and every bar is a unique piece of functional art and may look just a bit different than the pictured photos. My soaps are all formulated to be used and are not just for display. Colors are all-natural and some get darker or lighter over time. Stamp imprints may be deeper or shallower due to the hardness of each individual bar. 🛀christalsglass@gmail.com






*Leaving reviews and liking my posts and items helps to grow my business, gives more people the ability to see my products. Each like, share, and review is greatly appreciated!

Posting photos of your soaps and tagging them with my hashtags below is a great way to help any and all small businesses grow naturally.



*Thank you to every one of you for supporting me and my dreams of being an artisan soap crafter. Every order is important to me! I appreciate each and everyone who has bought my soaps along the way, either from Etsy, local art shows, local vendor malls, flower shops, and from me.


* All soaps are made by my own two hands, cut, stamped, cured, packaged with hand stamped logos by myself.


* Each and every bar is a unique piece of functional art and may look just a bit different than the pictured photos. My soaps are all formulated to be used and are not just for display. Colors are all-natural and some get darker or lighter over time. Stamp imprints may be deeper or shallower due to the hardness of each individual bar.


Here is a list of my completed blogs! Learn a bit about Cold Process Soap and Christal Clear Soaps, and how I got started making all-natural fragrance-free soap.



5) Sand

6) Indigo

7 Rose & wildflower

8) holiday gifts

9) In the garden

10) What’s in my bag

11) Fall is here

12) Essential oils

13) Clays

14) Favorite self care tips

15) Spices are not just for cooking

16) What I am thankful for

17) New in the shop/stocking up with Christal Clear Soaps

18) An accomplishment I am proud of

19) Houseguests

20) Selfcare during the holidays

https://christalsglass.wixsite.com/christalclearsoaps/post/self-care-during-the-holidays








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