Today I’m really excited to share with you an interview on clays (specifically bentonite) with Ian Hutcheon, Professor Emeritus in Geochemistry at the University of Calgary. Bentonite clay has quite a bit of lore surrounding it in the DIY world. It’s not at all difficult to find people suggesting that ingesting it or applying it topically will result in miraculous “detoxing”. Its charge is frequently cited as the reason the clay should never, ever come into contact with metal of any kind, lest the clay be rendered useless or harmful. A quick search of Pinterest tells me I can use it to detoxify my armpits, heal bug bites, make mascara, eliminate food allergies, cure food poisoning, and prevent breast cancer. There’s enough ra-ra sentiment out there about bentonite clay to pique the interest of pretty much anyone. Whenever I publish a recipe calling for a clay that isn’t bentonite, people want to know if they can use bentonite instead. Out of all the ingredients I use, not one has prompted more people to call me a know-nothing idiot than bentonite clay—the “no metals” thing gets people quite aggressively worried. However, for all the worry, it’s been difficult for me to find verifiable information about what is actually up with bentonite clay in the realm of DIY and beauty. So, I sought out an expert and asked.
Generally speaking, what is “clay”?
“Clay” is a general term that really refers to grain size (less than 0.002mm). However the term is ambiguous because there also are minerals referred to as “clay minerals”. Frequently, clay minerals are smaller than 0.002mm, but they can be much larger. So it is a bit confusing, a mass of clay (less than 0.002 mm grains) may be comprised of minerals (for example very fine quartz) that are not clay minerals. Alternatively, a mass of clay minerals may have grains that are larger than 0.002 mm. The most commonly identified clay minerals are kaolinite, illite and bentonite (montmorillonite and smectite are similar minerals), although there are probably more than 100 different clay minerals. All clay minerals are hydrous (contain water as part of their crystal structure) and most are a framework of silicon and aluminum with many other elements as part of their structure.
How does bentonite clay differ from clays like kaolin or illite?
Kaolinite is a bit unique as a clay minerals because it has a very narrow range of composition—it is pretty much all silicon, aluminum and water. Illite has a fairly restricted chemical composition also (add potassium, iron and magnesium mainly). Bentonite is much different—it is primarily silicon, aluminum and water, but can have nearly any element as part of its composition.
The most important difference between Bentonite (smectite, montmorillonite) and Illite or kaolinite is that its crystal structure, and therefore its chemical composition, is variable over a wide range. Whereas kaolinite and Illite have relatively well defined crystal structure and a narrow range of chemical composition, Bentonite has many variations in structure and composition.
Essentially all clay minerals have to varying degrees a weak electric change on their crystal surface. Some also have ions (like sodium or calcium) that are weakly bound to their structure.
What makes bentonite clay unique from a chemistry and geology point of view?
The main factor that makes Bentonite unique is its wide variation in crystal structure that results in the ability to absorb large quantities of water and the ability to exchange ions in, or absorbed, to its structure with ions dissolved in water. This ability leads to properties that are unique (at least in their magnitude) to this clay mineral.
Could bentonite clay be used to “detox” the body by absorbing heavy metals (internally or externally)?
In theory, because of the ability to exchange ions with water (humans are mostly water), Bentonite could be used as a detoxification agent. The idea would be that a relatively benign ion, for example sodium, would be exchanged from the Bentonite, for a toxic metal in water in body tissues. Although this [ion exchange] might be a way of removing toxic heavy metals within the body, I’m not sure the chemistry that would need to be understood is being invoked by someone taking bentonite to detoxify themselves. To be useful as a healthy related aid, it would be necessary to identify the ions in question that would be removed and “pre condition” the clay to exchange these ions for something more benign. That is not trivial chemistry.
Claims people make about detoxification need to be considered in the context of the ion exchange properties of the clay mineral in question. The idea that ion exchange might take the bad heavy metals out of your system by exchange for benign ions like sodium or calcium would need to be considered in the context of a wide range of chemical and physical factors that will determine how much toxic metals can be attracted to the clay.
I don’t think there’s any effective way that Bentonite could be used externally for detoxification unless it was on an open wound.
Detoxification in this instance would be a complex chemical reaction and unless specific metal toxins were identified and the necessary chemical processes quantified, I personally would be reluctant to ingest Bentonite. Think back to the very fine particle size. The particles in Bentonite are primarily silicon aluminum (silicate), not very different in grain size, chemistry and physical properties than asbestos, a known carcinogen.
Is there any risk associated with bentonite clay contacting metal?
In water there’s the possibility that it could exchange ions with the metal. If the metal is toxic and then the Bentonite is ingested I could see that being an issue. However, normally there should not be any issues.
I am skeptical that simply contacting clay with a metal spoon would do much, especially if the clay is dry. For any kind of transfer of metal ions between clay and a metal, there would need to be water present so the metal could be in ionic form. Even with water present, unless the water was either very acidic or very basic (alkaline), there would not be any significant dissolution of metals and therefore no ion transfer. In general terms, anything with a pH below 3 would be considered acidic or strongly acidic, a pH above 10-11 would be very basic. Normal surface water ranges from pH 4-8, with the majority around 5-7. These are general terms. The effect of pH on a particular reaction would depend on the nature of the reactants, including the clay.
Would you recommend the consumption of bentonite clay?
Definitely not. As I noted above, the fine grain size and poorly defined chemical composition makes it a potentially dangerous substance. If the chemical composition is known it would mitigate some of the risk, but Bentonite is usually mined from geological deposits that are not necessarily well characterized, either chemically or in terms of other contamination.
What are your thoughts on the use of bentonite clay as a poultice/mask or toothpaste?
I’m not sure how it would work as a poultice. It is a mild abrasive, so it would be helpful in toothpaste. I think I’d be worried about removing tooth enamel, since the abrasive would be a silica based material, which is considerably harder than the Calcium phosphate material that comprises tooth enamel.
In conclusion
- In theory it is possible for bentonite to perform a detox function; however, the specifics of whatever that exchange might be would be very difficult to quantify or guarantee, and the risk of ingesting bentonite outweighs the potential benefits. In short: in theory the idea is good, but in reality it’s much messier and much more complicated than just drinking a slurry of bentonite clay and hoping it sucks all the lead out of your body.
- Bentonite clay should not be ingested as its chemical composition is unknown (it is not uncommonly recalled for dangerous lead levels) and it is similar in some physical and chemical properties to asbestos.
- When mixed with water, bentonite clay could possibly exchange ions with metal. So, when bentonite clay is dry, contact with metal is of absolutely no concern. In short: Use your metal measuring spoons, it’s fine.
- You probably shouldn’t use it to brush your teeth as bentonite contains components that are harder than tooth enamel.
- Bentonite clay should not be mixed with heavy metals and then ingested, but in general you shouldn’t be playing with heavy metals.
- From Ian: “I’m certain there are a number of things people do with clays that are helpful, beneficial for some process or other, and harmless. Extravagant claims about their properties are probably not true, or at least difficult to verify.”
A huge thank you to Ian for taking the time to answer my questions!
How about using bentonite clay in CP soap?
Is it safe or will it just don’t have any benefits?
I suspect that would be one of those high pH cases where there may be some transfer. As for benefits, the provable ones seem to be mostly abrasion/exfoliation and absorption, and the abrasive nature would carry through into soap 🙂
Marie! Thank you for posting this! It’s wonderful to see the metal theory and bentonite clay officially put to rest! I can’t wait to link this and share!
YES! I am so happy to have something to point to when people screech insults at me on YouTube haha.
Did I miss studies cited here? Not sure if I’d take an opinion as solod proof of anything.
What sort of studies are you looking for? The basic information about different types of clay would be readily available in geology textbooks. As for the discussion about whether or not bentonite clay can do all the near-magical things Pinterest claims it can—have you heard of the “Sagan standard“? Briefly put, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”. Professor Hutcheon is not making any extraordinary claims here—he is mostly saying “based on my knowledge of how X [mostly ion exchange in this article] works, it is unlikely it would work in that way because it is complex and there are a lot of variables”. He’s not saying it’s impossible, he’s just saying he doubts it based on his expertise. If you are looking for proof that bentonite clay can “detox” or whatever else, the Sagan Standard says that the burden of proof lies with those making the extraordinary claims. Scientific studies are costly and time-consuming, so there isn’t a scientific study to prove or disprove everything. As Ian says in the interview, “Extravagant claims about [the clay’s] properties are probably not true, or at least difficult to verify.”
Happy making!
This is amazing. I really appreciate his tactful directness– I get so irritated with unfounded approaches to “detox” from people who often cannot clearly define what that even means. Good on you for making the effort to get this together, and many thanks to Prof. Hutcheon!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I am SO happy to have some actual answers for so many questions!
Hi Marie! Thanks for all the helpful insight you provide to our handmade skin care industry.
This is great info on Bentonite Clay. I am still perfecting my Happy Pits deodorant, and was thinking of adding some bentonite clay to add more ‘slip.’ After reading this, I’m wondering about the aluminum contained in clays in general.
With the loud buzz about aluminum in commercial deodorants contributing to the development of cancer, I’m now hesitant to add bentonite to any of my products. What are your thoughts?
Thanks so much, Julie
I certainly wouldn’t consider myself much of an expert on this, but I do have two points/thoughts.
The aluminum compound in most deodorants is aluminum chlorohydrate, and that is what studies have been done on. That’s a specific compound, so it’s hard to look at any level or variety of aluminum content and draw any useful conclusions without understanding a lot more about the chemistry and biology, which I don’t. I would probably stop at “it’s not the same thing, so don’t make the same assumptions”. Sort of like how sodium can be encountered as part of lye (NaOH) or table salt (NaCl), but the two compounds are extremely different.
Point two is that the evidence of the concerns of aluminum in body products is pretty weak, so it might not be a concern anyways.
The thing I’d be concerned about with bentonite clay in a leave-on product would be its high pH.
I hope that’s helpful!
Thank you, Marie.
DIYers often take one little piece of info and run with it, without knowing the chemistry behind it.
This article will be shared often. I appreciate you taking the time to explore this further, and asking someone who knows more about it.
Thanks so much, Linda! 🙂
Thank you for collecting this information.
What tools do you use to mix tiny amounts of bentonite clay mixes? A teeny tiny silicon spatula?
Now I’m using a small wire whisk, but I’ve used a single wooden chopstick in the past 🙂
Thank you for posting this very informative interview. How exactly does one use Bentonite Clay to detox armpits?
Well, from everything I’ve learned about it I don’t think one could use bentonite clay to detox armpits or much else. I think people just do a face mask on their armpits, though.
Thank you for this valuable information the dispels the myth on bentonite clay.
Thanks so much for reading!
I was told that if I made my own lipstick I could use a little bit of bentonite clay to make it a matte is this true and is there any harm in doing this?
I wouldn’t recommend it; there are better options like silica that are more pure and less likely to be gritty.
THANK YOU FOR THIS MARIE!! (I’m a long time lurker, first time commenter)
the amount of false information out there that gets popularized in DIY circles is appalling. Thank you for presenting us with the hard facts. I hope people listen!
Thank you so much for reading—I’m glad I was able to pull you out of the shadows with this post 🙂
Marie,
Interesting review. I’m left, however, with the question as to the benefits of using Bentonite Clay for use as a mask, either in part or in whole?
Thank you.
Bentonite clay is still very absorbent, and abrasive, so it helps with oil control and provides some physical exfoliation. There’s also quite a lot of anecdotal evidence for it brightening/fading pigmentation marks left behind by acne—this is probably the top reason I use bentonite clay 🙂
Great research, thank you Marie. Interesting to me is the aluminum component, meaning it could be a very useful ingredient in deodorant. (I just read that aluminum in regular deodorant plugs the gland to prevent sweat).
Thanks for reading! Regarding the aluminum—I certainly wouldn’t consider myself much of an expert on this, but I do know this:
The aluminum compound in most deodorants is aluminum chlorohydrate, and that is what studies have been done on. That’s a specific compound, so it’s hard to look at any level or variety of aluminum content and draw any useful conclusions without understanding a lot more about the chemistry and biology, which I don’t. I would probably stop at “it’s not the same thing, so don’t make the same assumptions”. Sort of like how sodium can be encountered as part of lye (NaOH) or table salt (NaCl), but the two compounds are extremely different.
Thank you for this very informative article. I was wondering about the benefits of Bentonite clay which is common in some areas of the US. It sounds like it is difficult to know the exact composition of the clay and therefore perhaps not good to ingest and maybe not ok to even use on your skin due to possible unknown composition plus the silica and aluminum content. Certainly use with caution. Thanks again for sharing.
Definitely make sure you’re buying a high quality cosmetic grade—don’t try to save money by getting industrial grade bentonite! Keep up with the FDA recalls as well, and yes—don’t eat it.
I’ve been a small manufacturer of body care products for 17 years, and I’m constantly frustrated by the lore bandied about in the DIY internet world. Thank for your efforts in dispelling the myths as mush as you can!
I was also a geophysicist in my past life, so I have a moderate geology and mathematics background. I look at all my work through the eyes of a researcher. What wasn’t pointed out in you interview regarding bentonite, is the mining process. All mining is done with metal drills of some sort. The material used is the cheapest that will get the job done. After mining, clays are ground up to create a uniform granularity, and then they are sieved. Metal comes into contact with the material at every step of the processing. Hence, the lore that one should never use metal implements when working with bentonite, is senseless.
With respect to toothpaste and teeth. Most commercial toothpaste use some form of silica as a polishing agent, and all the specialized tooth polishing agents I’ve sen from suppliers contain silica of varying sizes. Silica has a hardness on the Moh’s scale of 6-7. Teeth are made of apatite, with a hardness of 3-4 and the outer enamel, with a hardness of 5. So silica is harder than any portion of teeth. So knowing that, any silica-based ingredient in toothpaste should probably be reconsidered, but that would apply to almost every toothpaste out there, including the new natural toothpastes.
YES! I have pointed out the whole “definitely mined with metals” thing to many people who have attacked me for using a metal spoon to weigh out bentonite and they always ignore that point of my counter argument LOL. There’s no way bentonite is mined with wooden spoons haha.
And thank you for your information on toothpaste—super interesting. I think I have my new topic of conversation next time I go in for a cleaning!
Ha! I love the idea of specially made, wooden, clockwork jcbs!
Look, I found the bentonite mining equipment! LOL.
Urban myths die hard! Many people in the cottage industry of body care manufacturing have little or no scientific training or understanding, so it’s easy to propagate misinformation. Don’t even get me started on the ‘chemical-free’ movement!
Ack, I’m right there with you! I feel like I’m constantly muttering “everything is chemicals” to myself these days 😛
In the African American natural hair community, the use of bentonite clay mixed with either water or apple cider vinegar is very commonly used to detox the hair, in place of shampoo. What are your thoughts on This? Is it safe? Is it beneficial?
The combination with an acid would counter the high pH, leaving you with a mixture that will absorb oil as it dries. I doubt it’s doing much to “detox”, but it would help cleanse 🙂 Just be careful rinsing it down your drains as large amounts of bentonite could definitely clog pipes!
Ok, thanks for the response.
Great article! I LOVE how you keep everything real and honest :)!
I also LOVE how you do all the research, so we don’t have to!
I keep plugging your website and your book every chance I get ;)!
Wonderful read! Thank you for the information
I was inquiring about the safe use of bentonite for making loose powder makeup?
There’s really no reason to include bentonite clay in loose powder makeup; its main function (oil control) can be performed far better by other ingredients like silica microspheres without the high pH and abrasion. I did experiment with it while I was writing my book and found I always preferred other ingredients for the same jobs.
Thanks so much, Julie! 😀
Marie. I adore you.
Thank you 🙂 Nathan must be due for another birthday party sometime soonish, eh?
Hi Marie,
About that tooth powder…. Do you recommend removal of the bentonite clay with his recommendation in mind?
Thank you!
Tevana
Definitely! I should really spend a week going through old posts and improving them at some point.
So, what might we use in place of bentonite clay to make toothpaste?
I don’t feel qualified to make suggestions regarding toothpaste formulation, sorry.
Very interesting! I enjoyed reading about the real scoop on Bentonite Clay!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Once again I want to thank you for all the work and research you do, and sharing with us. It is so helpful. Thanks again
Thanks so much for reading!
Thank you, it is refreshing to see real research behind ingredients being done.
Thanks for reading! 😀
Great piece Marie,it is brilliant to get some of these absurd ideas and uses of bentonite, finally squashed!Thank you for all of your research and hard work, you are a little Gem.
Thanks so much, Pauline! I’m so stoked to finally have some good answers 🙂
This is a wonderful article but it leaves me with one huge question. What are the benefits of the clay? It sounds like nothing from this article. Can you please make a part 2 letting us know the benefits. Thank you!
I’m not sure a list of the benefits really warrants an entire post; I think it would mostly be that bentonite is highly absorbent, has unique gelling abilities, and is abrasive. This makes it effective in face mask/poultice/oil control applications, means it lends interesting textures/thickening to concoctions containing water, and works well in scrubs or other places where exfoliation is desired. There’s also quite a lot of anecdotal evidence for bentonite + ACV/lemon juice masks helping fade pigmentation irregularities left behind by acne. Any more extravagant/miraculous claims are unlikely to be true, as the Professor said.
So I’m not much of an expert when it comes to all this, but it definitely doesn’t make sense for people to be worried about the dry bentonite clay coming into contact with metal, because it would have been mined with metal and ground up and other steps too. Thank you for this, I will definitely share it because I get annoyed when people look up what I have been using and think that it is miraculous or that I have been handling an ingredient wrong
Yes! I have pointed that out to people before and they always conveniently ignore that point completely LOL.
I’m starting to be a serious fan girl, any more posts as useful as this will probably push me over the line!
Do you know that as a complete beginner not a single recipe of yours that I have made has failed? And yet I seem to read on other blogs that people struggle with all kinds of things when making their very first lotions, potions and balms that are never a problem when I follow your instructions.
Seriously Marie, Thank you for getting actual information for us all, you are becoming a one-woman Pinterest debunker
Well shucks… I’m blushing over here 😀 Now I just need to find some more useful myths to debunk to give you that final shove, ha!
I’m so thrilled to hear my recipes work for you! I work really hard to make sure they are replaceable—this often involves my insisting on things like scales and proper ingredients, but I’m always thrilled to hear when it results in awesome products for my readers!
But you see I like scales (I have two <250gr and a normal one – there is no hope) and preservatives and ingredients with actual properties that DO different things 🙂
I’ve been reflecting on the best DIY purchases I’ve made this past year and I definitely think the little 200g max weight, 0.01g accurate scale is right up there!
Fascinating stuff, as always, and another thorough rebuttal of the madness out in the DIY world!
Honestly, the level of misinformation out there has made me very wary of who to follow and what to listen to- the internet’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness… All information is given the same level of importance, and any crazy can have a lovely website to make their madness seem legit!
Agreed! The number of sources that repeat this information with no sourcing is frustrating, but the number of people that digitally scream at me for crossing the clay is even more irksome haha. I just… don’t… agh. LOL.
Great intervju, l enjoyed it very much, thank you 🙂 When it comes to his scepticism about clay in toothpaste, I’m not sure this is based on facts: I read study on 26 different dentifrices’ cleaning properties (Pellicle Cleaning Ratio, PCR) and abrasiveness (Relative Dentin Abrasivity, RDA), that concluded that most dentifrices with a high PCR also had a high RDA, Fuller’s earth (calcium bentonite) and kaolin clay being an exception with high PCR and low RDA. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21290981.
Very interesting, thank you!
I do have a few bones to pick with this study, though. The first is that it is examining finished, professionally formulated, store bought products that contain different abrasives, so it isn’t examining the abrasive ingredients in isolation. This means we don’t really know the dose of each abrasive relative to one another, nor do we know much about the rest of the formula and how it might be structured to amplify or mitigate the abrasive ingredient, which makes it difficult to draw many conclusions.
They also never properly identify the composition of the Fuller’s Earth used in the study. The term “calcium bentonite” does not appear anywhere in the study. I’ve been googling around and there does not seem to be any consensus on Fuller’s Earth always being calcium bentonite (source), so can’t be fully certain regarding what was studied. “In some localities fuller’s earth refers to calcium bentonite, which is altered volcanic ash composed mostly of montmorillonite.” (source).
I think the most interesting thing in this study is the the Cleaning Efficiency Index (CEI) of the Fuller’s Earth. It looks to be about 1.05, which isn’t great—it’s the fourth lowest in the study. Many of the lower rated CEI toothpastes were rated as such because they were really abrasive, even though they were also really effective at removing stains (“The four dentifrices that were the most effective at removing stain were also among the most abrasive, which decreased their CEI values.”). However, taking a look at where the Fuller’s Earth product falls on the other charts, it gets a low score because it just doesn’t work very well. It’s one of the least abrasive toothpastes examined, but it’s also one of the least effective at removing stains… which leads one to wonder “why bother”? 😛 Especially when the MSDS notes “trace heavy metals”.
Anecdotally, I have both Fuller’s Earth and (sodium) bentonite clays, and they’re very different from one another. Fuller’s Earth does not swell and gel like the bentonite discussed here, and behaves more like mud when wet than the bentonite. In my experience, sodium bentonite is the clay most DIYers use when they’re talking “bentonite” (specifics are rarely used, but the discussion of gelling is a dead giveaway), so I’m not sure this study is at all relevant to what most DIYers would be rubbing on their teeth, either.
Anywho, just some of my thoughts!
Yay, science! Thank you Marie, awesome as ever!
Thanks so much for reading! 😀
So….the tooth powder that I bought has bentonite clay as the first ingredient. I like it but not enough keep using. Thanks for the information!
No worries—happy making!
So, based off of the article:
*Metal is only able to affect the bentonite clay in the presence of water (so it isn’t a myth, I don’t know why everyone is saying “it isn’t affected whilst dry! Thanks for clearing up the myth that I can’t use a metal spoon!” unless they just didn’t thoroughly read and usnderstand the information displayed. It isn’t a myth that bentonite replaces its own ions with the ions of heavy metals and it isn’t a myth that it is absorbent (qualities of a great detox agent). It’s plainly stated in the article that it has an ionizing effect upon metal when in the presence of water. People just assumed that it was the clay alone that caused the ionization. That’s less of a myth, and more of a ridiculous assumption based upon lack of inquiry)
*Especially in the presence of water, bentonite is proven to ionize metals as was quoted in the article. “For any kind of transfer of metal ions between clay and a metal, there would need to be water present so the metal could be in ionic form.” Also, since bentonite clay is typically around 9.5-10.5 ph. The person quoted in the article stated that a base of about 10-11ph would be required to cause dissolution of metals and cause ion transfer. He also reaffirmed this by saying he is “skeptical that simply contacting clay with a metal spoon would do much… if the clay is dry.” He neglected to say (or wasn’t quoted saying) don’t mix bentonite with water with or in metal; but he shouldn’t have had to if readers (unlike most of the commentators) could think for themselves and connect the dots in the article like I have exhibited here.
*He theorizes bentonite CAN be used as an effective detoxification agent based off of scientifically proven ability of bentonite clay to exponentially exchange ions with water. He then went on to say it would be useful yet inconvenient (“not trivial”) to identify the ions in question that would be removed and other factors that would determine how much toxins would be attracted to the clay. What that means is that he is aware that the science behind bentonite as a detox agent WHEN INGESTED or in and “open wound” is credible, but since he isn’t certain exactly what amount he is detoxing/removing from his body; then he “would be reluctant” to consume bentonite. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t do it, just that it would take allot of effort and reasoning to do so. He also stated that he doesn’t “THINK”/believe that there is an effective external way to detox with bentonite. He doesn’t claim to know for certain and even if it was an educated guess he specified external use as ineffective in his postulation, not internal consumption.
*Last but not least; he discredits himself by comparing apples and oranges. What I mean by that is he compares silicate in bentonite to asbestos merely because they can often be similar grain size. If he made the same assertion between bentonite and asbestos about its ability to insulate homes based off of the same comparison, that would be seen as asinine. Same thing with it being carcinogenic. That is an unwarranted assertion and cannot be taken seriously by anyone that has common sense and the ability to discern. To relay how absurd of a postulation that it is to assume that bentonite is at all carcinogenic, I will state this: fluoride is considered significantly more carcinogenic than lead by the CDC, which is one of the reasons fluorides have not and have never been FDA approved. As far as I’m aware; properly sourced smectite bentonite clays ARE, in fact, FDA approved. If fluoride is denied approval by the FDA since it is proven ineffective and proven to be as carcinogenic as lead and asbestos, then its safe to note that if bentonite clay were even remotely close to being carcinogenic like asbestos; the FDA wouldn’t risk neglecting that factor.
So, the only thing the article cleared up was through the comments. It clearly defines who has discernment and who appreciates articles that encourages willful, blissful ignorance. Aside from that, well written. I understood the point and it wasn’t to debunk bentonite, because that obviously cannot be done credibly. ‘Twas merely to propagate that slightest influence of doubt. Well, I feel sorry for the nay sayers. I cured my IBS I’ve had most of my life. I used only quality controlled and lab tested bentonite clay. It detoxed and filtered the bile in my gut. Not many people realize that your bile is recycled like your blood in a way. Toxins can recirculate indefinitely, especially accumulative toxins such as fluoride until they bind to and begin to calcify soft tissues of the body or get flushed out. Whether it ionized the toxins out of my body that caused my problem by bonding to it or it just absorbed it; that is irrelevant to me. I don’t even care how much it removed or what it removed. All I care is that it was confirmed to have worked by myself and a medical professional, and that I’m not miserable from gut pain anymore of which I suffered for the past 15 years. I feel sorry for whomever misses out on the abundance of healing tools and cures the pharmaceutical industry cannot patent and profit off of like their prescribed symptom relievers. It really is too bad that big pharma refuses cures as an acceptable means to profit off of the masses, then the cures would also be available to those who lack discernment and not just reserved for those who are willing to put forth the effort to question everything and think for themselves.
Thanks for reading!
My pleasure. Thank you for sharing.
Hello, i want to ask is bentonite clay is the most suitable clay for blackheads? I just started to use green clay, but now i am wondering maybe i should use bentonite for blackheads?
I’ve found this DIY to be the best thing for blackheads 🙂 It’s crazy effective!
Thank you for posting this interesting info about clay. 🙂
I hope my experience will help you. I have used clay, especially bentonite and kaolin, in many ways and with positive results. I used bentonite clay for clay baths (for the first bath I was amazed at how dark the water was after bathing), massage for tired feet, cleansing and softening the skin of the feet, activated clay for pimples and oily face (and for piling dead cells on face skin), for varicose veins in my grandfather (he has less painful legs when using clay masks – wraps). For internal use, I used bentonite clay for diarrhea – several days, and for heartburn where clay helps me almost instantly. I followed the recipes and recommendations I found in the android app “Clay – cosmetic & healing”. Also, I experimented with spoons – I took 3 different metal spoons and filled them with bentonite clay. After about 10 days, I looked at the spoons and saw that one of them changed color partially. The other 2 remained exactly the same, which probably depends on the quality and type of alloy.
Best Regards,
Phillip
Thanks for sharing 🙂
There’s a very interesting article in the National Center for Biotechnology Information data base https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5632318/
Interesting, I used to add bentonite clay for making tooth powder. Could I just use a tiny amount or is it better to eliminate it completely? Can a tooth powder made out of calcium carbonate, baking soda, clove and/mint for instance be good enough to clean the teeth?
I’m not a dentist, so I have no clue 🙂 I wouldn’t trust anyone but a dentist for an answer on this question.