Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is made by burning natural, carbon-rich materials such as bamboo, wood, coconut shells, olive pits or coal in low-oxygen concentrations. This process extracts the hydrogen, methane and tar from the material, reducing its weight and creating a black, mostly carbon substance.
Benefits
When used as a face mask, activated charcoal helps to remove impurities by absorbing toxins and dirt from your skin.
Activated charcoal helps to reduce acne breakouts by removing bacteria and other impurities from your pores.
Activated charcoal also helps to control oil by removing dead skin cells and absorbing excess oil which helps to give your skin a healthy glow.
Bees Wax
Beeswax (cera alba) is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus Apis. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discards it at the hive. The hive workers collect and use it to form cells for honey storage and larval and pupal protection within the beehive. Chemically, beeswax consists mainly of esters of fatty acids and various long-chain alcohols.
Benefits
The anti-inflammatory properties of beeswax encourage the healing of wounds. It is also protective, helping form a barrier between the skin and the environment without clogging pores.
The protective nature of beeswax helps hold in moisture and reduce dryness of skin. It is also a humectant, which means that it holds water. This helps keep the skin hydrated and soft.
Beeswax also has antibacterial properties. It helps to keep the skin clean and reduce the risk of contamination, helping with conditions like diaper rash.
Beeswax when combined with other ingredients, like vitamin E and cocoa butter, helps to create a natural remedy for stretch marks.
The hypoallergenic and moisturizing properties of beeswax make it an effective treatment for dry skin and more serious issues like eczema.
Beeswax makes a perfect base for a lip balm. It keeps the lip moisturized and clean.
Bentonite Clay
Bentonite clay is natural clay with a fine, soft texture. It forms a paste when mixed with water. There are two types of bentonite clays. They are the Calcium and Sodium bentonite. Calcium bentonite is used on the body, both internally and topically while sodium bentonite has more industrial uses.
Both types of bentonites contain a percentage of other minerals, as well as sand and silt that is filtered out.
Benefits
Bentonite clay’s adsorbent power helps in treating acne breakouts and oily skin.
It is used to detoxify the skin; Bentonite clay helps to treat poison ivy rash and speed up healing following an allergic reaction.
Bentonite clay is also effective in treating diaper rash. It also helps to protect the skin from harmful ultraviolet rays.
BTMS 50
BTMS 50 is a plant-based emulsifying wax that is naturally derived from Colza or Rapeseed oil. Behentrimonium Methosulfate is sometimes listed as BTMS-25 or BTMS-50. The difference between the two is their level of potency. BTMS-25 contains 25% of the active ingredient Behentrimonium Methosulfate (derived from Colza plant), while BTMS-50 contains 50%.
Benefits
BTMS acts as a wonderful emulsifier when mixing several different ingredients. In addition to its emulsifying potentials, it’s also a great detangling agent and absorbs well into skin and hair strands. Behentrimonium Methosulfate has a positive charge which makes it a super conditioner.
Cane Sugar Wax
Sugar cane is a monocotyledonous plant with a typical grass-like appearance. Sugar cane wax is extracted from the stalks of the sugar cane plant. To produce sugar, the sugary sap is extracted from the plant. A by-product from the extraction process is called bagasse. This filtration residue mainly consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. After having cleaned the bagasse from plant residues and chlorophyll, it is used for the production of sugar cane wax.
Sugar cane waxes are probably the most sustainable waxes. They contain 100 % sugar cane and are therefore pure natural products.
Benefits
Cane sugar wax contains glycolic acid, a natural alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), it helps to slough off dead skin cells and make way for healthier, glowing skin to show through. Glycolic acid is the smallest hydroxyl acid molecule. It penetrates very deep and fast as a result, it is known to be the most effective at stimulating collagen and thus helping to reduce wrinkles.
The resurfacing element helps to correct any sun damage or pigmentation and smooth the surface of the skin, whilst also fighting against acne and blemishes.
Also being a naturalantioxidant, sugar absorbs moisture from the environment and binds it to your skin, keeping it plump, hydrated and well protected against toxins and any harsh weather.
Emulsifying Wax
Emulsifying wax is created when a wax material (either a vegetable wax of some kind or a petroleum-based wax) is treated with a detergent (typically sodium dodecyl sulfate or polysorbates) to cause it to make oil and water bind together into a smooth emulsion. It is a white waxy solid with a low fatty alcohol odor. The ingredients used to make emulsifying waxes are Cetearyl alcohol and a polyoxyethylene derivative of a fatty acid ester of sorbitan (a polysorbate).
Benefits
Emulsifying wax acts as a binding agent for oil and water so that they can mix and blend together to make toners, lotions, and of course, facial moisturizers.
Kaolin Clay (Pink)
Kaolin clay helps to detox your skin and clear your pores; it absorbs excess oil from your skin without causing dryness. Kaolin clay has skin soothing properties that help to calm an inflamed or irritated skin. It also helps to remove acne-causing impurities straight from your pores in a gentle, non-irritating and non-drying way.
Kaolin Clay (White)
Kaolin clay is a cosmetic clay rich in silica and with a neutral ph. Kaolin clay is the mildest of all the clays used in cosmetic production. It is typically white but sometimes it may be pink depending on the various minerals that are in the clay.
Pink clay gets its colour from a mixture of the following minerals; kaolinite, iron, illite, montmorillonite, and calcite.
Kaolin clay has a very soft fine texture, it’s quite versatile and it’s safe to use on all skin types. It is very mild and as a result it’s beneficial for those with dry or sensitive skin.
Benefits
Kaolin clay helps to detox your skin and clear your pores; it absorbs excess oil from your skin without causing dryness. Kaolin clay has skin-soothing properties that help to calm inflamed or irritated skin. It also helps to remove acne-causing impurities straight from your pores in a gentle, non-irritating, and non-drying way.
Kaolin clay helps to gently remove dull dead skin and impurities for a smoother, brighter complexion.
Mor. Rhassoul Clay
Rhassoul clay or ghassoul clay is a natural mineral clay from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. It’s been mined and used since the 8th century and has been used by Moroccan women for centuries to care for your skin and hair. The word rhassoul is derived from the Arabic word for washing, “Rhassala.”
Benefits
It has an unmatched ability to draw out impurities from the skin and hair and is used for detoxifying, cleansing, and reducing dryness. It has a reddish-brown color and has been used for soothing scalp ailments such as dandruff and psoriasis.
Rhassoul clay acts as a moisturizer and softener. It reduces dryness in the hair while also removing toxins and product buildup. It improves hair’s elasticity and unblocks your scalp’s pores.
Paraffin Wax
Paraffin wax is a white or colorless soft, solid wax. It's made from saturated hydrocarbons. It's often used in skin-softening, salon and spa treatments on the hands, cuticles, and feet because it's colorless, tasteless, and odorless.
Benefits
Paraffin wax is often applied to the hands and feet. The wax is a natural emollient, which helps to make skin supple and soft. When applied to the skin, it adds moisture and continues to boost the moisture levels of the skin after the treatment is complete.
It can also help open pores and remove dead skin cells which make the skin look fresher and feel smoother.
Polawax
Polawax is a preparation of higher fatty alcohols that produce thick emulsions without the addition of stiffening waxes.
Benefits
Polawax is an effective emulsifier suited for the preparation of cosmetic oil/water emulsions. It can also be used to increase the thickness of formulations, eliminating the need for use of additional ingredients. It works well as a sole emulsifier, thickener, and stabilizer in an emulsion. Examples include creams, lotions, body butters, conditioners, face cleansers, and baby products.
Rice Powder
Rice contains a few sun-protecting agents like ferulic acid and allantoin, which converts it into a good natural sunscreen. Being a good anti-inflammatory agent, rice powder also soothes sunburns and prevents the skin from sun tan.
Rice Powder helps to get rid of dark circles. It is a bit coarse in texture which makes it an excellent material to be used as a scrub. The fine particles help the flaky dead skin cells leave your skin in an easier way. Rice absorbs all the sebum and leaves your skin clean, smooth and re-energized.Rice powder acts as a skin lightening remedy. Amino acid and vitamins present in the grain act as a clearing agent and controls the shine of the skin.
Rice powder can also be used as a face powder. It easily blends with the layers of skin and covers up the pores that secrete oil.
It is also used to treat blemishes, fine lines and pimples that lead to ageing. It also helps retain the elasticity and firmness of the skin to make you look fresh and young.
Rice powder being granular and starchy has hair tightening and toning abilities which makes it superb for hair straightening.