What in the world does clay have to do with soap? Truth is, the stuff that most of us associate with mud and dirt has long been used for personal care all over the world. You’ll find at least one kind of clay in each of our body bars. Find out why we love to use kaolin clay for soap making, and what some of the benefits of kaolin clay in soap are.
What Is Kaolin Clay?
Kaolin clay is an all-natural ingredient that is found in the soil. What makes kaolin clay unique is its very fine particle size and lovely light colour. This naturally occurring substance is harvested and then processed in kaolin plants for use in different industries, including cosmetics. The main component of kaolin clay is the mineral kaolinite.
Where Is Kaolin Clay Extracted From?
Originally discovered in China, the name kaolin originates from Kao-ling, which is the Chinese phrase for “high ridge,” which is both the type of geological feature and the name of the village where it was first found and mined for hundreds of years. Now, kaolin clay is extracted from the soil all over the world, including in Europe and North America.
What Is Kaolin Clay Really Good For?
You may be wondering, what is kaolin clay used for in soap? And what is kaolin clay good for? Let’s look at some kaolin clay benefits.
Overall Kaolin Clay Benefits
Kaolin clay is easy to source locally and is a cost-effective way to add cleansing and experience-enhancing properties to soap bars. Kaolin clay is useful for everything from improving the feel of the soap to helping the scent last longer. Plus, it offers great purifying properties for the skin.
Kaolin Clay vs. Bentonite Clay: Know the Difference
Kaolin is a gentle cleansing clay. It is usually white or pink and made up of minerals such as silica, quartz and feldspar. It also naturally contains copper, selenium, manganese, magnesium and zinc.
Bentonite is a very soft swelling clay that is fantastic for absorbing oil and removing toxins from the skin. It is made up of mostly montmorillonite.
Kaolin and bentonite both contain aluminum and silica minerals. The main difference between these clays is the way they are formed. Bentonite forms naturally from volcanic ash in the presence of water, while kaolin clay is produced when aluminum silicate minerals like feldspar deteriorate in the environment.
Both clays have great benefits for soap making and for skin, which is why both are commonly used in beauty and skincare products. However, bentonite is more powerful for absorbing oil and pulling impurities from the skin, which is something you don’t necessarily need in a body bar. That’s why we use bentonite for our Restoration Scrub Hand Soap.
Why CleanO2 Uses Kaolin Clay for Soap Making
CleanO2 uses a variety of clays for making different types of soaps. Kaolin clay is a favourite of ours because it’s easy to source and comes in a variety of colours, including white, pink, and green. Using white kaolin clay for soap making is beneficial because it can easily take on any colour. On the other hand, kaolin clay can be used to add some colour too. For example, we use pink kaolin in our Renewable Rose Body Bar.
However, the biggest benefit of kaolin clay for soap making is the way it makes the soap feel…
We Will Tell You What Kaolin Clay is Used for in Soap
The benefits of kaolin clay in soap include perks for your skin as well as helping to make our all-natural soap bars more pleasant to use. Here are our top four kaolin clay benefits…
4 Amazing Benefits of Kaolin Clay in Soap
- Kaolin clay absorbs excess oil
As a mild clay, kaolin is gentle on the skin even as it absorbs excess oil. This is great for those with dry or sensitive skin since the kaolin helps to remove oil without drying the skin out too much.
- Kaolin clay helps remove dirt and other impurities from the skin
Kaolin clay is a great skin cleanser. It helps absorb impurities such as dirt, bacteria, and toxins from your pores and leaves your skin feeling nice and soft.
- Kaolin clay adds a wonderful slickness to soap
Have you ever started a new bar of soap and found it a bit sticky on your skin when you first use it? There’s no danger of that happening with a CleanO2 soap bar because one of the best benefits of kaolin clay in soap is the smooth, silky feel it lends to the soap bar.
The pleasant scents that you enjoy when you lather up with a CleanO2 soap bar are able to linger in the soap partially thanks to kaolin clay. That’s because this handy clay works as a scent fixative — it helps hold the fragrance so that you can enjoy it to the very last sliver of soap.
Now that you know all about the benefits of kaolin clay in soap, give our Activated Charcoal Body Bar a try to experience them for yourself.