Quick Clay Question

[TheFunkyStumpfighter]

Is it better to keep the clay from drying after youve applied it, or is letting it dry somewhat the route to go?

[cuebreeze]

im not sure mate but mine gets pretty dry after about 15 mins of application. Also once its dry if i do scalp exercises i can really feel alot of itching/pin point feelings on my scalp. It almost makes me think that the itching we get is the hairs trying to grow through and technically it could be a good thing. I dunno just throwing round ideas. Im loving claying tho. It takes out a fare bit of hair when using it but overall my scalp is feeling pretty good and hairloss has reduced a bit i think.

[Anxious1]

i am using scalpure, not clay by itself, but i think the idea is to make the layer thick enough on ur scalp that it stays wet inside for 40 minutes. the thinner it is the quicker it dries. of course i always get that crappy thin run off on my forehead, that dries in ten minutes then cracks and itchs, but mostly i put it on thick enough to stay wet.

of course the problem might be how ur mixing it, if ur just using water and clay, then it will dry quicker, u may have to add some kind of oil, just try good old olive oil, if youve got nothing else.

[cuebreeze]

mm id like to get a 100% answer on this now. I personally think once the product is dry, thats when it has pulled all dht etc (or impurities whatever).

Alltho if anxious1 is right than id like to know too. Maybe it draws more out while it is moist/wet.

Did the guy form scalpure answer such a question?

[TheFunkyStumpfighter]

No, hes not answered, but I dont suppose he actually knows. I dont understand how a dry clay could have any pulling power, but in any case, I put a shower cap on over the clay careful not to let it actually touch it much, and left it wet the whole time. This is the first time Ive used it, but I plan on using it again tomorrow to coincide with my laser usage.

On a side note, it does feel really #$%! good. Turns your scalp red as #$%!.

[0416Dr]

Are you guys sure it is pulling out the DHT?

[Anxious1]

im not saying it pulls out dht, but watever it does do, it is while its in contact with the skin, when it dries it cracks, and becomes loose, and probably is barely touching the skin any more, just being held up by the hair.

think of it this way, throw some mud on the grass, the more wet it is, the more it will trickle down to the dirt and fill in all the spaces, but when it dries, the grass holds it up.

i really dont see wat it could do once its dried, u guys shouldnt need steve or anyone else to tell u this, its obvious.

[hapyman]

A couple of pointers/observations for you guys as I have been using clays for years.

- When the clay dries it is no longer working. It may still have the potential to work if it were wet but once it is dried it stops the "pulling" effect.

- Anxious1 is right that the thicker the layer of clay the longer it will take to dry. I apply about 0.5cm of clay and it lasts well over 30 minutes before becoming completely dry.

- I have experimented with adding oil to the clay. At 1 TBSP per 4 TBSP of clay (6 TBSP of ACV/H2O) the mixture seems to dry less and condition the hair better. However, this mixture will not remove as many oils from the scalp because the clay is already pretty saturated with oil.

- Bentonite clay may not indeed "pull out" DHT directly however the sebum removing properties of bentonite clay is readily apparent. Sebum has been shown to contain a lot of DHT in MPB individuals so perhaps the action lies in removing the sebum from the follicle and DHT along with it.

- The itching on your skin when the clay dries is from the lack of moisture in your skin.

- Bentonite clay topicals will increase circulation to the skin, which can cause some itchiness too, and will temporarily turn the skin pink.

Hope this helps.

[TheFunkyStumpfighter]

Hahaha, hapyman, you preempted my post. Thanks for the answers

[perga]

I use facial clay masks every now and then to try and suck out some black heads (they work really well actually), and I disagree that after it has dried it stops working.

On the mask I use, you can actually see the oil spots where the black heads have been sucked into the clay, and they grow even after the product has dried on your skin. I also would not do scalp exercises, as I'm not sure putting a bunch of cracks in the clay is the best idea.

[Joanne]

I use clay facial masks too (love Argiletz white) and always thought the "drying" was the mechanism that actually pulls the gunk out of the pores.

My theory is that when it's applied wet, it goes into the pores and absorbs whatever's there and as it dries, it contracts (or retracts from the pores) and that's when it pulls stuff out with it. I haven't read this anywhere, so not saying it's a fact ... just how I suspect it worked. I always thought the drying part was a good thing and that if it was washed off before it was completely dry, the clay would still be sitting in the pores.

Thoughts?

[TheFunkyStumpfighter]

I use clay facial masks too (love Argiletz white) and always thought the "drying" was the mechanism that actually pulls the gunk out of the pores.

My theory is that when it's applied wet, it goes into the pores and absorbs whatever's there and as it dries, it contracts (or retracts from the pores) and that's when it pulls stuff out with it. I haven't read this anywhere, so not saying it's a fact ... just how I suspect it worked. I always thought the drying part was a good thing and that if it was washed off before it was completely dry, the clay would still be sitting in the pores.

Thoughts?

You make a good point. Maybe the act of drying is an an important part of the process, and should occur just before you wash it off. I guess thw question would be, if the clay has dried fully, is there any reason to leave it there in its dried state? If the pulling power occurs only when the clay is hydrated, maybe keeping it moist and washing it off while its still moist (like I have been doing), is counter productive.

I think Im going to continue to keep it covered and fully moist for half an hour, but then let it dry and harden fully before I wash it off. Maybe try to get the best of both worlds, or at least cover both bases.

[hapyman]

There may be some credence to allowing the clay to dry but once it is dry it is done. That was the point I was trying to convey. The clay is only "activated" in the hydrated state but perhaps like Joanne said allowing it to dry will bring the clay all back to one piece to wash away.

[TheFunkyStumpfighter]

So I decided to test a little something out. When I used the clay on my face, I noticed that, when it dries, it acts like an amazing blackhead remover. I peeled off dried chunks of it, and noticed all the %&$! it pulled out of my skin. When I pulled off chunks that were only semi dried on the bottom, I noticed that there was only some dried skin from the surface of the skin stuck on the bottom. I tried the same thing on my scalp, letting it dry fully then breaking it up with my fingers so that it was mostly separated from the scalp, and I noticed the same thing. When I let it dry fully, it grabbed onto anything it could, and there was a lot of scalp gook stuck in the bottom of the dried clay chips.

I think, from now on, Im going to always let it dry fully, then break it up with my fingers a bit before I rinse it off. This way, any of the crud that the clay captures can be pulled out along with the clay itself. Also, when I let it dry this way, my scalp felt much more clean after I rinsed it off than it did when I hadnt let it dry. I dont know, maybe just some food for thought.

[hapyman]

Nice observations TFS. Thanks for sharing. You are totally right too. When the clay dries it acts like a sponge and will grab onto any moisture or oils of that nature. This method may be more effective but just remember that after awhile using it this way will leave your skin and hair feeling really really dry. I suggest using something right afterward to re-hydrate. Something such as pure aloe or coconut oil would work great.

[cuebreeze]

What are peoples thoughts on dermarolling pre clay? Would this draw too much oil out? Or would it be good at the start as there may be alot of dht build up????

[TheFunkyStumpfighter]

I was actually thinking about using my roller before hand, and I may give it a shot. I think the ACV would hurt like a bitch though.

Oh, and Im using aloe gel after I clay, just because I love the stuff, and use any chance i get to slop some on.