Finally Used Bentonite Clay (on My 4C Hair)

 After hearing about Bentonite clay for at least 5 or 6 years, I finally broke down and tried it on my hair. I didn't get the Aztec brand I see in many natural hair videos. It was around $0.93/ounce while this clay from Harris Yareli cost me 40.30/ounce. I got a 2-pound bag for less than 10 bucks while the Aztec brand was almost 15 dollars for a 1-pound jar.

Some info about Bentonite clay:

• The powder forms when volcanic ash ages. 
• It’s named after Fort Benton, WY, which has a lot of it - but it's found all over the world.
• It’s also known as Montmorillonite clay after a region in France with a large deposit.
• You may hear it called calcium bentonite clay.

(Thank you, WebMD)

The Aztec brand labels itself as "Natural calcium Bentonite (green) clay" while the Harris brand is labeled as "100% Pure Calcium Bentonite - "volcanically derived" (which made me think it was special!)

Anyway. I have long heard about the Maximum Moisturization Method (MMM) aka Maximum Hydration Method (MHM). I personally am much too lazy to go through all those steps. Also, other than the tiny bit in my Royal Oils shampoo and conditioner, I am not a fan of using apple cider vinegar in my hair. And, for another thing, I wanted a method that I could stick with and use 1 or twice a month or as needed. If it gets complicated, I will bail

So I washed my hair with a clarifying shampoo, rinsed really well, and let my hair get totally saturated with water before I applied the clay mixture in the shower. The mixture was about 1/3 cup of clay powder, enough warm water to get it to the consistency of a thin pancake batter (it was pretty thin), and about a half tablespoon of EVOO.

I made sure to coat all my wet hair with the mixture - root to tip. Then I continued with my shower. I didn't let the clay get dry before I rinsed it completely out with lots of cool water. I then used just a bit of my Royal Oil conditioner. 

After patting my hair so that the water wasn't running down my face and back, I used my Kinky Curky Knot Today leave-in detangler.

Now. 

I could tell after rinsing out the clay that my hair did feel somehow different. I felt super-clean - almost too clean if that makes sense. That's why I used a little rinse-out conditioner. After that, my hair was so soft that I was kind of amazed. However, it was still wet so that was not a good test for me.

As I was applying the Knot Today, I kept being thrilled with how healthy my hair felt. My hair was super-soft but it didn't feel fragile or over-conditioned. Weird. But it was still wet. (By the way, I will never again be without that glorious Knot Today!)

It took maybe an hour - or a little more - for my hair to be completely dry. And it was still really, really soft. Not as soft as when it was damp, but nowhere near the Sahara-like dryness I usually have before applying products. After 2 hours, I did have to apply more softening products but, again, my hair was not as dry as usual after a fresh wash. 

I did read up beforehand on using Bentonite clay and how it works for low-porosity hair. I saw somewhere that I might have to use the clay more than once before my hair starts showing long-term improvement. Of course, I will have to then use it periodically to keep my hair retaining moisture. I am fine with that. Next time I might even use a plastic cap and let the clay stay on my hair for 15 or 20 minutes. I saw that suggested on Loving Kinky Curls. I can't wait until I get to the point where my DIY goat milk conditioning mask works even better.

One surprising thing that I learned from Loving Kinky Curls is that Bentonite clay might not be good (and might even damage) high-porosity hair. Natural Club suggests more than one way to easily test your hair. Or you could ask your hairdresser for advice. No matter how you choose to do it, people, do test the porosity of your hair before you go wild with Bentonite clay! I'm just saying...

Now I have wrapped up my hair for the night so I can get some rest. Don't want to lose any of this luscious moisture! (BTW - I will add photos of my hair to this post after I touch up my gray hairs! LOL)

Peace

--Free