→This post may contains affiliate links. 

Rosacea is a problem that many people struggle with, but you already know that if you are reading this. The symptoms can be mild and cause minimal discomfort but some cases can be severe and even be painful.

A recent study suggests that approximately 415 million people worldwide are affected by the condition. That’s very common!

For those who do have to deal with the rosacea’s rudeness, clay may be an effective tool that can ease the symptoms and outbreaks.

At a glance,

What causes Rosacea?

Unfortunately, there is no exact cause of rosacea, but a number of things can trigger it.  Those are spicy foods and dairy, alcoholic drinks, wind, sunlight and extreme temperatures, and cosmetic products or your skincare routines have a direct impact.

What is the best clay mask for rosacea?

The 3 types of clay that we suggest for rosacea are kaolin clay, rhassoul and bentonite clay.  Kaolin clay and rhassoul are both gentle as they don’t have a strong expansion.  Bentonite clay is a strong detox of your skin, but it’s a healing clay so may be great for rosacea.

What ingredients go well with a clay mask for rosacea?

Try mixing these healing ingredients with natural clay to add additional healing benefits to your face mask.  These are honey because it’s natural antibacterial properties, green tea packed with EGCG’s, turmeric, and lavender essential oils. In general, avoid ingredients that are exfoliating or resurfacing. 

This past Christmas season, I did a lot of markets for our clay mask products. I was surprised at how often I got asked “are clay masks good for rosacea?” Which inspired me to do this research and put this data together for you.

So let’s dive in.

What is Rosacea?

Rosacea is a common and chronic skin disease that causes redness or a flushing of the skin. It can affect any area of the body, but most commonly is found in these locations:

• on the face
• including the forehead
• chin
• cheeks

The condition can come and go, but when an outbreak becomes more severe, the skin can become visibly ruddy and blood vessels may appear more prominent.

The exact cause of the condition is not known, but there are a number of things that can indicate the presence of it.  Symptoms of rosacea can include:

• flushing or a frequent redness of the face (like a perma-blush)
• burning or stinging
• firm, red bumps on the skin
• pus-filled pimples, similar to acne, but it’s not acne
• irritated and watery eyes that can become bloodshot
• overtime small blood vessels may appear

Nobody likes any of these things on their face!

There are 4 different variations of rosacea, all with different types of sign and levels of intensity. 

If left untreated, it can lead to small vessels appearing.

It’s recommended that you see a dermatologist at the beginning of your symptoms before the severity increases.

What causes Rosacea?

There is not a known cause of rosacea, but some studies have been done to identify several of the most common contributing issues. Hereditary and environmental factors may play a part, and it is theorized that the health of immune, nervous and vascular systems may have an impact as well.

Certain foods are suspected to cause flare-ups.  It is different foods that cause reactions for everyone.  73% of 513 participants in this survey found that they can reduce rosacea reactions by a diet change

The rule of thumb? Avoid foods that might make your face flush.  Sorry wine and curries!

A number of other factors are estimated to affect rosacea, including:

• Spicy foods and dairy products may increase symptoms
• Alcoholic drinks, especially red wine can cause flare-ups
• Wind and sunlight
• Extreme temperatures and temperature changes
• Medications that dilate (widen) blood vessels
• Cosmetic products & skincare routines have a direct impact
• Stress
• Genetics

The most common victims of this quiet confidence-killer are adults between the ages of 30-60, so it is not uncommon to see rosacea pop up later in life.

The symptoms vary widely from person to person. And although women and men are affected almost equally, symptoms are usually more severe in men.

Do clay masks work for rosacea?

In my experience, clay masks work for a lot of things! I don’t personally have rosacea but have suffered from a number of other skin related issues throughout my life. And although there are no studies that have been done on the treatment of rosacea with clay masks, there are many benefits linked to clay use. I believe a lot of them will apply to the daily routine of someone with rosacea.

A consistent daily skincare routine is especially important.  Some advice is mostly avoidance advice including:

• avoidance of triggering skincare ingredients
•  stress and anxiety management
•  daily sunscreen application of 30+ SPF
•  moisturizing applications for dry skin
• drying applications for oily skin (like clay masks 1-2 times per week)

This research abstract recommends that soap free cleansers with a low PH may be sufficient for mild symptoms.

Clay is a natural cleanser, that of course is soap free.  In fact I use Kaolin clay as my daily cleanser.  Kaolin clay has the lowest PH level among clays of 7.0, as found by this clay assessment.

In addition, these 771 survey respondents noted that the avoid these ingredients in their skincare products:

• alcohol
• fragrances
• dyes and pigments
• menthol
• witch hazel
• sulfates
• citrus juice
• paraben preservatives
• alpha hydroxy

A dry clay powder, like our facial clay mask assortment pack, doesn’t include any of those ingredients!  Considering that clay is all natural and a gift from mother earth, I am confident to recommend them over products with harsh chemicals for all skin types.

For example, Bentonite clay is a powerful clay that has countless advantages. Many eczema sufferers swear by it, and its reputation as a healing clay gives hope as a skincare ingredient in a weekly routine for those with rosacea as well.

Clay acts as a natural detoxifier, with anti inflammatory properties, and cleanses your skin to manage breakouts. It helps with oil absorption and remineralizing, and is known for being gentle on skin. It’s important to note that oil production is not a cause of rosacea.

There is no way to know exactly if clay masks for rosacea will work for you until you try it.  As with any new product, always test patch clay on your skin before full application.

What is the best clay mask for rosacea?

There are a number of different types of clay, but a few of them are known for having properties that may be more beneficial for those with sensitive skin.

• Kaolin is one the best for sensitive skin in general because it does not have a strong expansion.
• Rhassoul Clay also has a low expansion so is a good choice for sensitive skin.
• Bentonite is another great clay in this instance. It’s not a gentle clay because of it’s strong adsoprtion ability. However, it is known as a healing clay for eczema, so I believe it might also be a great clay for rosacea sufferers as well.

3 of these clay can be found in our clay assortment pack.

Everyone’s skin is different, and therefore everyone’s skin will react differently to certain clays. Clay masks for rosacea may be a great help in reducing future flare ups. If you are ready to start incorporating clay into your beauty routine, these would be the most gentle clays I suggest starting with.

What ingredients go well with a clay mask for rosacea?

There are so many fun and interesting ways to mix facial clay masks at home! The most common and simplest is water. But mixing oils with clay can minimize the drying effect that clays normally have and actually moisturize the skin.

And by now you know that you just can’t throw any ingredient on your skin. Those with rosacea often have sensitive skin.

Rule of thumb: avoid exfoliation or resurfacing ingredients

I’m also big believer in the use of natural ingredients.  I highly suggest reading over this natural botanicals for rosacea study before resorting to prescription treatments.  Depending on your severity, prescriptions may be required.

If you want to up the ante a bit from plain old water, here are some of your other options that may be helpful for rosacea symptoms:

Manuka honey

Honey has natural antibacterial properties and is a great choice for those suffering from acne. Honey also speeds the skin’s natural healing process & keeps skin glowing.  A manuka honey has even stronger anti bacterial and sometimes even considered medical grade.  This medical grade kanuka honey pilot study was tested on patients with rosasea and found an 34% improvement vs 17% of the control group.

Related: I love this kaolin clay and manuka honey mask recipe.

Turmeric

This is an ingredient I’m very familiar with from our bentonite and turmeric clay mask. Turmeric, containing curcumin, is highly anti inflammatory, which explains why it would be a useful ingredient for those with rosacea.  Both internal and external because rosacea is highly linked to internal causes.

Green Tea

The king of antioxidants rich teas, green tea is packed with EGCG’s making it popular for both internal and topical applications.  I have recipes for green tea face mask with french green clay and matcha bentonite recipe.

Lavender & Essential Oils (with a carrier oil)

Lavender is known to have calming and relaxing properties just by inhaling it. Used topically it reduces skin infection caused by bacteria, as well as balance any over secretion of sebum that keeps skin moisturized.  As with any essential oil, always dilute with a carrier oil and never apply direct to your skin.  This personal case study, found that lavender, carrot seed oil, german chamomille, rose otto, and a handful of other oils were effective for her rosacea, along with other lifestyle changes.

Clay masks have been such a blessing on my skincare journey and I truly hope they can help you on yours.  If you are one of the many people suffering from rosacea issues, I would love to know if clay masks helped with your rosacea. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: Our content does not constitute a dermatologist or medical advice.  Clay is recommended for use as cosmetic purposes and not intended to treat a diagnosed disease, such as rosacea.  The content of this article recommends clay as a cleansing method.