Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask: Holy Grail or Nay?

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask claims to be the “World’s Most Powerful Facial” and this is a review if this product indeed lived up to its "moniker' or not (Well at least talking about it based on my experience. Results may still vary among users.).

Before buying this product, my expectation is it will solve my skin problems because of its "claim to fame" and its hype in my country. This product has been available for several years in the Philippines but it was only this year or last year when it became a hyped beauty product (People really lined up to get a hold of this product in Healthy Options store).

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What is Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask?

According to its label, it is made out of 100% Natural Calcium Bentonite Clay which provides deep pore cleansing and removes impurities and dirt from the pores!

Being also dubbed as a "cult favorite", this product became the most reviewed beauty product on Amazon.com with customers giving it a rating of 5 out 5 stars!

Calcium Bentonite Clay is a common ingredient in clay masks because of its ability to absorb toxins.

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How To Use:

Mix Clay with equal parts of raw apple cider vinegar and/ or water. Use a non- metal bowl and utensil. Stir the mixture well to a smooth paste. Add more Clay or liquid as needed. Apply 1/8 in. to 1/4 in. to the face or other area. Let it dry for 5- 10 min. for delicate skin and 15- 20 min. for normal skin. Remove clay by washing with warm water.

For me, I usually use 1 tablespoon of the powder and makes a paste in accordance to the consistency that I want, just enough for it to be applied evenly on my face.

After applying on my face, I normally leave it for about 20 minutes minimum because I like the pulsating effect. You will feel in about 10 minutes that the clay is starting to dry and the pulsating effect kicks in. Time may vary in accordance to the thickness of the mask you put in your face. Do not be alarmed once you feel the pulsating effect in your skin as it is really the effect of the clay mask once it starts to dry. If it becomes painful, you may just leave it for 5-10 minutes to reduce redness and pain. After washing with warm water, you may notice redness in your face as an effect of the tightening of the mask in your face. Because of this, I advise using this product before bedtime and not when you're about to go out.

Good thing about this product is that since it is in powder form, you nay mix it with other products to provide better effects for your skin(depending on your skin condition/needs). For me, I usually mix it with a few drops of The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil since my skin is acne prone. Also, since I don't like (actually hate) vinegar (apple cider vinegar) particularly its smell, I just use water to mix with the powder to make the clay.

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Verdict: Holy Grail or Nay?

* photo below of my bare skin after using the product.

Well, I have to start with the things I like/ love about the product.

- Lives up to the promise of "deep pore cleansing". Clean pores FTW!!!

- I like the immediate effect after washing off the mask that my skin feels it tightened. Been using it weekly for this effect.

- It helps dry pimples. My skin also feels clean after using this mask.

- Can be customized and mixed with other products.

Things that I didn't really like about this product.

- The effort in preparing this clay mask (for those lazy gals out there like me) takes up quite some time. There are other ready to use products which does the same job.

- May cause redness and irritation to some (if not done right).

I will not say that this is a miracle product nor a holy grail because I do not see a grand or magical effect of this product on my skin. I will not also say that this is the "Most Powerful Facial In the World" as it claims to be. I have been using this product for about 5 months now on a weekly basis, and I can say that the biggest help that it gave me so far is that it dries out my pimples (as I mentioned, my skin is acne prone) faster and I feel like my pores are really clean after using the product. More than that, I don't feel other significant effect it gives to make my skin look better. But then again, this may vary among users.

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Where to Buy?

If you are interested on buying this product, I got mine at Healthy Options store ranging from 500php to 550php (since I no longer have the receipt nor clear memory of the price). This is also available in Beauty Manila (https://beautymnl.com/), Watsons stores and Shopee.ph (just be vigilant on fake products). In the Philippines, this product is available in my friend's online shop. Please visit Odds + Ends Manila in Facebook. You may also Google other physical and online stores which sells this product.