Cold Buster Clay Mask

I know I reviewed one of Bee Sweet 2 Me’s products just last time—I swear I’ll review other things, too, but this one is different. I promise I'll do a book review or something next. I'm not a corporate shill; I just like free things, and she gave me free things!

But you see, Krista went out of her way to make my mom a clay mask to help ease her flu pneumonia symptoms when I mentioned that she wasn't feeling well, and then I came down with something. Of course I did. I can't escape the germs when my mom doesn't cover her dang mouth when she coughs!

Anyway … so I figured, I'd try the mask, too. I'll give my mom's review at the bottom, o'course, but here's my experience.

*whistles* That's a LOT of clay!

It's made with peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, and camu camu berry powder. And also clay, but I have no idea what kind of clay, and I'll ask next time I talk to Krista so y'all can know, too. **Update: Bentonite clay!

Now, we all know peppermint is awesome because it helps with sinus problems, and headaches, and also it's just a great refreshing, cooling scent. And eucalyptus is likewise good for coughs and cold symptoms, and also circulation problems, but I'm not gonna lie: I can't recall ever hearing about a camu camu berry before. So … research!

It's a South American berry that's got antioxidant properties, and it's like an uber-dose of vitamin C. There's other stuff in it, too, but for the sake of a cold … vitamin C.

Also, you should talk to a doctor if you're on chemotherapy before taking anything camu camu berry-filled. That's a good thing to know.

Bee Sweet 2 Me's clay mask smells yummy—it's all that peppermint and eucalyptus that makes it smell so good. But it goes on thin. I'd been warned about that, but it really was thin. Also, cold. It’s the peppermint, mostly. I mean, clay's cold anyway, but when you have oil that's known for making things feel cool in it … whoo! I put it on my face and neck, since neck-skin is thinner and makes it easier to absorb all those oils and the good things that come from them.

Gotta stir it, by the way—those oils all come right up to the surface and while you could just slather your skin in oils, that's not exactly the best way to go about it. Carriers, people!

I left it on for about half an hour—I'd put on a thin-ish coat because I wasn't sure how thick I'd need to lay it on, so I went thin. It's definitely still there, though; as it dries I could feel it tightening, and it helped clear my sinuses really well. But sneezing with it on is really weird, haha. It's like your face won't cooperate, so I ended up sneezing all gross and like, spitty-open-mouthed because my face muscles wouldn't cooperate to make it a slightly less disgusting sneeze.

It dried quickly, and I left it on as long as I felt I could without feeling weird. Washed it off, which is about as difficult as any other clay mask out there, but I still feel cool and tingly. I’m not sure if I feel better for it or if I just feel better because I’m cooler and cooler means I don't feel hot and feverish, but it did something that makes me feel good in some way!

My mom's review … was less comprehensive. She doesn't much like clay or anything, so I had to cajole her: "Mom, she made it just because you're sick!" So she tried it. It basically came down to her liking it, but … she doesn't like clay. Or peppermint. Heh. But she said it definitely made her fever feel less feverish. And that was about the extent of her review. Whether she'll use it again remains to be seen; she is not big on stuff on her face that isn't her heavy foundation makeup stuff.

The clay mask is not yet available on Bee Sweet 2 Me's website; it was created totally on a whim because Krista's awesome like that. But I'm sold on it. Maybe not for use all the time, but when I'm feeling kind of icky, yeah. And if you want it, you should let her know!