The Body Shop Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask

I bought this just after Christmas because my skin was getting pretty bad from eating one too many Christmas dinners (I think I had three in total). This claims to draw out impurities and control excess oil, so it was exactly what I needed to get my skin back to normal. This retails for £12 in the UK. 

The Packaging

This comes in a little plastic pot, with attractive and clean looking labels. The pot contains quite a lot of product considering you only need to use a thin layer, so I imagine this will last a long time. In spite of liking the appearance of the packaging, I wish it was in a squeeze tube, so I wouldn't have to close the pot with my clay covered hands after I'm done.

The Product

The mask itself is normal consistency for a clay mask, and it has a pleasant, fresh smell. It dries quite quickly, and within 10 minutes, you'll be able to wash it off. I've noticed that the clay looks darker on the parts where there are clogged pores and spots; I'm not sure what this means, but it looks like it's working. When you wash it off, you can see that the dirt inside your pores has risen to the top, so is now much easier to wash away with an exfoliator. I've also noticed that my T-Zone is much less oily in general.

One problem that I have with this is that it makes my skin feel really sore after, and the areas where I had applied the mask look red and blotchy. This doesn't last for ages, and will have disappeared within half an hour, but it makes exfoliating afterwards really unpleasant. I've never really used clay masks before, is this normal?

The Verdict

It's a little bit pricey, but The Body Shop always have offers on, so no harm done. It does work, but I don't know if I will repurchase it as it makes my skin so sore. Can anyone suggest a more gentle clay mask? Let me know in the comments!