As I get older, a few things have happened when it comes to my beauty routine. My product junky-ism gets worse and I increasingly rely on all natural, affordable remedies. A few years ago, a friend introduced me to Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay. She loved it. Couldn’t stop talking about it. Wouldn’t stop talking about it. So I finally bought a jar from Whole Foods for about $6 or $7.

It was the best beauty decision I ever made.

My main skin concerns have been combating oil and breakouts, so I was really excited to try the Aztec Indian Healing Clay. It’s 100 percent bentonite clay, which is known to help rid the body of toxins. The jar claims to be the “world’s most powerful facial” and provide a deep pore cleaning. Well, I don’t know about the world’s best part, but it’s the best I’ve ever had.

When mixed with water or apple cider vinegar {I prefer ACV, particularly Bragg’s}, it forms a pudding-like consistency. I slater a heavy layer on for about 30 minutes and let the mask work its magic. A funny thing happens after a few minutes and the jar warns you about this. Your face starts to pulsate. Well, they describe it as pulsating, and that’s kinda how it feels, but your face is really just tightening. As the mask dries, it removes impurities and all the gunky, bad stuff from your skin.

When it’s time to rinse the mask off with warm water, you’ll be left with a face that feels clean and refreshed. You might experience slight redness, but that disappears quickly. I always moisturize well after such an intense mask {I’m partial to Clarins Multi-Active Night Youth Recovery Cream}.

The cost for a jar varies depending on where you buy it {Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe, Walgreens, etc.}, but I’ve never seen it cost more than $9. And what I really love is that a single jar lasts months. No exaggeration, you can use this stuff weekly and it will still last an eternity.

Of course there are other brands of bentonite clay masks you can use, I just prefer the Aztec Secret Indian Mask. It’s also great for baths, foot soaks, insect bites and even hair masks.