Perfect skin with Rugen Healing Chalk
A few years ago, my sister went on vacation on the island Rügen, Germany. She brought me a little bag with a white, dusty powder as a souvenir. The little bag sat untouched in the cupboard for a few months because I had no clue what to do with it. When tidying up, I found it again: it was the finest Rügen healing chalk. I googled how to use Rügen healing chalk correctly and tried it out. I was thrilled with the effects! Since that day, Rügen healing chalk became integral part of my skincare routine. Thanks to Rügener Heilkreide, I have my hormonal acne under control and generally much nicer and firmer skin. I also use the healing chalk to treat my chronic joint pain.
What is Rügen healing chalk and where does it come from?
The island of Rügen is the largest and highest populated island in Germany. It lies off the Baltic coast of Western Pomerania and belongs to the district of Vorpommern-Rügen in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Together with the Danish island of Møn on the opposite side of the Baltic Sea to Rügen, Rügen was once part of a larger plateau of chalky limestone, of which the famous cliffs of Rügen chalk still bear witness as relics. The formation of the island Rügen dates back to the Upper Cretaceous, around 70 to 100 million years ago, during the lifetime of the dinosaurs. The remains of the shells of tiny unicellular creatures sank to the seabed and solidified there: the basis for the Rügen healing chalk.
Rügen chalk is the name for a very pure, very fine-grained, white, friable and highly porous limestone of the highest Upper Cretaceous. The chalk is an important tourist and export commodity for Rügen. The beautiful chalk cliffs on the coast attract countless tourists every year. In the wellness sector, around 70% of packages are based on chalk. Chalk is also used in numerous exported wellness products. Because of its great economic importance, it is known as the white gold of Rügen. In addition to the production of paints, tableware, toothpaste, medicines, tiles, rubber, etc., chalk is also used in agriculture, the chemical industry and the cable industry. It is mined mechanically inland.
How does Rügen healing chalk work?
Rügen healing chalk contains precious minerals such as calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and silicon. The healing chalk is particularly gentle on the skin. Thanks to its alkaline pH value of 8 to 9, it has a cleansing, regenerating and exfoliating effect at the same time. Dead skin cells and impurities are removed naturally, while the skin is supplied with important minerals at the same time. Rügen healing chalk promotes healthy blood circulation and stimulates cell regeneration.
I use Rügen healing chalk as a face mask and as a gentle peeling in one. Before I started using the mask regularly, I tended to oily, sallow and pimply skin, which was also dry and flaky in certain areas - despite its oily sheen. As I got older, small wrinkles started to appear. I always hoped that between the pimple phase and the first wrinkles, I would have beautifully clear and smooth skin. Unfortunately, I got both pimples and wrinkles at the same time until I discovered Rügen healing chalk. My skin has improved massively since then: although I still have a few spots from time to time, the oily film on my skin disappeared, flakes and redness are gone, my complexion is even and the first wrinkles have been smoothed out.
The beneficial properties of Rügen healing chalk go far beyond skin care. As chalk baths or chalk packs, it has a relaxing and pain-relieving effect on muscle tension, joint pain and rheumatism. The minerals it contains penetrate deep into the skin and promote blood circulation, relieve tension and alleviate pain.
Whenever my joint inflammations flare up, I treat myself to either a healing chalk pack or a hot bath with Rügen healing chalk. Bathing in Rügen chalk makes the skin beautifully soft. The only disadvantage is that you have to clean the bath afterwards, especially if you add oil.
How do you use Rügen healing chalk?
As face mask and as peeling
I make face masks and peelings from Rügen healing chalk by mixing a teaspoon of healing chalk with a teaspoon of water into a creamy paste and applying it on the skin. Be careful not to use too much water, otherwise the paste will get too liquid. The mixing ratio is 1:1, but I would rather use less liquid. If the paste becomes too dry and crumbly, I add more water dropwise. I use warm water so that it feels more pleasant when applied to the skin.
I let the mask dry completely before removing it. It only takes a few minutes, especially if the mask is applied thinly. If I want to leave the mask on for longer, I spray a little water on my face with a fine sprayer or moisten a soft cloth and place it on my face. Otherwise, the mask becomes crumbly and the chalk trickles off. You can leave the mask on for about 15 minutes, but a shorter application time also achieves good effects.
To remove the mask, I wet my hands with lukewarm water, moisten the mask and gently massage my skin for extra gentle exfoliation before carefully removing it with a wet cloth and rinsing my face with lukewarm water. I then apply either my night or day cream, depending on the time of day. As the healing chalk tends to dry out the skin a little, I usually mix a small drop of castor oil into my face cream for extra moisture after using the healing chalk.
I always use the mask and peeling when my skin is pimply, oily, inflamed or sallow, even daily if necessary! If I have generally nice skin, I always apply the mask on hair-washing days before I hop in the shower. That is about every five to seven days.
I also apply the mask on my lips. As the healing chalk can be used to treat teeth, it does no harm if the chalk gets into the mouth. My lips also benefit from the good properties of healing chalk and are gently exfoliated.
Since I have been using the mask and peeling made from Rügen healing chalk regularly, my skin has improved massively: I have significantly fewer spots, my hormonal acne is much less severe, my pores are much finer, I no longer have an oily film on my skin, wrinkles have smoothed out and my skin looks softer, rosier and more radiant overall.
Ready-made face mask mixtures are available in stores that you can apply directly. However, I personally prefer Rügen healing chalk without additives, which I mix myself.
The mask can be prepared with other ingredients, e.g. if you have dry skin, you can add a little oil to the mask, e.g. jojoba oil or almond oil. I tried adding oil, but it was too greasy for my skin. The mask was also difficult to remove, and I had to rub too hard to get it off. Depending on your skin type, you can also mix the healing chalk with honey or milk. Do an allergy test on the forearm beforehand: Simply apply some of the mixture to the inside of the forearm, leave on for 15 minutes and check whether the area reacts with redness. If not, it should be safe to apply to the face.
If you are in a hurry you can mix the healing chalk with a little more water and apply the mixture like a facial toner. This achieves a similar effect to the face mask.
As treatment for blemishes
The face mask can also be used on inflamed and open pimples, or to specifically treat inflamed areas. Rügen healing chalk has a strong anti-inflammatory effect and promotes wound healing. The same paste - i.e. healing chalk and water in a ratio of 1:1 (or less water) - can simply be spread over a large area on and around the pimple, left to dry and then washed off with water. If you respond well to tea tree oil for treating pimples, mix Rügen healing chalk with tea tree oil and apply this mixture to the pimple.
As a pack for joint pain
Rügen healing chalk is also used successfully for muscle tension and joint pain, rheumatic diseases, strains, bruises or various skin problems. As with the mask, depending on the part of the body, mix a larger amount of healing chalk with warm or cold water to form a smooth paste and apply to the body part to be treated. Cover with a wet cloth and leave for 15 to 30 minutes.
For joint pain, muscle pain or skin problems as a full bath
To benefit from the positive effect of Rügen healing chalk on the whole body, mix approx. 1 kg of healing chalk into the 36° to 38° C warm bath water (approx. 100 l). The bath water can be supplemented with milk (1/4 liter) or various oils (approx. 10 tablespoons), such as olive, almond or jojoba oil. When using oil, add a little milk or cream as an emulsifier. Enjoy the bath for 30 to 45 minutes. Then rest for at least another hour and relax.
Foot bath
Foot baths with Rügen healing chalk ensure soft and relaxed feet. Mix 500 g of healing chalk in 40° C warm water (approx. 5 l) and place your feet in the water for 45 minutes. Then rinse your feet with warm water and wait to apply foot cream. The foot bath can also be supplemented with oil or milk as desired.
Sustainability
Rügen healing chalk has been an integral part of my skincare routine for several years and I have never used any other face mask or scrub ever since. Cloth masks or other masks cause so much unnecessary waste. I always order the healing chalk in bulk packs of 2 or 4 kg. It lasts forever because the chalk doesn't have an expiry date. Once I've used the pack, the only waste is the cardboard box and the paper bag (sometimes, unfortunately, a plastic bag), which brings me closer to my goal of zero waste. Many masks contain microplastics, which can end up in the water (and even our bodies!) when the mask is washed off. Healing chalk in water is completely unproblematic, as it consists of the shell remains of sea creatures. It also does not clog the pipes as it dissolves well in the water and can be easily removed and washed off with water.