People spend loads on mud masks – I just use my garden dirt to keep my skin clear… but everyone’s saying the same thing
A WOMAN has sparked controversy by revealing she shuns expensive mud masks in favour of smearing dirt from her garden onto her face and hair.
The 21-year-old Off Grid Mom has been sharing videos from her unique lifestyle on her social media pages since June 2022.
And one question Lillie’s often asked is how she keeps her skin so clear.
Responding in a video on her TikTok page, she said that she regularly covers her hair, face and body with garden mud.
“The problem with our first world society is that most would get grossed out at me rubbing mud from my backyard on my face and hair, all while raving about the newest $50 (£39) mud mask from their favourite make-up brand,” she wrote over the video.
And she added in the caption: “In case you were wondering how I keep my skin so clear. #selfsustainability #firstworldproblems #consumerism #offgridmomma.”
But people were quick to warn her against the practice, insisting she will end up making herself ill.
“I have ringworm right now from exactly that,” one wrote.
“I was trying to save money and did this one time and got ringworm,” another added.
“Ringworm is your new bestie,” a third commented.
“I use to do this then I got ringworm so…” someone else admitted.
“This is how you get tapeworms, ringworms or e.coli yum!” another warned.
As someone else wrote: “I’d be too scared to get worms”.
Lillie then replied to that comment, writing: “You can get worms from eating meat and sushi.
“If you live in the woods or in the city you should be doing yearly parasite cleanses.”
Others were quick to tell Lillie that there’s a big difference between the mud she’s using and the mud in skincare masks.
“There’s a difference between mud from your garden, natural mud, and processed mud,” one wrote.
Why is it a bad idea to put garden mud on your face and hair?
Despite its name, Ringworm isn’t actually a worm – it’s actually a group of fungi called dermatophytes. The name stems from the ring shape the red spots can form on the skin.
It’s very contagious, and one particular type of ringworm – Microsporum gypseum – is a soil organism and can be picked up by spending time in the garden or near mud.
And even after you get ringworm once, you can still get it again.
Ringworm isn’t the only condition Lillie is subjecting herself to with her homemade mud masks.
Ticks love darkness and moisture, so can often be found in areas of damp dirt.
Wild animals, such as deer, raccoons and even birds can bring ticks into your garden… and given that Lillie gets the mud from her garden, it’s fairly likely there might be a tick or two in there.
As well as being a pain to get rid of, infected ticks can also spread bacterial infection – known as Lyme disease – to humans.
Likewise, tapeworm eggs can be found in soil, if there is animal excrement in the mud.
The best way to get rid of tapeworm from soil is to expose the dirt to frequent sunlight – with many of the parasites and their eggs dying if they are subjected to the heat.
Meanwhile, E.coli can live in soil if it comes from manure or water treated with manure.
The bacteria is particularly likely to survive around the roots of plants, lettuces and radishes.
“That kind of mud is beach mud, not dirt + water mud,” another insisted.
But there were some people in the comments who approved of Lillie’s methods.
“This is so good for gut health/microbiome, the more bacteria the better,” one wrote.
“Perfect clay from the creek but this works too,” another added.
“She is one with the earth,” a third commented.
As someone else wrote: “the comments here r so mean.
“I genuinely think this is a very creative and peaceful way to connect with nature more. i will be trying it someday !!!”