j. Cosmet.

Sci.,57, 441-454 (November/December

2006)

A facial mask comprisingDead Sea mud

BASIM ABU-JDAYIL, Department of Chemical and Petroleum

Engineering,
UnitedArab EmiratesUniversity,P.O. Box 17555,
ALAin, UAE, and HAZIM A. MOHAMEED, Department of
Chemical
Engineering,
JordanUnivemityof Scienceand Technology,
P.O.
Box3030, 22110 Irbid,Jordan.

Accepted
for publication
June27, 2006.

Synopsis
Many investigatorshaveprovedthat Dead Seasalt and mud are usefulin treating skin disordersand skin
diseases.Therefore,the blackmud hasbeenextensively usedasa basefor the preparationof soaps,creams,
and unguentsfor skin care.This studyconcerns a facialmaskmademainly of Dead Seamud. The effects
of temperature andshearingconditions
on the rheological behaviorof the facialmaskwereinvestigated.The
mud facialmaskexhibiteda shearthinning behaviorwith a yield stress.It wasfoundthat the apparent
viscosityof the maskhasa strongdependence on the shearrateaswell ason the temperature.The facialmask
exhibiteda maximum yield stressand very shearthinning behaviorat 40øC, which is attributed to the
gelatinizationof the polysaccharide
usedto stabilizethe mud particles.On the other hand, the mud mask
exhibiteda time-independentbehaviorat low temperaturesand shearratesand changedto a thixotropic
behaviorupon increasingboth the temperatureand the shearrate. The shearthinning and thixotropic
behaviors havea significantimportancein the ability of the facialmaskto spreadon the skin:the Dead Sea
mud maskcan breakdown for easyspreading,and the appliedfilm cangain viscosityinstantaneously to
resist running. Moreover,particle sedimentation,which in this casewould negativelyaffect consumer
acceptance of the product,occursslowlydue to high viscosityat rest conditions.

INTRODUCTION

The Dead Searegion is the major spaareain the Middle East for patientswith various
typesof arthritis.The uniqueclimaticconditionsin this areaandbalneologic
therapy--
which is basedprimarily on mud packsand bathing in sulfur bathsand in Dead Sea
water--combineto alleviatethe symptomsof arthritis (1).
The Dead Seahas a salt contentof about 320 g/L, of which potassiumchloride,mag-
nesiumchloride,calciumchloride,and sodiumchloride(with their respectivebromides)
are the major components,comprising98% of the saltson a dry weight basis.Another
mineral-richconstituentof the Dead Seais its "blackmud" (rich in organicsubstances),
alsoknown as "bituminoustar." The therapeuticeffectof processed Dead Seamud is

Addressall correspondence
to BasiraAbu-Jdayil.
441
442 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE

relatedto its high contentof mineralsand its ability to retainheat for many hours,thus
stimulatingbloodcirculationand clearingthe skin of deadepidermalcells(2). It has
beenshownthat Dead Seasalt and mud are usefulin treating skin disordersand skin
diseasessuchas psoriasis(3), seborrheicdermatitis,xerosis,artopicdermatitis, stageI
skin burns,and sensitiveskin (4). In addition, black mud hasbeenextensivelyusedas
a basefor the preparationof soaps,creams,and unguentsfor skin care.The manufac-
turersof thoseproductsclaim that the mud hasmajor effectson revitalizingand toning
the skin.DeadSeamud deepcleanses; it removesimpuritiesby deepwashingof the skin.
It penetratesporesto absorbaccumulateddirt, makeupresidue,and excessfatty secre-
tions like hardened sebum.

The demand for Dead Sea (DS) cosmeticsis increasing.Dead Sea cosmeticsinclude
shampoos, creams,lotions,masks. .. etc. They haveDead Seasalt and/ormud in their
formulas.Consumeracceptance of Dead Seacosmeticsdependson the stability of the
productsand their ability to spreadon the skin, which is directly related to flow
behavior.Semisolidsystems areusedwidelyin the formulationof topicalpharmaceutical
and cosmeticpreparations.Rheologicalpropertiesof semisolidsare highly important
physicalparametersin technicalmanufacturing(filling, storage)and in aestheticterms.
The evaluationof semisolidcosmeticstructureand consistency is, therefore,essentialin
order to determine, adjust, and perhapspredict the performanceof newly designed
products(5). The rheologicalpropertiesof a semisolidsystemsignificantlydetermineits
quality, usefulness,and purpose.Therefore,rheologyhasalwaysplayedand will play a
role in the preparation,development,and manufactureof any formulation. For that
matter,rheologicaldeterminations areindispensable in the analysisof its properties.The
importanceof rheologicalpropertiesin semisolidpharmaceuticaland cosmeticformsis
such that theologicaland thixotropic studieshave becomecrucial tools from both
pharmacotechnical and galenicpoints of view. In a similar way, rheologycan elucidate
the possiblemodificationsof the system,expressed as a functionof time and tempera-
ture, from the variationin the hysteresisloopsof the apparentviscosity(areaunder the
curve)(6). Thus,pharmacotechnical teststhat includethe determinationof organoleptic
properties,pH, sign,and macroscopic and microscopic examinationallow us to evaluate
the evolutionof the propertiesof the formulationsmentioned,accordingto the time,
temperature,and gravity. As a rule, the rheologicalstudy and, more precisely,the
evaluationof thixotropicproperties,allow us to obtaina correctpictureof the physical
propertiesand structuralstability of semisolidsystems(7,8).
This study aimed to use theologicalmeasurements
in the evaluationof a commercial
facial mask samplemade mainly of Dead Seamud.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

MATERIALS

The facialmasksamplesweresuppliedby Ammonfor Dead SeaSaltsandSoapProducts

(Amman,Jordan).The components of the maskusedwereDeadSeamud (solids)67.0
wt%, glycerin7.0 wt%, and stabilizer(with a tradenameofpolysaccharide) 1.0-1.5%.
The remainderwasdeionizedwater. The chemicalidentity of Dead Seamud is natural
sediment.It is a mixture of solidmineralclayswith an interstitial solutionof inorganic
 FACIAL MASK OF DEAD SEA MUD 443

saltsand sulfidecompounds originatedfrom microbiological

activity (4). The particle
sizedistributionof the mud solidsis 86-98% <5 pm; 2-9%: 5-20 pm; and 0-7% >
20 pm.
The stabilizer"polysaccharide" is a modified starchcontainingglucoseas the sole
monomerwith a molecularmassof 5 to 6 million daltons.It is obtainedby fermentation
of Sc/erotium
ro/•/3iion a glucose-enriched
medium. The fermentationmedium is filtered.
After beingwashedwith alcohol,the productis againdissolved,filtered,and dried. The
type of linkagesfoundin the moleculegivesit a high stability;polysaccharide aqueous
solutionsshowthereforea good resistanceto aging and most enzymaticdegradations.
Polysaccharide displayeda good ability to stabilize the mud suspension due to its
capacityto increasein a significantand stableway the viscosityof the medium. Poly-
saccharide canbe usedin suspensions at a recommended dosagelevel of 1.0-1.5 wt%.

RHEOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS

The rheologicalpropertiesof facial mud were measuredwith a concentric-cylinder

Haake-VT 500 viscometer,which hasan inner cylinder rotating in a stationaryouter
cylinder.Three differentmeasuringsystemswere used:MV2, MV3, and SV1. MV2 and
MV3 usedthe samecup,with a radiusof 21.0 mm, anddifferentbobs,with radiiof 18.4
and 15.2 ram, respectively.On the otherhand,the cupradiusof the SV1 systemis 11.55
mm, while its bobradiusis 10.1 min. Sampleswereallowedto relax(morethan 10 min)
prior to measurement of their viscosity.It shouldbe pointedout that the viscometer
operatedin the rangewhere the laminar flow is dominant. The viscometerwas ther-
mostaticallycontrolledwith a water circulator(Haake D8) at the desiredtemperature
with a precisionof + 0.1øC.

METHODOLOGY

The experimentsperformedto characterizethe shear-,time- and temperaturedepen-

dencyof the flow behaviorof Dead Seamud consistedof a seriesof two measurements:
Apparentviscosity
versusshearrate.A freshsamplewasloadedinto the annulargap of the
concentric-cylinderviscometer.Sampleswere left to reachthe desiredtemperature.The
apparentviscosities
of facialmud weremeasured in the temperaturerangebetween5.0ø
and60.0øC by continuousincreasing(forwardmeasurements) andcontinuousdecreasing
(backwardmeasurements) of the shearrate. The valuesof the shearrate and apparent
-I
viscosity
wererecorded every30 sec.The shearratewasvariedfrom 2.200 to 159.80 s
The flow curvesof the facialmud wasmodeledusingthe Herschel-Bulkley(H-B) model:
(1)
whereß is the shearstress,'ro is the yield stress,m is the consistency
coefficient,and n
is the flow behaviorindex. Typically, the Herschel-Bulkleymodel is usedfor many
materials,asthe NewtonJan,shearthinning, shearthickeningand Binghamplasticmay
be considered as specialcases.
Apparentviscosity
measurements
as a f•nction of time at constant
shearrate.In transient
measurements,a freshsamplewasshearedat constantshearrates,namelyat 2.20, 10.21,
28.38,47.43,79.02and/or131.90s-•, andtheapparent
viscosity
wasmeasured
asa
444 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE

functionof shearingtime until an equilibrium statewas reached.Most of the samples

reachedthe equilibrium statein 30 min. The procedurewasthen repeatedwith other
freshsamplesat othershearratesandtemperatures. The time-dependentflow properties
couldbe modeledby applyingthe structuralkinetic (SK) model,which is adoptedby
usingthe analogywith chemicalreactions.The final form of the model (9) is:

= + (2)
whereqqois the initial apparentviscosityat t = 0 (structuredstate),qFl•is the equilibrium
apparentviscosityas t --> oo(equilibrium state),t is the shearingtime, k -- k (•/) is the
rate constant of structure breakdown, and o• is the order of the structure breakdown
reaction.Details and assumptions
of this model are reportedby Abu-Jdayil (9).
Rheologicalexperimentswerecarriedout in triplicate,and the reproducibilitywas + 5%
on average.The averagevalueswere usedfor analysis.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

FLOW CURVES

It shouldbe pointed out that no surfaceslip was observedin the viscometersystems

used.Figure 1 showsthe flow curvesof the facialmaskmeasured with differentsystems,
which havedifferentgap widths. It is clearthat the shearstressvalues(which represent
alsothe apparentviscosityvalues)of the mud maskare independentof the measuring

250

• Facial
Mask•
T=25øC
•
I .wI v
200
i • [--I
V
MV2[
svu
......................................................
ß...............
:......................
•7

150 ......................................................................................................................

.......... ........................................................
!.............................................
,

50- I ...................... ,
5 .............................................. i
• ...............................................
,

I I I • I I
0 40 B0 120 160 200

• {1/$)
Figure 1. Flow curvesof the facialmaskmeasuredwith differentmeasuringsystems.
 FACIAL MASK OF DEAD SEA MUD 445

Facial Mask : ':

:

J A T=lSøC ---, ..... ,............................... :

:......... :...... • .... • ...............

--

6--

,,
........................................ : ..............................................................................

• ,,
,,
,

,,
,,

.... I
2
I i I i III
4 6 8
i
2
I 4
I I I is[
6 8
i 10 100

• (x/s)
Figure 2. Flow curvesof the facial mask fitted to the Herschel-Bulkleymodel.

system.Sincethe slip conditionsencountered in a viscometerare a functionof the gap

width, the data pointspresentedin Figure 1 showthat the slip conditionsin our system
are not clear.

On the otherhand, the shearstress-shear rate curvesof the facialmaskshownin Figure

1 indicatea shear-thinningflow with yield stresses. Figure 2 showsthe flow curvesof
the mud maskat differenttemperatures, fitted to the Herschel-Bulkleymodel(equation
1). The regressed valuesof 7o, m, and n for the forwardmeasurements arepresentedin
Table I. It is clear that the parametersof the H-B model are temperature-dependent,

Table I
RegressedParametersof the Herschel-BulkleyModel

Temperature(øC) •ro (Pa) m (Pa s") n

5 40.0 11.30 0.63
10 38.0 10.43 0.62
15 35.0 9.96 0.62
20 29.5 9.17 0.62
25 30.6 14.66 0.49
30 40.7 21.92 0.38
35 60.0 25.16 0.32
40 70.0 30.34 0.22
45 67.0 29.58 0.18
50 56.1 8.34 0.42
55 54.5 7.20 0.45
60 52.3 5.53 0.45
446 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE

which is a reflectionof the dependence

of the apparentviscosityof the mud maskon
temperature.This aspectwill be addressed later.
The parametersshownin Table I indicatethat the facial mask exhibitedtwo major
rheologicalproperties:a yield stressand a shear-thinningbehaviorat stressesabovethe
yield stress,wherethe ,-valuesat differenttemperatures arelessthanunity. It hasbeen
found that cohesivesediments,suchas concentratedclay water suspension or aqueous
clays/grainsmixtures,showthe samerheologicalbehavior(10,11).
The yield stress,which is the minimum stressrequiredto start flow, originatesin a
percolatingnetworkof stronginteractionsof colloidalforces(van der Waals, double-
layer,etc) or directcontactforces(frictionand collision)betweenthe smallparticlesof
the Dead Seamud (12). This network was brokenduring flow. The yield stressis an
importantmaterialpropertyin variousaspectsinvolvedin the transportand the end use
of the mask. To guaranteethat quality is not impaired during transport,a high-yield
stressis required.On the other hand, a high-yield stressrequireshigh pumping pres-
suresand makesdifficultiesin the end useof the mask.Thus for a given mud mask,an
optimum yield stressis alwaysdesirable,and this may be achievedsimply by adjusting
the solids concentration (13).

Moreover,the fact that , is lessthan unity indicatesthat the mud facial mask is a
shear-thinningmaterial, regardlessof temperature.This meansthat the apparentvis-
cosityof the facialmaskdecreases with increasingthe shearrate. The weak bondings
betweenthe particlesof mud explainthe strengthdrop observedwhen the shearrate
increases.When thesebondsare destroyedunder an increaseof the tangentialstresses,
the structure breaks down and the water earlier contained in the network becomes
availableto the flow. The amount of free water increases in the slurry and both the
viscosityand the shearstresstemporarilydecrease (14). It shouldbe pointedout here
that the presenceof waterbetweenthe particlesincreasesthe slip conditionsbetweenthe
particles,which resultsin easeof flow.
In addition,the shearthinning oftenevidentin mineralsuspensions is attributedto the
alignmentof particlesor riocs.An increasein the shearrate from rest resultsin the
alignmentof particlesin the directionof shear,andthereforeprovidesa lowerresistance
to flow (15).

TEMPERATURE EFFECT

The dependence of the rheologicalbehaviorof the stabilizer"polysaccharide" on tem-

peraturewasfirst investigated.As can be seenin Figure 3, at relativelylow shearrates
(below300s-1),theapparent
viscosity
of thestabilizer
increases
withtemperature.
On
heating the starchin excesswater, the branched-chain,water-imbibingpolymer of
glucose(the monomerof the polysaccharide) melts, and the granulesswell in a process
knownasgelatinization.The degreeof structuralgelatinizationof starchdependsupon
the heatingprocess and the type of starchutilized (16). However,by increasingthe
temperatureof the starchsystem,the degreeof gelatinizationincreases,
whichresultsin
an increasein the apparentviscosity.The high viscosityof the polysaccharide and the
formationof the gel structurelead to stabilizationof the suspensionof the Dead Sea
mud.
 FACIAL MASK OF DEAD SEA MUD 447

0.100
•olysaccharids
solution
%
I wtø/o

I T: 5øC
A T = 15 øC

2 m I T: 25øC
ß [] • T:35o½
0.010 -- i
..................._i......................................................
..... c_
.....
8 --

6 --
i
I
4 i I
I

ø
2 i

0.001 I
2
I I II
4 6
I
2
I I iiiii i
4 6 8
I
2
I I I IIII
4 6 8
10 100 1000 10000

Figure 3. Temperaturedependence
of the theologicalbehaviorof polysaccharide.

On theotherhand,Figure3 shows
thatat highshear
rates(above
300s-•) theapparent
viscosityof the polysaccharide
decreases with temperature,which meansthat the gel
structureis destroyed
underthe effectof high shearing.The high temperaturesoftensthe
granulesof the polysaccharide,
and the stressesimposedon them are large enoughfor
deformationand flow, which in turn resultsin the decrease in viscositywith tempera-
ture.

The effect of temperatureon the rheologicalbehaviorof the Dead Seafacial mask is

shownin Figures4-6. The investigated facialmaskdemonstratesan unexpected
behav-
ior with temperature.This behaviorcanbe dividedinto threestages.In the first stage,
which coversthe temperaturerangeof 5øC to 20øC, the apparentviscosityof mud
behaves like the normalliquid, i.e., the apparentviscositydecreases
asthe temperature
increases (seeFigure 4).
However,an interestingbehaviorhasbeenobservedin the secondstage,which covers
the temperaturerangeof 20øCto 40øC.As shownin Figure5, the apparentviscosityof
the facialmaskincreaseswith temperature.
Above40øC,the mud maskbehaves typi-
cally in that the apparentviscositydecreases
with temperature.This stage is demon-
stratedin Figure 6.
It seemsthat the presence
of the stabilizer"polysaccharide"
is responsible
for the unusual
behaviorof the secondstage.It shouldbe statedhere,that the rheologicalmeasurements
on the facialmaskwerecarriedout in the low regionof shearrate(below200 s-1)
(compareFigures4-6). In this shear-rate
region,it hasbeenshownthat the polysac-
charideviscosityincreases
with temperature(seeFigure 3). This explainsthe atypical
behaviorof the facialmaskwith temperaturein the secondstage.It can be concluded
448 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE

lOO

4 6 8 2 4 6 8
1 10 100

• (1/s)
Figure 4. Effectof temperature
on the apparent
viscosity
of the facialmask(5ø-20øC).

lOO

lO

Figure 5. Effbctof temperatureon the apparentviscosityof the facialmask(20ø•40øC).

 FACIAL MASK OF DEAD SEA MUD 449

lOO
Facial Hask
--
- i• © T: 40øC
-

- •:: •[ T:45øC
- :• •j 0 T:50oC
• T:60øC

-
-

...............................................................................
.......

2 4 6 8 2 4 6
1 lO lOO

Figure 6. Effectof temperatureon the apparentviscosityof the facialmask(40ø-60øC).

here that this type of starchwas modified to start gelatinizationat a low temperature,
comparedto natural starches.For example, the initial gelatinization temperature of
wheatstarchin water wasfoundto be in the rangeof 55ø to 66øC and for cornstarch
in waterwasfoundto be in the rangeof 65ø to 76øC (17). This givesan advantagefor
the suspensions utilizing this polysaccharide:
the systemwill be highly stableat room
temperature.

As the theologicalparametersare concerned,the resultsof Table I demonstratethat the

facial mask mud yield stressis stronglydependenton temperature.The valuesof the
yield stressreflect the behaviorof the apparentviscositywith temperature.The three
stagesof temperatureeffecton the yield stresscan be distinguishedeasilyin Table I.
On the otherhand,the shear-thinning behavior,whichcanbe assessed by inspectingthe
valuesof the flow index, n, is the most pronouncedat the end of the secondstageand
at the beginningof third stage(40ø-45øC).

SHEARING TIME EFFECT

As mentionedabove,the apparentviscosityof the facialmaskwasmeasuredby increas-

ing (forwardmeasurement) and decreasing(backwardmeasurement)the shearrate in
orderto test the presenceof a time-dependentbehavior.The flow curves(•rversus4/) of
the mud maskat differenttemperaturesareshownin Figure7. Therearehysteresis loops
between the forward and backwardcurves,indicating a time-dependenttheological
450 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE

Facial
Mask
Forward
measurement
/
Back-ward
measurement)
T: 5 øC

100 •
8 --

6 --

4 •

2 4 6 8 2 4 6 8
1 10 100

Figure 7. Temperatureeffecton the hysteresis

loopsof the flow curvesof the facialmask.

behavior.As shownin Figure7, at low temperatures the directionof the hysteresis

loops
is counterclockwise,indicatingan anti-thixotropicbehavior,which meansthat thereis
an increasein the mud viscositywith shearingtinhe.In someconditions,the right kind
of attractionbetweenparticlesof mud is given;shearingcan then promotetemporary
aggregationratherthanbreakdown,dueto the collisionof theseattractiveparticles.This
resultsin anti-thixotropy(18). Like othersimilarsuspensions, thereis a rangeof flow
conditions under which shear-enhanced collisions make structure rather than break it
(18). However,this anti-thixotropicbehavioris relativelysmall(accordingto the sizeof
the hysteresisloop) and disappearsgradually with increasingtemperature.
Above 25øC, the facial mask showshysteresisloopswith a clockwisedirection,indi-
cating a thixotropic behavior.The size of the hysteresisloopsbecomeswider as the
temperatureincreases from 25ø to 60øC (seeFigure 7).
It shouldbe pointedout that the shear-thinningand thixotropicbehaviorshaveindus-
trial and commercialsignificance.For example,sincethe viscositydecreases with shear
rate and shearingtime during the mixing process,this will lead to lesspowerconsump-
tion. Moreover,particle sedimentation,which in this casewould negativelyaffectthe
consumeracceptance of the product,will occurslowlydue to high viscosityat rest
conditions.On the other hand, the shear-thinningand thixotropic behaviorshave a
significantimportancein the ability of the facialmaskto spreadon the skin,wherethe
Dead Seamud maskcanbreakdownfor easyspreading and the appliedfilm cangain
viscosityinstantaneouslyto resist running. Newtonian materials do not behavein this
way, becausewhenspreadon the skin they run veryquickly,reducingthe thicknessof
the requiredfilm.
 FACIAL MASK OF DEAD SEA MUD 451

In order to evaluatethe effectof shearingtime on the rheologicalbehaviorof the mud

mask,the viscosity-shear raterelationshipwasdeterminedat differenttimesof shearing.
Dead Seamud mask sampleswere shearedat differentvaluesof constantshearingrate
and at differenttemperatures for 40 min. At 5øC the mud mask samplesexhibit a
time-independentbehaviorat low shearrate and a weak thixotropicbehaviorat high
shearrate(seeFigure8). The weakbondingbetweenparticlescouldexplainthe strength
drop observedwhen the temperatureand shearrate increase.However, the rate and
extent of viscositydecaydependon both the applied shearrate and the temperature.
Typical thixotropicbehaviorobtainedat differentshearratesfor the Dead Seamud mask
at 45øC is shownin Figure 9.
The observedtime-dependentflow behaviorof the mud maskwas modeledusing the
structuralkineticsapproach(9). This modelpostulates that the changein the rheological
propertiesis associated
with shear-inducedbreakdownof the internal fluid structurein
the Dead Sea mud. Using the analogywith chemicalreactions,the final form of the
structuralbreakdownprocesscan be expressedas in equation 2. For all mud mask
samplesinvestigated,it was found that their apparentviscositydata at constantshear
ratescouldbe correlatedwith equation2, using o• -- 2, i.e., with a 2nd order irreversible
kinetic model.A goodcomparisonbetweenthe modelfitted results(solidlines)and the
experimentalapparentviscosity/timedata for the mud mask can be seenin Figures8
and 9.

The rate constant,k, is a measureof the rate of thixotropicbreakdown.Meanwhile the

ratio of the initial to equilibrium viscosity,qqo/q%, can be consideredas a relative
measureof the amount of structural breakdown, or in other words as a relative measure

lOO

I=,½i,I
M,$k "•].............................
::
.............................
'i- q- 2.20 1/s
k .............................
::
.............................
'71
• 47.43
1/•
,

2 i

............................. 4............................. :............................. • ............................

••• ............• .............

i .............
• ............_i.............
• .............
_•>••
. • • .......
,,_....................
•k
::.......
- >!< ....... X- ......... • ........... X ...........

I I I I
5 15 25 35
0 10 20 30
Shearingtime (min)
Figure 8. Dependence
of the facialmask'sapparentviscosityon shearingtime at 5øC.
452 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE

lOO

...........................
!
.............................
[• S-K
/__i__
modemi
/ 28381s
,-----' _• .............
:..............
?•---S-Kmodel)___!._.
. /
' " 131.9
1/s

5 15 25 35
o lO 2o 3o 4O

Shearingtime (rain)
Figure 9. Dependenceof the facialmask'sapparentviscosityon shearingtime at 45øC.

of the extentof thixotropy.The valuesof k andXlo/Xl•asa functionof the appliedshear

rate and the temperatureare reportedin Table II. As one expectedfor a thixotropic
structuredmaterial, k generally increaseswith increasingshearrate and temperature.
Thixotropy is the result of structuralbreakdownunder shearand manifestsitself as a
decreasein the apparent viscositywith time. As time of shear elapses,the rate of
breakdown will decrease,as a fewer structural bonds are available for breakdown. Struc-
tural reformationmay take placeand the rate of this processwill increasewith time of
sheardue to the increasingnumberof bondingsitesavailable(15). Table II showsalso
that the amountof structuralbreakdown(Xlo/Xl•)increases alsowith temperatureand
shear rate.

CONCLUSIONS

The temperatureand shearingconditionsdependencyof the apparentviscositywere

investigatedfor a facial mask made mainly of Dead Sea mud. The mud facial mask
behavedlike a shear-thinningmaterial with a yield stressand generallyexhibited a
thixotropicbehaviorin the temperaturerange of 5ø to 60øC. This behaviorhas a
practicalsignificancethat decelerates particlesedimentationdue to high viscosityat rest
conditions.In addition, the shear-thinningand thixotropicbehaviorshavea significant
importancein the ability of the facialmaskto spreadon the skinwith a controllablefilm
thickness.The Herschel-Bulkleymodel fitted well the flow curvesof the mud facial
mask.The effectof temperatureon the facialmask'sapparentviscositywasdividedinto
three stages.In the first stage, 5ø-20øC, the viscositydecreased,as expected,with
 FACIAL MASK OF DEAD SEA MUD 453

Table II
Degreeand Extent of Thixotropy of Dead SeaMud Mask, Evaluatedat Different ShearRates
and Temperatures

T]o
Temperature
(øC) 'y' (s •) k x 103 (rain-•) 'qo/qq•, (Pas)
5 2.20 0.0 1.00 24.4
10.21 47 1.05 12.7
28.38 121 1.16 6.2
47.43 190 1.23 4.5
15 2.20 28 1.03 22.3
10.21 79 1.05 10.6
28.38 125 1.17 5.2
47.43 361 1.28 2.7
25 2.20 39 1.08 23.5
10.21 139 1.13 10.1
28.38 209 1.20 4.9
47.43 404 1.35 2.8
35 2.20 82 1.34 41.4
10.21 270 1.43 12.2
28.38 280 1.50 5.5
79.02 489 1.51 3.8
45 2.20 150 1.90 47.8
10.21 328 1.93 12.9
28.38 555 1.97 5.2
131.90 618 2.76 2.7

temperature.But increasingthe temperaturefrom 20ø to 45øC led to an increasein

viscosity.This behaviorwasattributedto the gelatinizationof the stabilizer.In the third
stage,45ø-60øC, the mud maskregainednormalbehaviorand its viscositydecreased
with temperature.As far asthe effectof steadyshearingon the flow propertiesof a Dead
Sea mud mask is concerned,the secondorder structural kinetic model describedits
thixotropicbehaviorwell. The rate of structuralbreakdownincreasedwith both shear
rate and temperature.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authorsare grateful to Dr. HussamEI-Haffar and Mrs. Aida Frehatt from Aremort
Co. for their kind cooperation
and supplyof materials.

REFERENCES

(1) K. Sukenik,Balneotherapy
for rheumaticdiseases
at the Dead Seaarea,lsr.J. Med. Sci.32, S16-S19
(1996).
(2) M. Hagit, O. Esith, and W. Ronni, Balneotherapy
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