Pumice stones are one of the most common and well-known natural exfoliation products. When you touch and feel a pumice stone you notice is light, filled with holes and actually floats on water. It is commonly used to remove calluses from your feet and as an exfoliant for stubborn hard skin.
Pumice stone is an igneous rock that is formed during volcanic eruptions. When you look at a pumice stone, you see a framework of bubbles and holes throughout it. These textures are actually called vesicles. Vesicles are formed during rapid cooling of the volcanic rock and the release of the gas held in them. Under high pressure, volcanic magma actually contains a high amount of dissolved gases. As a volcano explodes, it spews this magma into the air and the gas, now at a lower pressure quickly escapes. The magma quickly cools in the air and drops back to the ground as pumice. This rock did not have time to rearrange itself back into its crystalline form, and instead is a lightweight airy rock. Alternatively, pumice can be created when the magma is flowing out of a volcano and is also cooling quickly. In this case, you will get longer tubular vesicles.
Think of it this way, you take a bottle or a can of pop and then you shake it. When you open it, the pressurized gas explodes everywhere, right? Well think of this as though it was a volcano, and the super hot rock is what is exploding.
It is an amazing fact that pumice is actually found around the world. This means both at continental volcano sites and underwater volcanoes. The pumice created underwater is distributed onto beaches and around the world by ocean currents, because it floats. Crazy right!
Currently, most pumice in the world is exported from Italy, Turkey, Greece, Iran, Chile and Syria. In North America pumice is located in Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, California, Kansas, Idaho and the Caribbean Islands. Anywhere there is volcanic activity, you can find pumice and volcanic sand.
Volcanic Sand at Rocky Mountain Soap Company is the ground version of pumice stone. Since pumice is actually a type of volcanic glass because it does not have a crystalline structure making it gentle on your skin as an exfoliant. Both the stone and the sand version works on the top layer of your skin gently and smooths those skin cells.
Pumice has been used in the beauty and personal care industry for hundreds of years. Volcanic sand was originally used in toothpaste in ancient Rome and in ancient China pumice was used for nail care. It has been noted as an exfoliant as far back as 100BC. Pumice is a great way to exfoliate!
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