One Great Thing in a Little Squishy Package~

Ever thought that you could actually get by WITHOUT cleansers? No more foaming soaps, gels, milks or creams? As it turns out, you can. Well, almost anyway. If you wear makeup regularly, you'll still need your usual makeup removers + cleansers to completely clean up but in all other situations, this sponge will do the trick!

Konjac Sponge Specimen A - Looks like a rock but cleanses oh so gently~

This is~~~ A Konjac Sponge~

You may have heard of Konjac sponges some time ago (maybe a year or two?) when it first swept through the beauty market but the hype died down quite soon and I've not heard much of it since. This is very common in Japan (and I'm sure in Korea and China as well) and retails for a few hundred yen at Matsumoto Kiyoshi. I regret not picking this up when it was always in my face. I'd put it down as pure hype then, an unfortunate characteristic of many Japanese beauty products.



The black Konjac sponge you see above is my Charcoal Konjac sponge from....(checks package)...ok there's no brand here =_=. But I have visual reference! It's the pink packaging on the bottom left corner below!

Clockwise from Top Left: Tomato Konjac Sponge, Aloe Konjac Sponge,
Cucumber Konjac Sponge, Natural Konjac Sponge
All S$6.90 from Watsons and Sasa.

As you can see, there are many variations of the Konjac sponge e.g Tomato for anti-oxidents, Aloe for Skin Revival and Cucumber for Hydration. All the sponges are 100% Konjac (100% Natural Vegetable Fiber) but there's a possible difference is density that might affect your choice. I will elaborate on this in a separate post >> HERE.

What's Konjac you say?

Perhaps you're more familiar with the term Konnyaku or Devil's Tongue? These little fellas are made from the highly fibrous Konjac potato that's commonly used in Japanese and Korean food like noodles and jelly. Popular as a diet food due to it's ability to absorb and retain water after being injested, the same characteristic contributes to its being an ideal cleansing tool!

For more information on the the Konjac Sponge; characteristics and how it's made, you can read up on it HERE (konjac-sponge.com) and HERE (lifestreamgroup.com) ~

I use it when I've had little to no makeup on. I first used the sponge with my cleanser (Softymo whitening foam) but it was too drying due to the overcleansing. Using the sponge on its own with warm water is perfect. Just soak the sponge in warm water till it's nicely plumped out and squishy then rub over your face in an upward circular motion. Then splash clean with cold water and pat dry!

The Konjac sponge usually has a 5 year shelf life from date of manufacture so it's one of those things you can quite safely stock up on. Once used, it's recommended you change sponges every 2 to 3 months. If you clean your sponge properly (don't wring, just squeeze!) after every wash and dry it in an open, airy space, it should hold up well into 3 months. I've been using my charcoal sponge for 3 months and will continue using it as a body sponge for another month or so before discarding =)

Characteristics of the natural Konjac sponge include (but are not limited to):

• Gentle exfoliation and through cleansing of pores
• Natural pH balancing capabilities
• Highly hydrating
• Promotes detox and micro-circulation
• Non-abrasive, non-stimulating and therefore suitable for all skin types, even sensitive, baby and elderly skin
• Easy care, just rinse and squeeze dry after every wash then hang up in a dry airy area to dry. (If you live in very humid conditions, you can also store your sponge in a clean container in the refridgerator.)
• Soak your dry, hardened sponge in warm water for about 3 min till fully plumped up and softened before use
• 5 years of shelf life from manufacturing date
• Recommended to change every 2 to 3 months

My thoughts:

• Good for lazy busy people, just soak and cleanse!
• Very eco-friendly, completely biodegradable.
• Very travel-friendly.
• Although it can be used to enhance the effects of your normal cleansers, I advise caution as you don't want to end up over-cleansing and drying out your skin. Just use it with water for an awesome cleanse.
• All in all, a gotta-buy-gotta-try item~

You'll feel the difference between using this and a regular cleanser immediately. There's no abrasion and you can feel the cleanliness 100% without the squeaky clean feeling. My skin felt strangely hydrated and was smoother to the touch. This is probably one of those things you have to try to understand what I'm trying to say =) I credit this sponge with helping with my clogging problem too as it's prevented overcleansing.

Have you tried using a Konjac sponge yet? Starting from S$6.90 for 3 months use, it's a pretty good deal wouldn't you say? ^_^