Friday 12 February 2016

The Konjac Sponge – A Squidgy Mound Of Amazingness

It looks and feels like a small mound of white polystyrene, but run under a tap it transforms into a soft sponge and one of the best cleansing tools you can buy for under a tenner. It’s the Konjac sponge.

Hands up, I am late to the game in discovering the joys of this face cleansing wonder. Bloggers and beauty magazines have been raving about Konjac sponges for years, and it’s been used by the Japanese (where it originates) for centuries.

It’s taken a beauty advent calendar to push it my way (I can’t remember which day of the You Beauty one it emerged from) but now I’ve had one ‘foisted’ upon me and I’ve tried it, I’m never going to be without.

I think the problem lies with too much choice. There are so many different types of cleansing products to choose from (creams, lotions, oils, powders, butters, balms…), not to mention tools (Clarisonic, Foreo, manual brushes, Sqoom…) that once you hit upon something you like, there’s a tendency to stick with it. 

What’s Special About the Konjac Sponge?

The Konjac Potato or Konnyaku is a perennial plant native to Asia. It is 97% water, rich in minerals and pH neutral. It’s full of natural goodness, 100% biodegradable and fully sustainable. The plant fibre is mixed and handmade into sponges.

Konjac sponges, as I’ve discovered, are super-efficient at getting rid of the daily dirt and grime on our faces, and yet feel as soft to the touch as a baby’s bum – the sponge was originally developed for delicate baby skin. They deeply cleanse, exfoliate and detoxify the skin.

That’s a pretty impressive list of achievements. And did I mention that they’re pretty cheap to buy too? A facial puff sponge like the one featured costs just £7.99 – it should last around three months before needing replacement.

As you can tell, I’ve become a bit smitten with my Konjac sponge. You can use it with or without a cleanser. Without, it will remove water-based makeup, but if wearing something a bit more stubborn like waterproof mascara (yes, Konjac sponges are so gentle that you can even use them around the eye area), I’d advise teaming it with a balm or oil-based cleanser. 

To use, rinse and fully hydrate the sponge, massage your face in circular motions, then rinse the sponge and squeeze the water out without wringing. Hang it to dry in an airy space (I pop mine in the airing cupboard).

Where I’ve found the Konjac sponge to be particularly useful is at the gym. For years I’ve used cleansing wipes (yes, horrors!) to clean my face after pounding the weights. But they’re incredibly drying on the skin.

Now instead I use my sponge.  The first time, I used it after a cleansing wipe and I was shocked at how much extra muck that came off! Bye bye cleansing wipes…

There are numerous types of Konjac sponges to choose from. You can check out the range here.
SHARE:
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
© Face Up Fitness. All rights reserved.
Blogger Designs by pipdig