I'm here to share my experience in using the konjac sponge. I didn't bother to capitalize the letters as I'm not talking about the brand, but the thing itself. I got a generic one.
I was on the search for a more effective way of cleansing my face and was Google-ing (since when did this become a word?) for options. I saw my husband is in the habit of cleaning his face with a face towel and he has a clearer skin than me so I thought maybe I should incorporate the same method in cleansing my face. I'm just not fond of using a face towel because I think it accumulates soap residue over time, which makes it feel icky and makes it a double effort to wash. It's just so hard to maintain. My interest in using this started when I read about this in one beauty blogger's post.
A bit of more background:
I am currently 21 weeks pregnant (about 5 months). My skin broke out bad when I started my pregnancy. Because someone pregnant can't just use anything for the safety of the baby/fetus, I was not able to use my go to skin treatment during a bad breakout because it contains harsh chemicals, including Retin-A, and this is no no if you're pregnant. That and several chemicals that are usually contained in products to help eliminate a bad case of acne the soonest possible time. Not only was I not able to use my trusted regimen in case my acne goes out of hand, but I was also limited to just using mild cleansers. And so my search started again.
It was very hard for me to have a trial and error during a bad breakout because people notice if it goes worse and they tend to blame me for using a lot of products and think that's why I get pimples. I have a really pimple prone skin, and I noticed that when I get to find something that works, the effect starts to wear off over time and I'm again having bumps and redness even if I didn't change anything with my routine. I guess my skin is the type that needs variety and most of the time, it's really tiresome and money consuming because it means I have to search and purchase for what will work again once my skin get used to something.
Okay... so that didn't turn out to be a "bit". I'll get on with the subject.
What Is Konjac?
"Amorphophallus Konjac" the KONJAC POTATO is a perennial plant, native to Asia and sometimes known as Konnyaku. For over a century, the Japanese have been using the konjac vegetable as a beauty treatment for their delicate skin.
Amorphophallus konjac is an alkaline and is loaded with goodness. It contains so many natural goodies, we won't name them all, but here are just some of them! Protein, carbohydrate, iron, phosphorus, copper, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C and folic acid, (Source: The Konjac Sponge Company Ltd.)
I find the last paragraph a bit of an oversell but maybe it's a fact. I just don't think it would be of any benefit if you're having it as a cleanser because all those vitamins and minerals would just be touching the surface of your skin, and would be rinsed afterwards so I don't think the benefit lies in there. Anyway, I just read it like this: IT'S ALL NATURAL. Not synthetic. And safe for sensitive skin (or a vulnerable person, like a pregnant woman).
That alone is reason enough for me to give this a shot. I have also read that it's gentle so I tried to shop online first for something I can get. However, the cheapest I saw sells at Php 365. Kind of expensive for some kind of foam I think. Besides, I also got a bit more info from that same beauty blogger that one can get this in Landmark at a much much cheaper price. So on I went to Landmark Makati to get myself one. And I ended up getting four :).
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| See the reason why? It's so cheap for only Php 54.75! |
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| Side by side with the one showing the product view side |
(Excuse the image quality. I took this from my table situated in front of our window, and the curtains are colored pink, hence the pinkish hue and the seemingly washed off lighting.) I got so overwhelmed with how cheap it was compared to getting only one piece online so I decided to stock up for future use, and because Landmark Makati is quite a long travel from where I come from. And I came to like this more because the size is just right for the face, whereas the one sold online I think is maybe about double or triple the size of this. It's sold dehydrated and feels hard like a pumice stone but expands and turns into soft and fluffy sponge once wet.
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| See? Like a pumice stone, only white. |
How to use it?
There were instructions in the back of the plastic so no worries about how you'd go about starting to use it, although it's fool proof because this is basically just a sponge. You dip it in clean water (preferable warm since this is for the face), wait for a few minutes for the sponge to soak and absorb some water and it's ready to use. It says in the packaging that it can be used alone without any soap or cleanser (so is with the branded ones) or you can use it with a facial soap or your favorite cleanser. I personally use this with my organic facial soap. I rinse my face, lather with soap, then put some soap on the sponge and use it to clean my face. Then I rinse, and massage my face again with a rinsed sponge and splash my face with water again.
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| Beside the wet and ready to use sponge. The dehydrated one fits into my hand and I can still slightly close my fingers, while it's almost the size of my whole hand when it's wet. I'd just be able to grip it on the edges but since it's become so soft, it would bend easily. |
How to store
The product comes with a string attached to it so you can just hang it to expose to air or to dry when not in use. Something soft and organic like this would tend to attract mold if left wet and not exposed to air. I've read that these things can last up to a month's or more use but my first one didn't last for more than 2 weeks for a certain reason. I did follow the instruction to hang it to dry but one time, I forgot to hang it and just left it sitting in my bath caddy and when I was about to use it next day, I found it looking like a bitten cookie, or dough bread. Apparently the cockroaches made a meal out of it. The image of dirty cockoaches crawling and nibbling on the sponge that I use on my face disgusted me so sad to say, I threw it with just a few days use. I am now using a new one, thankfully I purchased back ups. What I'm doing right now to save it from the cockroaches is to keep it in a clear jar with air vents to still give it some air circulation when I'm not using it for a long time (i.e. at night time before I sleep) and hang it to open air on frequent use. I just have to make sure not to forget or else the roaches would again feast on it.
How it went for me
First thing I noticed when I saw and touched it after it became wet is it's really soft. Visually, I describe it as like a "
puto" because it's white and fluffy, only you can't eat it. I'd say I had a good experience with it, for I find myself sometimes lingering with massaging it in my face. And like I said, I use it in 2 steps: with soap and after rinsing. It's not abrasive for a sponge and even if it looks grainy because of the holes, it doesn't feel grainy at all because of its jelly-like texture. The feel is not even comparable to wiping a soft cloth on your face, for it's a lot softer than that. I do find myself massaging it in my face for about a minimum of 1 or 2 minutes or longer because it really feels great. It's like giving your face a massage. The softness doesn't affect its cleansing properties at all because when I rinse, I feel a significant difference compared to just lathering soap or cleanser in my face using my hands. It really feels clean, but not to the point that it's squeaky that your face would feel dry and taut. Just clean and still soft. Amazing effect actually.
I don't think though that this helps with blackheads or whiteheads, at least instantly. I still think it offers exfoliation because it's still rougher than your fingers, but only very gentle exfoliation that it's safe for everyday use. It just offers a little more leverage than just wiping foam or bubbles or goop over your skin. But the feel after cleansing with this is much much better than just with using your bare hands. So I'd still prefer using this every time I cleanse, for it also helps it rinsing off left over micro or nano particles of cleanser that may accumulate and clog pores. Also, using this saves me the effort of using a toner to prep my skin for moisturizing. I don't use toner anymore. As I mentioned I use this 2 step for the reason of making sure that no soap is left over my skin. And it does feel that way. So I use this to cleanse and tone. I have not noticed any remarkable difference with the condition of my face with the breakouts, but it did help control future pimples from developing, maybe because it cleanses off any product that would clog up pores, it's that effective in cleansing. And so with the help of this and since I just maintain a mild skin care regimen, my breakout were at least minimized and my skin's condition is gradually improving.
I am honestly seeing myself having this as part of my staple in skin cleansing. I would certainly choose this over a cloth. I've read that this can't be relied on to remove makeup and I think it makes sense because some makeups are waterproof and so it's still advisable to start with a makeup remover first before cleansing with this to fully clean your face. Putting that aside, I personally believe this is a big help in cleansing without overdrying. I'd do buy again when I get to use my last piece. :)
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