Konjac Sponges- The Love of My Life
I'm late to the konjac party. I have always been a scrub my face with a washrag girl. I tried MakeUp Eraser and where it worked to get off the makeup, I didn't like the lack of scrub to it. I want to scrub my sins (aka makeup) away. My husband was watching some YouTube video about cars (which is pretty typical for him on weekends) and he must have been dozing off or daydreaming because the video switched to some internet beauty vlogger rambling on and on about konjac sponges. The only reason it caught my attention was that she pronounced them like the drink- cognac. Think cone-yack. That's the correct English pronunciation, or at least it's the acceptable one. The Japanese word is kon'nyaku, and the pronunciation as explained to me is cone-yah-coo. Either is acceptable. What the hell is it?
The konjac sponge is made from the root of a Japanese turnip or potato-like root. The Japanese have been eating kon'nyaku for thousands of years. It was originally introduced as a medicine, then became a food to the culture. The root is made up of over 97% water when fresh harvested, and is very mineral and nutrient dense. It contains (aside from water) protein, carbohydrate, lipids, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, copper, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, pantothenate, niacin, fatty acids, folic acid and dietary fiber, with a total of 16 amino acids. So great, it's natural and healthy to eat. Why else do I need one? And why wash my face or butt with one? Konjac sponges are gentle. REALLY gentle. Japanese farmers created them to wash the skin of babies. They gently exfoliate and are great for removing makeup. They are infinitely more effective than just washing with soap and water on your hands, and less irritating to skin than using an exfoliating scrub. A konjac sponge can be used daily because of how gentle they are. You don't have to limit yourself to washing your face with it either. Use it on your pits to your... bits and everything in between. It's totally fine. Konjac sponges gently cleanse and soothe skin by removing dirt and oil, and naturally restoring the pH level of the skin. Cleansing in a circular motion helps to stimulate blood flow and encourage new skin cells, revitalizing your complexion without damaging delicate skin! Because they're so gentle, they are often used on problem skin like rosacea and skin that's chronically dry. They can buff away dry, flaky skin without irritating it further. They are also totally safe for use around your eyes. These things are soft, guys- feather soft and light. There's nothing scratchy in them to poke and scrape you. Use them to take off all of your eye makeup. They won't mind, and neither will you. Makeup and skin experts talk about the gentle buffing nature of the konjac sponge being excellent to improve your skin's natural glow. And they claim the more you use it, the better the results. I have to say that I agree. Especially in the winter months when my normally dewy skin decides to dry and crack and punish me, konjac is a wonderful way to fight back. I can scrub off the dead skin and not punish the rest of my face.
How? Simple. Add your favorite cleanser to a pre-soaked sponge and squeeze it repeatedly to work up a lather. Buff the skin you wish to cleanse in a circular motion for as long as you feel you need. Once you've buffed the bad away to your satisfaction, rinse out the sponge and hang it to dry until the next use. (It's totally normal for the sponge to dry out and shrink a bit in between uses.) How long can you use it? Safe to say that if you wash your face daily, as long as you're cleaning it and letting it dry after use, your sponge can last you about a month. Experts recommend that you replace it at least that often. And when you're done- you can compost it. Throw it out your window into your yard, if you like! It's 100% biodegradable, so don't worry about the impact on the planet if you toss yours. (Another great idea is place it in the bottom of a pot this spring when you pot flowers. It can help keep your plants moist!) So which one is best for you? You know... I have used every color out there, and my opinion happens to fall in line with the others out there. Each color is representative of the various "infusions" of ingredients placed into the sponge. Gray is infused with charcoal, green is green tea or green clay, yellow is lemon or yellow clay, pink is floral- usually rose and again pink clay, purple is lavender, and white is natural. Let me say this: Pick the color you like best. I don't believe, and neither do many experts- that the amount of infusion or the way it would be delivered is truly enough to make a difference in your skin. They may just be infused with different colors to make them pretty- or to encourage a multi-sponge purchase. But the truth is- you only need one at a time. Some come wet, some come dry. When you buy them- depending on the manufacturer and packaging, some are sold wet while others are totally dried out. Is there a difference? Yes. The wet ones can have all manner of ingredients, claiming to offer extra benefit, but I say no. Stick to the dry ones. Why? Wet=moisture and moisture=bacteria. Bacteria is the reason you want to let your sponge dry out completely and replace it often. I would be concerned for anything delivered moist because it just gives the opportunity for something to grow between manufacturing, storage, and shipping when it gets to you. Also, if it's wet- it just might have parabens or preservatives added to stop the bacterial growth. Not always, but it's worth thinking about especially, if you're particular about preservatives and parabens. So...buy it dry and get it wet yourself, if my opinion matters to you. Before I go buy this thing, how are they made? Konjac sponges are made by drying the konjac root and then grinding it into a powder. The powder is mixed with water and placed into molds. The mixture sits in the molds for several hours then heated at high temperature for a little over an hour. They repeat the heating process until the sponge has formed. Once it's done forming, it's flash frozen for several hours, then frozen at a slightly warmer temperature for a few days. If your sponge has a thread in it for hanging, it is added by hand, then packaged after sterilization. Want to try them? We loved them so much, we brought them into our MommyShop! Ours are totally dry, paraben and preservative free, and available in many colors. Click HERE. Use coupon code KONFREE to get a buy 2 get one free deal!