Konjac Sponges: French Green Clay, Bamboo Charcoal and Body Sponge

It’s been a little while since I’ve done a skincare related review, so I thought it was time to share what I’ve been using lately.  In true fickle Beauty Blogger fashion, my skincare routine is completely different to the last update I wrote a couple of months ago in July which was heavily Elemis based, whereas now I’m actually on a review for another company (Biologique Recherche of P50 fame) so I’ve cut right back on all other products…but more of that in another post! In the meantime, there are a few things I’ve been using on top of the BR routine, and that includes the Konjac Sponges.

I’ve been both delaying and champing at the bit to review these Konjac Sponges, as there’s so much to them, and I find them so exciting, that I knew this was going to be a bit of an essay and I really don’t want to forget anything! I think Konjac Sponges are going to be one of those things that some people love and cannot get enough of, whilst others don’t really understand the hype; they’re like the Clarisonic of the sponge world.  Konjac Sponges are completely natural and formed from Konjac, which is an edible potato found in certain parts of Asia.  I won’t bore you with the details of how it’s created (not that I’m an expert) as I have to lot to say within the review.  I attended an event to find out more about the sponges, and took away the French Green Clay sponge for my face, which is designed for normal/oily skin types as well as the body sponge.  I didn’t get on particularly well with the Green Clay version as I didn’t feel it was doing much for my skin type, so I was then sent the Bamboo Charcoal one which I’ve been using ever since.

Before I launch into the full review, I will say that I think about 98% of my love for Konjac Sponges is due to the product itself, but there is a tiny 2% of me that cannot get enough of it because it’s a sponge and I have crazy pregnancy hormones that have me obsessing over the texture and feel of sponges.  Odd? Very much so, but worth pointing out nonetheless.  The consequence being that on days when I’m staying in and wearing no make-up, I tend to give my face a “Konjac Buff” anything up to five times in a day…thankfully it’s something my skin happily tolerates as the sponges are so gentle, don’t dry skin and won’t make any of my skin problems worse.

RIGHT! One of the many reasons I love the Konjac Sponge is because it’s just such a simple approach to skincare.  You can use it to cleanse, you can use it tone, it can exfoliate both the face and eyes and you can also use it remove masks.  I use it every morning without fail to freshen up my skin and get it ready for make-up; my favourite way to use it is to soak it in ice cold water and buff it over my face.  This leaves skin feeling very toned and looking fresh.  You use these sponges by soaking them in water (hot or cold) wringing out the water so they’re saturated without dripping, and buffing it all over the face and eyes in circular motions.

One thing I will say is that it’s sold as a possible make-up remover, which is something I couldn’t get it to do for me, although keep in mind that I wear a lot of make-up; for event days I’m usually wearing several primers, bases, concealers, powders and setting powders/sprays, so I would always double or triple cleanse and of course the Konjac isn’t able to singularly perform the function of multiple cleansers, although it is worth noting that you can use it with a cleanser and you’ll need to use a lot less product.

When in use, the sponge sounds like it’s full of soap, but nothing actually appears and you’re not left with any residue on the skin.  Once you’ve finished using it, you need to ideally hang it from the string so that it fully dries to ensure it stays usable for as long as possible.  If you take care of them, they should last around 3 months.  It’s a very soft bit of a kit that feels amazingly gentle on the skin and I would happily recommend this to even the most sensitive skins.  It’s also a fab product if you’re someone who is aware of the negative effects of manual exfoliating but can’t quite make the move to only chemical exfoliating, as this tool will bridge the gap between the two.  When you first use it, you’ll think it won’t have much of an impact on skin texture, but once you’ve finished using it you’ll see the difference; skin will look dewy, glowy and very clean without the squeakiness.

The body sponge I am also loving and in the same way as the face, you’ll think it isn’t going to have much of an impact on your skin texture until you’ve finished using it.  Skin feels really lovely afterwards; rather than that overly buffed, freakishly smooth finish, it just feels very fresh and natural.  I’m using this for every shower with my Jurlique Jasmine Body Wash and they make a dream combo, although again you don’t need to use a cleanser with the sponge if you don’t want to.

If you’re the sort of person who looks at their ever-expanding skincare collection and wishes it would all just disappear, or you fancy keeping things simply, quick, easy and natural, I really recommend checking out Konjac Sponges.  I’m such a fan (I have one of the sponges designed for babies which I’ll be using for Little Man’s first bath onwards) and I love pretty much everything about them.  I also think they’re a great starter product for getting young people into skincare as they’re very easy and fun to use with minimal fuss.  More information about the Konjac Sponges can be found at the Konjac Sponge Company (funny that…) where you can view the full range.  Facial sponges cost £6.99, whilst the body sponges cost £9.99.  They’re also stocked instore all over the place, such as Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Fenwicks just to name a few, but to find out if there’s a shop near you, check out the stockists page.

*PR Samples