Beauty Review: The Konjac Sponge

Konjac sponge £2 from Tiger

I often see little random beauty items on my travels and because I'm not much of a beauty blogger (!) I don't tend to buy into them that much - the air cushion foundation is the latest thing I keep seeing everywhere and whilst I am intrigued, I've got enough foundation for now so I'm not going to buy one just to try it. I'd heard a little bit about Konjac sponges, too, and hadn't thought to get one but when I saw them on sale in Tiger for £2 I thought I'd give one a try!

 The Konjac is a potato-like plant native to Asia, and the sponges are derived from the root of the plant using vegetable fibres and natural spring water. When you purchase the sponge, it is hard and solid like a loofah - you are instructed to wet the sponge to soften it and then use it on your face in place of an exfoliator. Being pH neutral, Konjac is skin-balancing and less abrasive than the more common exfoliators that contain crushed nut shell shards.

The pictures show the Konjac before and after being soaked in water. The first picture is of the sponge dry and the second is of it wet. I placed it upside down in the second picture so that the composition of the sponge was more obvious but it isn't like a beauty blender or a loofah that expands in size when wet. All the water does is to soften the sponge - you wouldn't want to use it wet on the skin as it would be far too abrasive. 

The sponge claims to refine pores and deeply cleanse the skin, without stripping the essential oils or damaging the skin in any way. When wet, the sponge is incredibly soft and even though you can feel it gently exfoliating, it isn't uncomfortable and doesn't leave the skin feeling tight. Adding a few drops of your favourite cleanser to the sponge ensures an even deeper clean and makes the product work harder, and means you can use even less of it. 

After a few uses I did notice that it had made my skin feel a lot softer. I have been using it every other day and it does seem to offer a deep clean without making my face sore or feeling too harsh on it. I have used it both with and without cleanser - I preferred it with as I felt that it was a little easier to use but I would certainly use it without any added products on clean skin. I love the little cotton hoop that enables you to hang it up to dry after use, too.

Have you ever tried one of these sponges?

XO Amie