Review: The Face Shop Charcoal Konjac Cleansing Puff

Here's a review on The Face Shop Charcoal Konjac Cleansing Puff

PRICE: Around P230.00+

PLACE BOUGHT: The Face Shop, Fort Bonifacio High Street

OTHER LOCATIONS: Available in all The Face Shop branches

 THE VERDICT:

So this sponge made from potato material is apparently taking the skin care world by storm. Ladies, meet the Konjac sponge, the most popular thing since Lady Gaga. Lulz.

Being a frustrated professor, allow me to give you a little background about the Konjac sponge:

Konjac is made from the Konyakku Potato, a food that is native to Japan. For the last 1500 years, it has been valued not only for its medicinal properties, but for its filling taste as well. Recently, it has been discovered as a gentler alternative to abrasive scrubs--it's so gentle that even the most sensitive skins can use it on a daily basis. Not only that, it reportedly rids the skin of unwanted impurities such as acne.

Konjac is 97% water. Regarding safety issues, the Konyakku sponges that are commercially available have been fermented and purified to suit human skin. 

Apparently, this is the secret behind the transparent, luminous, and silky soft- looking skins of Japanese women. If this is true, no wonder the Konjac sponge rose to popularity as a lot of women would often look up to and try to attain their otherworldly complexion. (and the skins of Koreans as well)

Click READ MORE and check out my detailed review about this potato--err SPONGE! :D

 The Face Shop's Konjac Sponge is infused with black charcoal, a known pimple- busting essence and extracts from the divine waters of the Jeju Island in Korea, which is widely known for its pure water bodies.

 This is what it looks like: Texture is very, very, very--one more time--very soft, and almost jelly- like. It's almost like Kopi Bun to me! It has no scent whatsoever. The water drop shape allows you to scrub every nook and cranny on your face with ease.

The scrub is so gentle, and I don't feel it scratching my skin at all. I am so addicted to its softness that I sometimes spend 10 minutes on washing my face alone whenever I'm using this product.

HOW I USE IT:

 Some sources say that the Konjac jelly has powerful antimicrobial and cleansing properties, that you can use it on its own without the help of facial cleansers. However, I still use the sponge with cleansers. It's also a force of habit, I guess, to use facial cleansers as part of my skin care routine. The sponge is very porous, so don't wonder why it absorbs everything--even soap suds.

So let's now go to its effects. In my two weeks of usage, I've noticed that:

1. My skin felt cleaner as compared to using facial cleansers alone.

2. It's breakout season for me, unfortunately. This sponge prevents the tiny bumps from developing on the surface.

3. It does not leave my skin taut and dry, unlike using gritty scrubs and scrubs infused with acid substances.

4. Fun to use. Lulz.

5. Skin breakout was tamed.

CARING FOR MR. POTATO

 It is imperative that you rinse it clean and soak this product in water before storage to keep it in its mint condition. Leave it damp, and it will shrink and dry up. But great news: If the sponge dries up on you, soak it in water for a few seconds and the porous material will rapidly absorb water and voila, it is now back to its soft, squishy state.

Storage option 1: As per one kind saleslady of The Face Shop, You can choose not to throw its plastic case and store the sponge inside it to prevent water from leaving the sponge. However, I find it quite unhygienic as air cannot penetrate the sponge easily if stored in plastic. We all know that a good circulation of air is necessary to a healthy environment. Besides, this storage technique will not allow the skin impurities contained inside the sponge to evacuate along with excess water.

STORAGE OPTION 2: The string attached to the sponge allows you to hang it on a wall. The sponge is exposed to air, and gravity pulls water down as well as the impurities. However, if you tend to forget about things and tasks, this might be an effort for you. Exposure to air means faster drying time for the sponge, so you have to rinse and soak it in water everyday. If it stays dry for a long time, the risk is you are allowing bacteria from the impurities to thrive and breed on the sponge and that is gross. I like this option better since I use the sponge everyday anyway, and I rinse and saturate it with water after every use.

IMPORTANT: Since the sponge is made from food grade material, discard it after 2-3 months of usage. It is not infused with preservatives therefore it is not meant to be kept for a long time.

Other concerns and tips: 

1.) I had read a few articles about pH balance in my Chemistry class before, and I've learned that we should strive to keep our skin's natural pH balance, which varies from 4 to 6. If skin is too acidic, it will become too dry and skin will scar. If too alkaline, bacteria will thrive because the skin is too moist. Water alone can increase the alkalinity of your skin, and using Konjac, since it is 97% water, will cause it to rise further. Experts advise to use a toner right after washing skin to help bring it back to its normal pH.

2.) Since I'd have to rinse the sponge after every use, Methinks the divine water from Jeju Island and the Bamboo Charcoal extracts are now gone for good. :(

Honestly, my usage was on and off, so I really can't provide a detailed journal on its effects. So my dear readers, from now on, I will use the sponge religiously so I (and you) would know its full capability. I will get back to you in two to three weeks. Bookmark this post! :) And maybe, some kind hearts here would like to update me about my promise after two weeks. Lulz. :D

So far, I like this sponge because my face never felt cleaner since I started using it. At the moment, all I can say is that it is very promising.