The asian beauty secret.. does it work? Erborian green tea konjac sponge

Recently I’ve been seeing these weird looking sponges floating around the shops and online. I was very curious to see what they were, so I decided to pick one up myself. I discovered they are called Konjac Sponges. All I knew about these Konjac Sponges was that they can contain ingredients like Green Tea and Charcoal.

I did a bit of research on the sponge and found it’s actually made from the root of the Asian plant Konjac. Koreans have long been using this method to cleanse the face and body as it is known to dislodge dirt, oil and blackheads whilst softening the skin, so of course, I had to try it out!

I picked up the Erborian green tea konjac sponge. Green tea is known for its antioxidant benefits and cleansing properties, so it seemed a great fit for what I was going for. I didn’t really know what to expect, how it would feel, smell, what it would actually do, so I was a little surprised when I took it out the packet and it was rock hard! The directions said let it soak in water for around 3 minutes which allowed the sponge to expand and become soft.

The first thing I noticed when I used it on my face was how nice it felt on my skin! Its so soft yet you can really feel it deep cleaning your skin, it’s quite hard to explain, you really need to try it yourself.

I’ve been using the sponge every night for about 3 weeks now and can say, after using it my skin looks a lot brighter (which will be down to the exfoliation it gives) and feels so much cleaner than just using cotton wool or a wipe. It also removes those pesky bits of makeup you always seem to miss, regardless of how much you cleanse, where do they come from!

The sponge can really be tailored to each individual, which is why I think it’s a staple to have in your cleansing routine. It can be used for the face and the body, (although if I’m using something on my face, I don’t tend to use it on my body as well) and you can also choose how harsh the exfoliation is. The softer you press it on to your skin, the softer the exfoliation. The more pressure you apply, the harsher the exfoliation.

One thing I must say Is that it is a harbour for bacteria. Although they claim to be antibacterial, they don’t self-clean. Its recommended to wash them after every use and throw them away after a month. If you think about it, the sponge helps remove dead skin… but where does this dead skin go, some down the sink when you rinse your face and yes, some stays on the sponge, dead skin + dampness = bacteria growth. Now don’t let this put you off the sponges, there are many ways out there to clean the sponge, my favourite being putting it in a bowl of water and sticking it in the microwave for about a minute.

Probably one of the best features of The Konjac sponges is that its environmentally friendly!!! We can give love to our skin and the planet at the same time, who wouldn’t want that?! Surely something that is not only sustainable, but biodegradable is better than the, now banned microbeads?

The bottom line is that the Konjac Sponges are great. They have many amazing properties not only for us humans, but the environment as well. The only downfall would be the harbouring of bacteria, but any sponge or wash cloth is going to be a prime location for bacteria. Bacteria growth is inevitable, just try and keep the sponge as clean as you can, and follow the recommended advice regarding how to clean, how often to clean and when to dispose of your old friend and purchase a new one.