Konjac Sponge The Konjac Sponge

A bamboo charcoal Konjac Sponge was the day 11 surprise gift in the 2019 Beautiful Surprises Advent Calendar.

I'd heard a lot about these sponges when they first came out, and there was this huge big hype around them, but I'd never managed to actually convince myself to buy one.

Made from 100% pure natural konjac (an edible corm from an Asian plant), the sponge has added charcoal bamboo, and is suitable for the whole family to use. It's supposed to exfoliate and massage the skin, while the Bamboo Charcoal is mineral rich to help with acne, eliminating blackheads, oil and impurities.

Out of the packaging, the konica sponge is hard. Really hard. To use it, it has to be soaked in water for a few minutes, so that it can soften completely. Once the sponge is soft, press it between the flattened palms of both hands (the packaging says not to squeeze it out in one hand, as this will reduce the lifespan), and then gently massage the face in a circular motion, to cleanse and exfoliate. Rinsing the sponge well before and after each use. It has a little hanging string attached, so that the sponge can completely air dry between uses, to prevent mould and bacterial growth.

Honestly, I'm not all that impressed. It just feels like a very slimy, expensive cosmetic sponge. If you think about a sponge that has been dumped onto the side of the bath, while wet, and left there for a few days, it starts to get that really gross, slimy feel in the centre, well, that's what this sponge feels like when you're using it. It's really squishy, soft and has a very unusual texture.

I've used the normal, round, flat, cosmetic sponges to clean and exfoliate my face before, and the end result is the same. So for a fraction of the price, you can get the same results, and still replace the sponge every 6-8 weeks without it breaking the bank.

My honest opinion is that this is a hyped up marketing gimmick that many people have fallen for. I saw no reduction in the size, shape or number of blackheads on my nose, and at $16 to $19 for one of these konjac sponges (which have to be replaced every 6-8 weeks, otherwise the texture changes, they start falling apart, and sometimes start smelling funky if they haven't fully dried between uses). If you average replacing one of these every 8 weeks, it works out to $104 per year. I can think of better things to spend that much money on.

I tried the Bamboo charcoal Konjac sponge. I like it because it's soft yet exfoliating, and my skin looks healthy and glowing after I use it. It doesn't work for removing makeup for me, so I use it after I remove my makeup but before applying night moisturiser.

It takes quite a while to fully dry, and I find that it broke down and needed replacing quite quickly. For that reason, I wouldn't repurchase.

I find this works well for cleansing skin, leaving it feel clean but not stripped of moisture. I don't find that there's much difference between expensive and cheaper Konjac sponges so I feel that all Konjac sponges would probably do the job.

They work well because it isn't too harsh on your skin but still gives a gentle exfoliation and clean. It manages to lift off light makeup too.

My only negative is that it gets mouldy fairly quickly despite hanging it to dry so look into replacing it more often!

I’ve tried a few of these from various brands and it’s a pretty generic product - I haven’t noticed any variation between cheaper and more expensive ones. These little sponges make foaming cleansers feel a lot gentler on my skin and prevent that tight feeling. I’ve stopped using them on my face though as I’ve noticed they get mouldy quite quickly even when you change them regularly (I do like that they are bio-degradable so you can chuck them in the compost or garden when you’re done). I’ve gone back to just using my hands to apply a not so stripping cleanser to my face. I still use them with shower gel on my body though and they are so much nicer than those horrible plastic shower loofahs.

Love this and have repurchased and gifted. Super soft yet exfoliating this sponge is great for any type of cleanser amd also reduces how much product you need. I like it has expiry and us made of natural fibres. Gifted to friends with highly sensitive skin amd roscea amd they love it.

This review will be on two different types First is Natural : this is a sponge made from natural ingredients & very similar to a loofah when dried but like a beauty blender once wet it becomes pliable. It is soft to the skin once wet & it feels nice to use. I used it both with and without cleanser on makeup & no makeup this did lift of debris but not totally there as residue left behind & it also left clear looking skin. My pores didn't reduce in size & I got good few month use of it until I just the it out. 2nd: charcoal which is for oily skin I have combo to oily skin type so am happily using this I see no difference either either types I do see how it gently exfoliates my skin lifting of debris & makeup but it still leaves some behind so afterward I'm having to remove excess with my toner or a micellar water. While both types were gifts I'm happy to repurchase because it's inexpensive & does leave radiant looking skin.

I remember when I first heard about these - they were all over the internet, so I had to try one. In all honesty I was super skeptical about it, I didn't believe that it would actually do anything for my skin.

This came in a small plastic pouch and is a half circle. Mine was black and super hard to the touch. As soon as you drenched in water (like a beauty blender), it became super spongy. Unlike a regular sponge though, this had a slight slimy feeling to it when you squished it. It is difficult to explain but it felt cool!

I used this on my face with no products or cleansers. Just the sponge. It felt really soothing on my skin and didn't feel harsh or like it was tugging at my skin at all. I didn't see anything come off of my face onto the sponge, so after using this I went in with a makeup remover wipe to see if there was anything on my skin. There was only a little bit of makeup left, so I started to use this twice (one time after the other with rinsing it in water between).

I like this as it has a small string on it so that you can hang it up to dry for its next use. I used this daily and whilst I didn't notice my skin improve, it definitely didn't get any worse. After using this my skin did feel clean and soft and I do like this.

I had these in at work and they were selling like hot cakes! I thought to myself, there must be something about these things so I better grab one before they all went.

So happy I did. This little half round sponge starts off hard but once you wet it with warm water it turns into this gorgeous soft spongy bundle of loveliness.

Once your sponge is spongy you just wash your days make up off with a circular motion and hey presto, product free cleanser. Awesome.

Wash your sponge out and hang it with its little attached string ready for tomorrow's cleansing.

I definitely will be purchasing another one of thses little beauties.

I've seen these in the shops, heard about them, read the reviews, I'd even had one hidden away in the cupboard for months. Even so I never really felt like using it. It just seemed gimmicky and had no appeal. In my attempt to use up my stash of stuff I got this sponge out and started using it.

It starts out hard and dry but once wet is soft and almost jelly like. In the mornings I rub it wet over my face in circular motions without any cleanser. In the evening I do the same but add a cleanser to the sponge as well. It removes my make well (except for mascara which I haven't actually tried to remove using this). My skin is looking much clearer since using the sponge. It is also much smoother- more so than when I use a gritty exfoliant which is strange but amazing. I love that it's so soft against my skin and great alternative to an abraisive exfoliant. I love that it's a chemical free cleansing method, I have a body sponge too so can't wait to try that as well.