This is probably the longest overdue post that I've ever had.I had this product at the middle of last year I think,but yeah I only review what interests me the most at the moment of writing so probably I'm not that kind of hype stuffs blogger.I meant,perhaps the stuff is a hottie but I find it performs just average so I don't want to be in a hurry to review it.
So,I have these 2 types of konjac sponges:The Konjac Sponge Co French Red Clay,and Nature Republic Jelly Cleansing Sponge Original. Actually I have 2 sponges from The Konjac Sponge Co,another one was bamboo charcoal.
But after I tried the french red clay,I decided that I didn't need the bamboo charcoal one so I sold it to my friend who wanted it.So let's see each of them here:
1.The Konjac Sponge Co French Red Clay
This is a british brand,you can get it from the web(here).Although it's a british brand,the stuff was made in Korea,like..oh..all this type of konjac sponge,be it Japanese brands,Indonesian Brand,and anywhere brand,all konjac sponges are made in Korea as far as I can see.Let me know if you find a brand that the product isn't made in korea.I want to know :).
I chose french red clay since the web said it's for dry,mature skin.Actually,I have seen this sponge on etude web since 2010 I think,but I wasn't interested in trying the product since etude's web was written in Korean Hangul so I hardly understood what the heck was that stuff back then.
So for you who are not familiar with this sponge,this is basically just a sponge that is made of Konjac plant. Konjac is a plant that can be used in food industry as a substitution of seaweed,or gelatine which is animal derived.As usefull and delicious as it is,however Konjac is banned in US,Europe,Australia for its potentially danger to kids. As for the sponge,though this is marketed as 100% plant derived,natural,et cetera please bear in mind that this konjac sure has been through process in manufacture that makes it durable for amount period of time and I'm wondering what did they add to the powder to make it that way.I mean,if you buy konjac powder,cook it and dry it your self,you won't be able to make this kind of sponge!So,in that term..count your self in about the definition of"natural"that this product has here :p
To use this sponge is easy,just add water,let it absorbs the water'till it gets moistened,then.....you can use it for many application:washing face or body,make up application,basically this just replacing synthetic sponge.After you use it,you can hang it on your bathroom,it will get dried in a day,and shrink to smaller size.Just as easy as 1,2,3!
There are many variants of the sponge depends on the brands.Most of them adding clay or charcoal into it. You can use your face/body wash along with the sponge,or just using this sponge alone.I've been off from soap cleansers for almost 2 years now so off course I don't use this sponge with cleanser at all.Instead,I used it as the cleanser.
To the review of this The Konjac Sponge French Red Clay:
The first 3 days of using this konjac french red clay,my face was fine but it just got a bit dryer each day I used it.After used it for 1 week,my face was completely dry to the point that I couldn't handle it anymore.I have dry skin and there's no point of making my face drier as it will lead to wrinkles!So I tossed this product. I wonder which one that made my skin dry:the konjac,or the french red clay.Well,let's see on the next review
below ;)
2.Nature Republic Natural 100% Jelly Cleansing Puff-Original
I bought this product after The Konjac Sponge Co ones.This is the original version,no clay or anything is added here. After used it for a while,nothing has changed to my face at all.This is just simply a cleanser,like a substitution of a cotton pad for me.And no,I don't use cleasing milk at all.I just clean my face with water in the morning,and clean my make up with virgin coconut oil.So,I use this sponge alone with water. That's it! And unlike that French Red Clay sponge above,my face doesn't become dry or something. Just.nothing.happens!
So,I think it's the french red clay that made the difference.Most minerals are alkaline in nature.This is why mineral make up(the purest one without organic addition in it)is good for oily skin type.Not only that,mineral make up is long lasting to be kept since that isn't a good place for bacteria to live in.Some type of clays even have the ability to aggressively kill a range of pathogens including E. coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
That also explains why we,moslems are required to wash the part of us that has been licked by dogs with sands.FYI,dogs licking in Islam is considered as Najis(meaning:unclean.It refers to impurity). Therefore we're required to wash the licked part with dusts(some refer to sands).I was always wondering since I was kids what was that with dust(some refer to sands-oh well..both of them are minerals..),I mean why not something else.If we see on scientific view behind the reason,it seems that because ancient people using clay as part of their washing ritual.When soap wasn't invented back then,the only way to alkalize the skin and hair was by using clay and other mineral based.The Moroccan and their Rhassoul Clay(Rhassoul here means"The Matter Which Washes")even still use it untill today in their hammam as part of their washing rituals(shampooing,bathing,masking,etc).As for the moslem,finding dust/sands to wash the part that has been licked by the dog is easier(like,it's everywhere!) than finding a soap to"purify". That is,if we see on scientific reason behind it.Some moslems believe that dogs licking also means spiritually impure them.As for that reason,it's not my concern to talk about it here since..hell..how are we supposed to measure impurity of someone's spirituality? -________-
Anyway,if you ask me whether I like this Konjac Sponge or not,..oh well..I use the original one without clay in it,and perhaps I'll still continue using this kind of sponge as a substitution of cotton pad.I've been looking for a cotton pad substitution as I'm not sure if cotton pads that are available here aren't bleached.Guess that's all for now.Thanks for reading!:)
*disclaimer:If you feel somehow inspired and want to copy,translate a part or all part of this post in english or into other languages,please put a link back to this post.DO NOT COPY without any permission!By respecting others means you're respecting your self.Thank you!
*perhatian:Kalau kamu merasa postingan ini menarik dan pengen buat nyalin,nerjemahin sebagian atau seluruh isinya ke dalam bahasa Indonesia,tolong kasih tautan ke post ini.DILARANG MENYALIN isi postingan ini tanpa permisi! Buat yang hobi ngopi tanpa permisi,silahkan pindah ke warung kopi lain saja! Ga usah balik-balik lagi yaaaa...^^