Would you wash your face with a vegetable?

Agreed this is an unusual question.  But after you read the following your answer might be YES.  The answer to this question for me is a hearty YES.



After attending a natural product expo in 2012 my friend and I walked up to the Konjacu booth to inquire about this product.  These funny looking "rocks" were hard to the touch and displayed in a pyramid in the table but when each was submerged in water and after a few minutes they were soft and fluffy.  The demo and education made my friend and I believers so we made our purchases of several types of Konjacu sponges.  I have both the bamboo charcoal round [black] and the white body wash sponges.  For whatever reason I let these sponges sit in my bag for 1 year without use.  Until one day I was tired of looking at my adult acne prone skin.  With teenage years long forgotten, Duh! I had a possible solution., I purchased a Konjacu which is not only made of natural vegetable fiber but is biodegradable and is great for all types of skin.  Taken straight from their website here are more facts:

"Introducing Konjacu, The Original Japanese Konjac Sponge, it is entirely made from food-grade, dietary Konjac powder with no preservatives, no coloring, and no additives. With the recent news reports about dangerous chemicals in nearly everything that we use daily, we are especially conscious about the quality of the materials used as well as the process of manufacturing. From raw material to manufacturing, 100% of our konjac sponge is “Made in Japan”, which has one of the strictest regulations in the world in terms of material safety and quality control.

Why is the konjac sponge so tough and hard in its original form? Because, it is the most original and natural form of the konjac plant fiber. Unlike most of the generic sponges you see in the market, the konjac sponge is made entirely from vegetable fiber with no preservatives and no chemicals to artificially prolong its life.

Our konjac sponge is suitable for both dry and sensitive skin, even people with atopic skin(hypersensitive skin) will benefit from the gentle texture of the konjac sponge.

That is what separates Konjacu ? The Original Japanese Konjac Sponge apart, it is our commitment to keep our products 100% natural and earth-friendly from manufacturing process to having it in your hands."

I've been using my charcoal Konjacu for three months and I see a dramatic difference in my skin texture.  The bacteria the causes adult acne is gone because the sponge is gentle and soft while simultaneously exfoliating my skin.  It is a product promoting the natural pH balance for the skin and creates a nice lather on the face.  The Konjacu retails for about $28 for a pack of three sponges.

Coupled with the Konjacu sponge for the past three months I've been using Dr. Bronner's organic Shikakai (unscented) Baby Soap after receiving this product to review.  I stopped using soaps and wasahcloths on my face many years ago.  I must say that this product is fantastic at cleansing surface and under surface.   It comes from seed pods from the Asian tree Acadia Concinna and is used in India for centuries to gently clean skin and hair.  And according to wise geek (dot) com acadia concinna is used to treat dandruff and psoriasis.  This is a fabulous all-in-one product.  I don't use this in my hair because I have someone who washes my hair for me, she uses another product, and since I keep Shikakai on the vanity of my master bath I don't remember to take it with me.

The ingredients are organic white grape juice, organic sucrose, organic coconut oil, organic olive oil, organic Shikakai powder, & organic hemp and jojoba oils as well.  It is marketed as an unscented product.  But to me it has a slight scent of the combined oils.  This is not strong at all and in fact, it passed the test of my friend Janet who can not tolerate any type of fragrance at all.  Here is a link to her scent free blog for those of you who have environmental issues.  Or have zero tolerance for chemically created fragrances.

Regardless, this "soap" that I consider a cleanser since it is certified organic and "lathers" by forming a white film across my face like a heavy lotion, no bubbles, does the job pretty well.  It retails for $9.99 and removes make up without irritation.  Dr. Bronner's has been around since 1958 and I see why.  They are a high quality company that makes high quality products for the conscious soul with quirky labeling that respects and includes all faiths.  If Dr. Bronner were still alive I'm sure he'd approve the coupling of the Japanese sponge with his cleanser.