Going Natural : Konjac Sponges (and Why I Returned My Clarisonic)

One of my goals for the year is to switch over from conventional to natural makeup and skincare products. So far, I've written about where my interest in this topic comes from, reviewed the book "No More Dirty Looks," looked at what natural makeup and body products I already own. and shared some brands and online resources.

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At the same time I declared that I wanted to take a more natural and organic approach to my makeup and skincare, I decided I wanted to give the much exalted Clarisonic a try-- the Mia2 to be specific (in the pretty Amethyst Radiance color shown above).

Over the last few years, my face had become rougher to the touch and I developed a few dry patches. I could control these issues if I used all five of my Paula's Choice skin products every day, but whenever I skipped one of them, the balance was thrown off. I hated feeling tied to that routine, and I questioned why I couldn't find a healthier skin balance without relying on multiple chemical-based products. When I started researching natural products, I figured I could only benefit from the additional exfoliation of the Clarisonic. (In retrospect, I can see now that I had the assumption that organic/natural skincare products would not work as well as conventional products, and therefore I felt like I would need the extra power of the Clarisonic.)

I used the Clarisonic from January 2nd until February 28th, upon which I returned it to Ulta for a full refund-- hallelujah for Ulta's no-questions-asked return policy! Clarisonic also offers a 90-day trial period if you need an extra month to test the waters.

So many people love the Clarisonic that I'd like to offer a bit of an alternative view. Of course, everyone's skin is different and therefore your experience might not be anything like mine. I didn't hate the Clarisonic at all, but it just didn't work for me, a person with dry, somewhat sensitive skin.

When I first started using the Clarisonic, it made my skin feel the way everyone talks about-- soft, silky, smooth-- and I loved it. I only got one or two blemishes in the beginning, which isn't all that uncommon for me, so I didn't blame the Clarisonic for that. I used it once per day in the evenings for about two weeks and was happy with the results.

After two weeks, I noticed the Clarisonic felt scratchy and downright painful during use, especially along my temples. This happened no matter how lightly I held the brush to my skin. Afterwards, my skin felt tight and raw, and I developed a ring of flaky skin from the tops of my cheeks, up my temples, and across my forehead. No bueno. I transitioned to the most gentle, moisturizing cleanser I own to see if that helped and was still unsuccessful.

The only way I made the Clarisonic work for me was to use it only once per week, at most. And for a device that cost me $125 and needed brushhead replacements every 3-6 months at $25-30 apiece, it just didn't seem worth it.

The nail in the Clarisonic coffin was the Konjac sponge I bought towards the end of February. I had a coupon for an online natural & organic skincare boutique, and as part of my order I picked up a red clay sponge from the brand Konjac Sponge Company.

I first heard about these sponges through Shannon Sullivan on YouTube (mentioned at 7:40 in the video). Since I was still debating whether I was going to keep the Clarisonic or not, I decided to try out a Konjac sponge for myself and see which I preferred.

Konjac sponges are a natural product that comes from the vegetable fiber of a Japanese potato-like plant. Used on the face, they are an extremely gentle exfoliator and come in different varieties (red clay, green clay, charcoal, aloe) to correspond with different skin types. My red clay sponge is designed for dry skin; the red clay helps remove dead skin cells and accelerate skin regeneration. When dry, the sponge is solid and hard to the touch, but when you soak it with water it gets very soft and (surprise!) spongy. Using it on the face felt really nice and soothing and didn't cause me any problem spots even with daily use. It can be used with or without cleanser-- if you use cleanser you only need a teeny tiny drop because the sponge will make it lather and you don't want to get a buildup of product inside the sponge. It can remove water-based makeup, but it's best to use a separate makeup remover on your eye area.

You do have to care for the sponge-- it needs to be rinsed thoroughly and the water squeezed from it (but never wrung out, which can break it down) and hung to dry after each use. To sterilize, you can boil it for 3-4 minutes in a pot of water, which I plan to do every other week so as to avoid any potential icky issues with mold or mildew. 

The sponges range in price from roughly $8-10 each, and will last for three months with proper care. Since they are natural, they are 100% biodegradable and can be composted at the end of its life cycle-- quite a difference from Clarisonic's plastic parts and electronics. Aside from it feeling good on my face, both the price and the environmental impact were huge factors in my decision to favor the Konjac sponge over the Clarisonic as my physical exfoliator of choice.

If you're interested in a Konjac sponge, check out Dr. Sponge on Eco Diva Beauty, The Konjac Sponge Company on Spirit Beauty Lounge, or even My Konjac Sponge sold through Amazon.

Here are some other posts about Konjac Sponges, some with comparisons to the Clarisonic:

- My Konjac Sponge Review via LoveLipGloss
- Kuu Konjac Sponge: Better Than My Clarisonic via BeautyholicsAnonymous 
- What on Earth is a Kuu Konjac Sponge??? via Makeup and Macaroons
- Clarisonic vs Monster Konjac Sponge via Gymba24 {video}
- My Konjac Facial Sponge Review via Phyrra

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Note: I have no affiliation with any of the companies listed in this post and am writing purely from my own experience in hopes that it might help someone else looking for alternatives to the Clarisonic.