What you need to know about Natural Skin Care Tools
Great skin is gotten from a combination of the right products and tools. Incorporating the use of organic skin care tools into your routine can have wonderful effects on your skin. From konjac sponges to muslin cloths, here are the things you need to know about these tools before you purchase them:
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Konjac Sponges: Taken from the root of the konyaku potato plant, the Japanese have been using it for over a century in skin care and medicine. Working as an exfoliant, the Konjac sponge should be used while cleansing (face or body) either with a bit of your cleanser, or on its own. It’s gentle enough for babies and even the most sensitive of skin.
Benefits: Konjac sponges are reputed to help with acne, eczema, skin rashes and ingrown hair.. According to the Konjac Sponge Company “The unique net like structure of the vegetable fibres helps to stimulate blood flow and promote skin cell renewal.”
You can buy them infused with different ingredients that work for different skin issues. The green coloured ones are usually infused with green clay to draw out impurities and control oil, while black ones are usually infused with charcoal to help deep cleanse pores and target acne. They are super affordable but need to be replaced roughly every 3 months.
The Konjac plant is highly sustainable, so you shouldn’t be worried about the impact it’s harvest has on our environment. The sponges are also 100% bio degradable,, which means that you can toss the old one in your garden when you replace it.
Try out the pink clay sponge from The Konjac Sponge Company and Julep’s Konjac cleansing sponge.
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Body Brushes: They’ve been around for a long time but just really started gaining mainstream popularity in the last decade.
Benefits: Skin brushes help to soften and improve the appearance of your skin. Their benefits go deeper than the skin’s surface though, They also help to increase muscle tone, detoxify skin and better distribute fat deposits. An added plus is that dry skin brushing is relaxing and can relieve stress.
Body brushes with plant bristles are the best choice for dry exfoliation, unlike synthetic bristles which may damage your skin. They also last longer. When choosing a natural body brush, you should get one with a long (detachable) handle for over all easy reach of your back and feet. Body brushes come in different bristle strengths, like hard, medium and soft, so you should use brushes whose strengths you’re comfortable with.
Dry brushing isn’t the only way to use body brushes though, they can also be used wet while you’re taking a bath. You should get a brush with boar bristles for this as they’re water resistant.
Note: Avoid brushing areas with open wounds, sun burns or varicose veins. You also shouldn’t use body brushes on genitals or freshly shaven skin.
Try Elemis’ Home Detox Skin Brush and Hydrea London’s Olive Wood Bath Brush
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Organic Muslin Cloths: These are cloths made from 100% natural and unbleached cotton. They are generally used to remove cleansers and exfoliate the skin. Organic muslin cloths are very environmental friendly for two reasons. Firstly, they’re grown without toxic chemical inputs. Secondly, they’re reusable.
Benefits: A muslin cloth is great for brightening the complexion because it removes dead skin cells and unclogs your pores. It helps you save money and time as it converts your regular face wash/cleanser into an exfoliating one. Meaning you can rinse and scrub at once and you don’t have to waste money on synthetic exfoliating scrubs. It can also be used for facial steaming and to remove make-up and face masks.
Muslin cloths’ open weave allows it to dry quickly and prevent bacteria growth, making it better than a regular face cloth.
Try Dr Hauschka’s Organic Muslin Compress and Pai’s Organic Muslin Face Cloth
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