This Weird Sponge Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to My Skin

In the past decade, I can count on one hand the number of times I've gone to sleep without washing my face. While some may find the need to scrub their skin each night burdensome, I look forward to the routine. I remove my makeup with an oil cleanser, scrub with a washcloth and gel cleanser, mist on some toner, and moisturize. It's a form of meditation for me — and I'm not one to break tradition. It's because of this sense of loyalty to my regime that it's genuinely notable when I find a product that convinces me to mix things up.

A few weeks ago, I tried a Dew Puff. The product has been a fan-favorite for years, earning positive reviews on Amazon and inspiring a truckload of knockoffs. It looks like a teardrop-shaped sponge (imagine a flat beauty blender), measuring in at roughly the size of your palm. When dry, the texture is so coarse (akin to a pumice stone) you might wonder why you would ever put it near your skin. When wet, however, it transforms into a soft, squishy sponge that soaks up water and evenly distributes your cleanser of choice, gently exfoliating along the way.

While the Dew Puff is technically a sponge, it's far from the yellow and green rectangle you use to scrub your dishes. It's made entirely from the root of the konjac plant, a tropical plant indigenous to Southeast Asia. Konjac naturally contains iron, phosphorus, copper, zinc, and just about every vitamin in the alphabet. The real miracle is the way it dries up overnight, and is ready for use again the next day. Each sponge lasts three months when used twice a day, and there's no need to wash it — though you may want to boil it after a few weeks.

There are three types of Dew Puffs (listed ahead), and while I'm partial to the original, I've recently noticed that the Asian Clay version has worked wonders for some rough patches under my chin. Each are $8, so you won't be breaking the bank by investing in one. Best of all, these babies have saved me from cycling through two washcloths a day. I can't recommend them highly enough — I travel with mine, and I even convinced my mom to order her own.