Rough, flaky skin….Be gone (…but not the giveaway!)

This giveaway is closed.  The winner is Tiffany.  Congratulations, Tiffany!

I have been so hit and miss as a Chic Critique contributor that I should be ashamed of myself – and I guess I should also be ashamed that I’m not all that ashamed, but shamefully, I’m not.

I do feel remorseful for promising to post a review of a product for a Chic Critique reader, then languishing over the actual writing of said review. I did not, however, languish over the actual USING of the product. I started it the day I ripped open the cute package it came in.

I’d by lyin’ if I tried to pretend I haven’t had my share of compliments over the years….but my complexion and skin-tone have never been the subject of Any Of Them. (Of course, I’ve taken the high road and focused on inner beauty rather than worrying one bit about my blemish-prone, ruddy, branlike complexion. ….. Did I just hear lightning?)

So, when Chic Critique was looking for someone to review the MicrodermaMitt products, purported to take the place of harsher, more expensive chemical peels and dermabrasions, I hit that reply button faster than you can say “pass the Clearasil”.

Here’s what the website says about the mitts:

100% Natural and Chemical Free Alternative to Facials and Chemical Peels

REVEAL YOUR YOUNGER, SMOOTHER AND MORE RADIANT SKIN INSTANTLY AT HOME!

The MicrodermaMitt Face Mitt and Body Mitt are reusable, non-abrasive and all natural exfoliating mitts that instantly and thoroughly remove the top layer of dead cells like no other exfoliating product on the market. As they exfoliate, they clean your pores of oil, bacteria, lotions, soap and other buildup. Immediately, your skin will glow and be smoother than ever. Just wet the mitts with warm water and rub. DO NOT put any products on the mitts. In just a couple of minutes, you have beautiful and glowing skin that looks and feels smoother, younger and healthier.

And here’s what I say:

I received three mitts – two that exfoliate – and one that cleanses. The cleansing mitt looks like a half-glove. It fits on your hand and covers the fingers (see picture on the website and give my adjective-weary brain a break). As interesting as that shape sounds, that’s not the coolest part about the mitt. It cleanses Without Soap. It takes off makeup, oil, and dirt Without Soap.

I have to admit, it feels weird not to use a cleansing soap on my face at night. I love the feel of the mitt, and my face looks clean – but I am an old dog, so the mitt may be a new trick I’m not quite ready for. I’ve corresponded with Amy several times (12 emails at last count…) while she helps me break my soap addiction. The mitt cleans your face without the drying that soap or cleansers bring. The reason soap is not needed is because of what the mitt is made of. Again, see the website for all the scientific stuff. If and when I break the aforementioned suds addiction, I can see myself saving some serious lathering dough.

What I really, really like – and wholeheartedly recommend – are the two mitts that actually exfoliate. Although I don’t have dry skin, more like “combination”, which is a nice way of saying that sometimes my skin is oily and breaks out and other times it’s dry (and breaks out), I do have rough patchy areas of skin. The exfoliating mitts are made of some kind of Turkish fabric – used in those famous Turkish baths – that are just the right degree of “rough”.  Unlike the brillo-pad, loofah on a stick (which according to dictionary.com is also called a dishcloth gourd… no kidding!) and those netted balls on a string – these exfoliating mitts take off the dry skin – And then you rinse the particles out of the mitt. I mean, haven’t you ever wondered where all the dry skin junk goes when you use a loofah or a netted ball? These exfoliating mitts leave my skin completely smooth, but the mitt is lightweight and has no place for the “debris” to hide. I just rinse the mitt out and hang it to dry (it has a handy loop for hanging it up.)

Here’s what Amy said when I asked her about washing the mitts.

“The mitts themselves are made from a poplar tree that has natural anti-microbial properties, so they will not harbor any bacteria.  That’s why they seem so clean.  The exfoliating mitts do not need to be washed aside from rinsing them out in the shower and letting them air dry.  They should not be put in the washing machine – they might fall apart.  The cleansing mitt on the other hand SHOULD be washed in the washing machine once a week as well as washed with a gentle soap after each use.”

The people at MicroderaMitt must have had someone like me in mind when they designed their product. The mitts look identical, except they have a different colored thread so you’ll know which one to use on your face and which one is your body mitt. But, for those of us who don’t have the extra brain cells to memorize which color belongs to which, they also are clearly marked “body” and “face”.

These mitts make it almost fun to have some dry, flaky skin to exfoliate. I have enjoyed using them during my shower, then washing my now, smooth-as-a-babies-butt body with soap. (They let you use soap with the exfoliating mitts, maybe as a consolation prize for not using it with the face mitt.)

MircrodermaMitt also sells olive oil soap that is supposed to be amazing. I would be happy to review that, too, if someone wants to send me some (hint:hint).

I think these mitts would make a fun and useful gift for a bridal shower or for a new mom. I’m going to get a set for each of my older daughter’s for their birthdays. Amy, my MicrodermaMitt contact, has clients with acne that use the products with great success. Contact her at DivineMitt@mchsi.com to purchase any of the mitts, the soap, or for more information. Her prices are better than the ones at the main MicrodermaMitt site.

Oh! And did I mention that Amy is going to send one flaky-skinned Chic Critique reader a free body exfoliating mitt?  And just in time for those dry elbows, knees, legs, arms, thighs, (bottoms), shoulders, etc. to face the colder temps? Simply leave a comment and you’ll be in the running.

Big P.S. This was my first official product review – and I could definitely get used to getting free stuff in the mail. So keep me in mind if you sell something. If it’s edible or can be worn… So much the better!

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Tagged as: MicrodermaMitt