SKINCARE REVIEW | Cleanser Wednesdays with Kaia Naturals 100% Natural Bamboo Tapioca Beads

Bear with me as I struggle to blog on my husband's computer which is a Mac while I have been an avid PC user. I also don't normally use the Blogger WYSIWYG to write in so things might look ugly in terms of spacing. Since receiving the blue screen of hard drive death on Tuesday night and not having anything scheduled, the second installment of Cleanser Wednesdays is coming to you just a wee bit late.

I first heard of Kaia Naturals in 2012 when I received a sample of their Juicy Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloths in one of my very first Glymm boxes. Three boxes of cleansing cloths later, they still reign as one of my favourite cloths to use, but now there's a new way to cleanse that has a MUCH longer shelf! Kaia's new Bamboo Tapioca Beads*($38.00 CDN)  is an anydrous or waterless cleanser. You can add water, face oil, green tea or even yogurt to cleanse and exfoliate your skin! Pretty cool, right?

Kaia Naturals Natural Bamboo Tapioca Beads Cleanser Review

Since Kaia is such a clean, TRULY all-natural brand, packaging is simple and recyclable with the cleanser coming in a firm cardboard box.

Kaia Naturals Natural Bamboo Tapioca Beads Cleanser Review

Kaia Naturals Natural Bamboo Tapioca Beads Cleanser Review

The ingredients in here look SUPER friendly, right? Want to know what everything means? Look no further than the Kaia explanation of ingredients!

Kaia Naturals Natural Bamboo Tapioca Beads Cleanser Review

In addition to the wooden spoon, inside is a small vial of moringa oil, known for its high antioxidant and fatty acid concentration as well as resistance to spoilage and a sifter container with the powder.   

Kaia Naturals Natural Bamboo Tapioca Beads Cleanser Review

The powder is also an exfoliant as bamboo beads provide a bit of a grit while the sodium cocoyl isethionate or coconut fatty acid acts as a mild cleanser. 

How to use: There are a number of mediums in which you can mix this cleanser. The easiest is water and all you need is just a 1/4 tsp of water in your palm (about the size of the spoon included) and another 1/4 tsp of powder. I actually found it to be a bit of challenge to sift and shake out the powder into my palm. I almost tore out the sifter and scooped out the amount I needed! Mix the concoction in the palm of your hand and apply to the face. The mixture becomes milky and to be honest I preferred using the moringa oil over water as the higher viscosity prevented the mixture from running all over my palm. I also tried mixing the powder with green tea (room temperature) and although the powder dissolved MUCH faster, I still preferred working with oil as my medium. 

This cleanser is incredibly multi-purposed so if you feel like you need that really DEEP cleanse just mix the powder with water and leave it on as a mask for 5-10 minutes. The kaolin will harden and draw out oil from your pores. I never got the chance to try it with plain yogurt but I can imagine how soothing this would feel in the summer! 


Final verdict: The bamboo tapioca beads are something that I certainly enjoyed playing with except for my frustrations with using the sifter. I have seen powdered cleansers come in a tube with a small single opening so that getting the powder out is just a matter of pouring it into your hand which I would have preferred.  

The main factors that stuck out to me were how convenient this product was for traveling as it's light, does not contain water so on the plane it can go and of course the number of ways this product can be used! When it comes to skincare, there are those that really don't want to do anything extra where even having a 3-step skincare routine sounds like too much work. Then there are those who treat skincare like their own personal laboratory (ME!) and love products that have versatility. As for efficacy, it certainly cleaned my face although when mixed with water, I found it rough to be used as a daily exfoliator. Anything with kaolin in it can be drying for those with dry skin so I did find that my skin was on the tighter side after use so apply moisturizer right away.

If you just want to keep things simple then this probably isn't the best product for you, but for those that are looking for a truly natural product AND treat skincare like their own personal playground, this is certainly one to try!   


So? Who's goin' for it?! Are powdered cleansers just too much work?

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