Turkish Exfoliating Facial Mitt (silk)

Exfoliating Mitts (kese) are a tradition dating back to 14th century Turkish communal bath houses to help refresh the body by effectively removing dry skin and stimulating renewal.

This is a pre-cleansing ritual, never use soap or oils with your kese.  

Relax in a hot steamy environment for 5 to 10 minutes (bath, shower, sauna or steam bath if you are lucky).  This will soften dead skin cells, making them easier to remove.

Wet the kese mitt with hot water  and with your hand inside, begin rubbing one section of the face at a time with slow strokes up and down (not in circles).  Do not be fooled by the softness of the silk...hand reeled silk fibers have the strength of steel.   Do not overwork an area (no more than 4-5 strokes) and adjust stroke pressure to your comfort.  Move from t-zone to cheeks to neck and decolletage.

Follow exfoliation with a gentle cleansing featuring our  Bastille Conditioning FACIAL BAR  and finish your ritual with a nourishing dose of the Rosehip FACIAL SERUM.  

This is a weekly ritual as needed based on the seasonal dryness of your skin.  Take your time... after a few weeks your skin will feel amazing.  No matter how tempting, do not overwork your delicate facial skin with aggressive pressure or strokes, this is a subtle tool and your skin deserves the time and care required.  

After each use rinse your kese well with very hot water and hang until thoroughly dry.  Do not store in your shower, as the constant moist environment will shorten the life of your kese.

You may choose to occasionally wash with a simple natural unfragranced soap powder (I use Charlie's Soap) and again hang dry - never tumble dry.

With proper care and use your kese will last for years.

Jennifer's Hamam, ISTANBUL

Just 40 short years ago, weaving villages around Turkey were chocker-block full of many old-style shuttled looms.  Even in Istanbul, looms making the famous looped Turkish towels (plush terry towels) could be found.  Then less expensive machine woven and cheap imports took over the market,  bankrupting most shuttle loom weavers and nearly destroying this precious cultural heritage. 

The remaining artisans can only be found in a few villages scattered from the south to the southeast of Turkey. Jennifer's Hamam works directly with these artisans to create beautiful traditional hand woven linens from indigenous organic fibers (GOTS certified organic cotton, goat fiber, linen and hand reeled silk), keeping this priceless cultural tradition alive and sharing it with the world.