What's a Mitty?

Mittys are next-generation washcloths. They're ultra-soft, really effective, adorable, and they last for years.

Mittys come in many sizes, colors, and shapes. If it was made by Take My Face Off and fits on a hand or finger (like a mitt) and it cleanses skin, we call it a Mitty.

Mittys replace washcloths, facecloths, cotton balls, rounds, pads, and facial wipes. Why would we want to replace them? Check out this and this. We find the Mitty Detailer pointy tip also works better than cotton swabs in many situations.

At first, we thought Mittys would be white so you could really see the makeup being removed. But we found that more people wanted colorful Mittys because they were afraid makeup stains would be too obvious. Interestingly, our fabric releases stains beautifully and usually comes out super clean (this varies based on the specific makeup and the specific washer).

For ourselves, we usually use the blue ones (Makeup Mittys) for our face, the black ones (Mitty Minis in Black) for eye makeup removal, the pink (Mitty Minis in Pink) for toner,  and Vlada's Mitty Pout for lipstick removal. But they're all made of the same fabric, they're all super-convenient, and they all work with any cleanser. Mix it up any way you like!

So many options! You can use damp ones to wipe cleanser off your face. You can put the cleanser on the Mitty and massage it around your face. You can use Mittys for eye makeup removal, for toner application, for mask removal...the list goes on and on. Anything that needs to be applied to or removed from skin can work with a Mitty.

We find that most people use the round end for larger surfaces (the face, the browbone, etc.) and the smaller Mitty Detailer tip for eye makeup removal, getting into the lashline, cleansing around the nose and ears, and lipstick touchups. 

Most of the time, we use Mittys in place of washcloths, cotton balls, or wipes. Some people use it to blot shine, to clean their makeup brushes, and to grab eye shadow fallout. We also know people who keep a supply on hand for their children or pets. Mittys are so gentle, effective, and easy to manipulate that they lend themselves to anything that benefits from their gentle treatment.

Literally all cleansers: soap, oils, gels, foams, creams, balms, micellar water, eye makeup remover, you name it. We also love it with toner, astringent, and essence, and it's fantastic at removing masks.

Actually, they do, but we don't like this cleansing method--it's extremely aggressive, it's bad for your elastin, and it doesn't remove all the grime. Mitty fabric is much higher quality than the products that promote this, but we're still opposed! Our dermatologists agree--don't skip the cleanser and don't yank at your skin (no matter what those other brands say). 

We like to toss them in the washer and dryer with the rest of your laundry (skip the fabric softener and bleach). Some people like to wash them at the sink right after use with hand soap or shampoo, then hang them to dry by the Detailer tip. The fabric is deceptively strong--it keeps the texture and softness through thousands of washes.

We strongly recommend it. Some people use washcloths more than once without laundering, and we know of other fabric makeup removers that claim you don't have to wash them, but we think that cleaning your face with a dirty cloth is a bad idea.

Some apartment dwellers get by with just one single Mitty. They wash it at the sink with hand soap or shampoo and hang it to dry. We like to have enough around to last until laundry day (kind of like socks!). But we designed them to be easy to clean and fast-drying, so you can take your pick.

We don't know. Four years in, our earliest prototypes are still in use and we've never heard of one wearing out. You should expect to keep them at least a few years.

No, we make them that way on purpose. When they lie flat, some users don't realize that each Mitty has TWO pockets. People tend to only notice one side if the flaps lie flat.

We wouldn't have come up with this design if it weren't for a manufacturing problem we experienced at the beginning. When we were first searching for sewing contractors, all the factories told us that the shape and fabric were too difficult and too expensive. After a lot of frustrating conversations, we took matters into our own hands and came up with a cool pattern that reduced costs (and happened to involve the overlap). Thanks to the overlap-related innovation, we can afford to make Mittys in the US.

We use a fancy Korean plush that we found during a year of intense searching and testing. It looks like typical plush, but it's much smoother, more consistent, and longer lasting than cheaper versions. The fibers are tiny but smooth and strong--they don't shed, they don't tangle, and they release stains (unlike other plush products that leave fluff in your eyelashes and get tangled with repeat use). Our lovely fibers grab makeup without tugging your skin. 

Not only is our fabric the best we could find, it's the "greenest." We had some environmental questions about using polyester, so we dug into the math and science behind fabric production. We discovered that our fabric is actually far "greener" than the natural fabrics we tested because it lasts years longer. Manufacturing anything (even organic fabrics) uses resources and creates some level of pollution. When we compared the different inputs and outputs of the various fabrics, and then looked at how often they would have to be replaced, we discovered that the total pollution from our fabric was MUCH lower than from any organic fabric.

To illustrate, our favorite organic hemp only worked for about three months of makeup removal before it was too stained and ratty for use. Since our oldest Mittys are almost four years old, that means that one Korean plush Mitty could substitute for 16 hemp Mittys. Manufacturing the hemp Mitty creates less pollution than manufacturing a plush Mitty, but 16 hemp Mittys create A LOT more pollution than one plush Mitty. : )

The fabric we use is extremely recyclable, and the market for fabric recycling is strong. We've been planning a Mitty recycling program for the future--we'll help people find the closest fabric recycling location, or we'll take the Mitty back and recycle it ourselves. Thing is, we haven't yet heard of a Mitty that was ready to be recycled. But when that time comes, we want to be ready.

We are always searching for new, greener fabrics. We haven't yet found a recycled fabric that's suitable for skincare, but we hope to soon. There are so many innovations happening right now with fabric production and sustainability! It seems like it's just a matter of time.

That's something we think about every day. Our main mission is to get beauty consumers to switch away from seriously harmful disposables. To do this, we have to offer something far superior, so our first criteria is performance (remember that ANY reusable fabric we choose is better than a disposable). Second, we want that fabric to be as "green" as possible. The math currently tells us that our long-lasting plush is the greenest because it's...long lasting. See "What are Mittys made of?" above.

YES! We love them for trips. They're so much softer than hotel washcloths, and they substitute for wipes, cotton balls, and swabs in your suitcase. You can bring just one, wash after each use, hang to dry by the Mitty Detailer tip, and it's ready for the next use.

Once on a camping trip, our founder accidentally only packed one Mitty. So she (mentally) sectioned the Mitty into four parts--each round side (two sides) and each pointy side (two sides). This gave her four different clean surfaces for four cleansing sessions with micellar water. She was shocked at how good her skin felt. Still, she went back to a luxurious one-to-three Mittys per day (one for face washing, one for eye makeup removal, and one for toner) once she was home.

Nail polish remover. Motor oil. Chemical solvents (although we're testing them on special effects-type makeup--so far so good!). Don't use them with anything crazy harsh that doesn't wash out in the laundry.

Our founder is from Texas, which has a lot of Southern speech-isms. Growing up, she would hear phrases like, "I'm gonna go put my face on," or "let me just take my face off" if someone wanted to apply or remove makeup. Looking for a name that would be fun, memorable, and communicative, she suddenly remembered the phrase from her childhood and knew it was meant to be!