What Is A Loofah? 

Loofah or ridge-gourd is a vegetable classed under the Cucurbitaceous (cucumber) family that abounds in tropical and subtropical regions. It is actually the fruit of the two popular Cucurbitaceous species or varieties-Luffa acutangula and Luffa Aegyptiaca which is generally referred to as loofah or luffa. The gourd plant is extensively cultivated and its fruit when harvested much before it ripens, is used for preparing delectable dishes.

When the mature fruit is allowed to dry, a fibrous, sponge-like structure remains. The fibers can be boiled in water, which is then used as medicine. Luffa is taken by mouth for treating and preventing colds. Sometimes the whole luffa “sponge” is rubbed against the skin to remove dead skin and stimulate the skin.

Often the loofah is allowed to ripen fully rendering it extremely fibrous which is then deseeded and completely dried. The loofah fruit, when it is green and unripe, has spongy flesh and is pulpy inside with white seeds. When the loofah is harvested as a fully matured fruit, it is stripped of its skin and seeds to be used as a scrubbing sponge in kitchens and bathrooms.

Luffa is 100 % Natural.

The Loofah sponge is composed of slightly rough fibers that are very helpful in exfoliating your skin. In addition to this, it is also beneficial for you to eliminate dead skin cells that will automatically give you smooth, youthful as well as glowing skin. It stimulates your skin's blood circulation.

What Is A Loofah Used For?

Keep the following facts in your mind when you go out to buy a loofah from the grocery store. These are characterized by their pale straw hue and have a typical herbaceous odor. Loofahs, before these are processed and treated, have a singular cylindrical or bottle shape depending upon the original shape of the fruit.

The same is usually sliced into discs and sold in bunches or as individual units. However, you can buy the loofah in its cylindrical, unsliced form from any apothecary, chemist shop, or drugstore or at any outlet that retails skincare and/or body-care accessories. You should be able to tell a loofah from a synthetic bath hassock or puff as the former is more beneficial for the skin because of its plant origin.

How To Use A Loofah?

Soak the loofah in running water in order to make it spongy. However, soaking the natural scrub in warm water will render it spongier making it perfectly amenable for scrubbing. Pour some droplets of body wash from a dispenser or rub a soap bar over the surface of the loofah.

Start brushing the loofah scrub from the area just beneath your neck working up a good lather. Scrub it lightly all over your body in a round pattern and scrape the same under your armpits as well as the ankles, soles of feet, and heels. Scrubbing the loofah using circular patterns helps in the removal of dead and damaged skin cells thoroughly.

After you’re done scraping the entire skin surface, stand under the shower to wash away the lather completely and make you feel refreshed.

Loofah Aftercare

Loofah sponges owing to their distinctive meshed and porous structure make them perfect breeding grounds for bacteria and molds. Bacteria and/or fungal organisms thrive on the dead cells stuck on the loofah surface and their growth is accelerated as the scrub stays in a bathroom where the environment tends to be moist. Therefore using a loofah that is not cleaned and dried every time after you shower can become unhygienic, leading to skin infections.

After scrubbing your body with the loofah, rinse it completely cleansing it of lather. Thereafter, shake it vigorously and keep it cool, dry place so that it dries out quickly. Avoid using the loofah on the day you shave your limbs as well as for the next 4-5 days. As a matter of fact, scraping with a loofah twice weekly would be par for the course, and cleanse it once every week.

For rinsing it hygienically, prepare a bleaching solution, dilute it adequately, and let the loofah soak for 5-7 minutes. Thereafter take out the swab from the solution, wash it in running water, shake off the water, and let it dry. Refrain from rubbing the loofah on the genitals and the area immediately surrounding it as well as on the face.

Loofah Sponge Benefits

Using a loofah on a regular basis prior to a shower or bath results in multiple health benefits for the skin. Scraping the loofah all over the body helps in removing dead and damaged skin cells, leaving the skin cleansed and well-conditioned. Besides, eliminating dead cells, loofah acts as a superlative purifier, helping in the removal of impurities and toxicities from the bloodstream.

As far as using a loofah as a body scrub is concerned, you should not only clean it regularly but also replace the same with a fresh one once every three weeks, particularly if it happens to be of the plant variety. In case your loofah is plastic or synthetic, consider replacing it after every two months.

These Luffa sponges when wet are naturally soft and supreme when it comes to exfoliation of the skin. Along with being very durable, they are 100% biodegradable, natural farm-grown sponges that are prepared by hand in Mexico's Tropical Highlands. These are NOT the hard chemically treated cheap foreign-grown sponges you find in most stores and online. The Luffa sponges we grow are very unique and by far the best you will ever encounter. Please rinse them in warm water before use and the luxuriousness of the Luffa will unfold in your hand.

Since these Luffas are all-natural, you may notice that a Luffa's color can be from light brown to off-white. Because they are NOT bleached, a Luffa will probably have discoloration in areas or even a seed or two. This is perfectly normal and will not affect the performance of the sponge.

Although they are incredible in the bath or shower, there are many uses for these durable Luffa sponges. They are great for washing dishes, windows, laminate floors, baseboards, sinks, granite, and tile countertops. I'm sure you can imagine a great many more uses for these amazing sponges!

You can cut these sponges while wet with scissors, or when dry, with a smooth edge butcher's knife to any size.