Should You Use A Loofah Or Not?

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At some point or the other, we all have asked ourselves this question. Is it safe to use a loofah or not? Amid so many opinions and rumours running rampant, it is hard to make a firm decision!

Flying with random opinion is not for us. We had to know hard facts. So, we got down to investigate. Time to go beyond the ever-green liquid soap Vs. bar soap debate and look into good ol' loofah! And, here is what we found.

Your shower sponge is a haven for bacterial activity. It is true! Your loofah effectively does the job of sloughing off the dead skin layers, which invariantly get stuck in the fibrous material of the shower poufs.

Added to it, the lack of air circulation, humidity, and moist environment of your bathroom only serves to further cultivate the bacteria.

So, every time you take a shower, you are only rubbing yesterday's bacteria back onto your skin. Now, your skin is pretty resilient with inherent capacity to fight off bacterial attack.

However, this is not really the case; and if you have open pores, wound or scabs, your skin is twice as susceptible to bacteria!

So we suggest you toss your beloved spongy, squeezy, lather-producing puff and use your hands instead to lather on the shower gel.

If you are not too keen on giving up your shower pouf just yet, here are a few tricks you can try to keep it clean!

Let It Dry Fully

Once done using, use the same shower gel to wash it thoroughly. Squeeze out the excess water and put the loofah outside the bathroom to dry. You can also try keeping the shower door open for the loofah to dry. But, it is rather safer to keep the loofah outside the humid atmosphere of the bathroom.

Microwave It

Avoid using a plastic loofah. You can clean synthetic sponge by dousing it water thoroughly, wringing out the excess, and placing it in the microwave for not more than 20 seconds. Do this occasionally to clean out your loofah.

Caution - Avoid putting anything in the microwave, which has a potential to catch fire!

Hot Water Cleansing

Heat a cup of water in a pan until it comes to a boiling point and then add a tablespoon of lemon juice to it. Turn off the heat and let the solution cool to light warm. Immerse the loofah fully into the solution and let it stay for 15 minutes. Later, rinse the loofah thoroughly with plain water, wring out the excess and put it out to dry!

Replace It

Just like your tooth brush, you need to replace your loofah often too. If you notice your loofah change colour or smell weird, it is time to get a new one!

Avoid Using The Same Loofah On Your Face

Never commit the mistake of putting the loofah you use on your face, anywhere near your body, as it is like signing an open invitation for trouble. The bacteria will spread onto your facial skin, leading to breakouts.

Bleach Clean

Make a solution of 5% bleach and a cup of tepid warm water. Immerse the loofah in the solution and let it soak for 10 minutes. Wash it clean in plain water and put it out to dry.