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Four Rules You ABSOLUTELY MUST Follow If You Use a Loofah

17 May, 2020 - 10:25am by - First Lady | 20 Comments

by BR Tabatha

Loofahs.  Poufs.  Scrubby nets.  Shower thingy.  

Whatever you call it, if you use a natural loofah or a plastic net version or even a Konjac Sponge, you're probably going to add 'buy a new one' on your to-do list.  You see, that seemingly simple scrubber that leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth could actually be one of the dirtiest things in your bathroom.

According to the Journal of Clinical Microbiology; "loofah sponges (and other exfoliatives) can serve as a reservoir and a vehicle for the transmission of potentially pathogenic species to the human skin"   In other words - they're a breeding ground for bacteria and icky stuff that can cause folliculitis, yeast, and fungal infections.

Think about it - loofahs, natural or plastic, have lots of, well, gaps, for dead skin cells to accumulate.  Natural loofahs are also really porous, which means they'll hold a lot of water between uses.  And what do we do after using them in the shower?  We leave them in the moist shower environment between uses, which means regardless of type, loofahs never really dry out.  Ergo.  Bacteria.  And lots of it.

If you're suffering from break outs on your body, or irritated skin, the culprit may not be that new shower gel, or the aftermath of shaving.  It could in fact be that which you rely on to get clean.  

Here are the four rules of owning a loofah.

1.  Relace them often

If you choose to use a natural loofah you'll need to replace it monthly.  YES, you read that right, every single month.  If you use a plastic pouf then every other month.  Which we know - isn't kind to the environment.  So maybe stick with natural.

2.  Dry after every use

Before you get out of the shower rinse your loofah through well and hang is somewhere cool and dry (outside of the shower) to air dry thoroughly before the next use.

3. Clean it weekly.

Once a week you'll want to disinfect your loofah.  You can soak it in a diluted bleach solution or a tea tree solution or even run it through the dishwasher.  If it's a natural loofah you can completely saturate it with water before microwaving for a couple of minutes.  (Don't do this with a plastic pouf!)

4.  Know where and when to use it.

Don't use a loofah on your face or genitals - not just for hygiene reasons, but simply because these delicate areas really don't need scrubbing that hard.

Don't use a loofah directly after shaving or on any open shaving sores.  

If you can't commit to the four golden rules of owning a loofah we recommend you stick to using a face cloth / flannel in the shower - at the very least they're low maintenance and you can simply throw them in the laundry after every use!

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Comments

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6th July, 2020

Wow that is way more high maintenance than I was expecting. I would still opt for the loofah over a plastic product though. Hmm maybe I need to start growing loofahs!

2nd July, 2020

This is why I don’t bother with a loofah!

6th June, 2020

I used to use one. Now I don't anymore.

6th June, 2020

But I just love the look of loofahs and scrubby things in my bathroom! It makes me feel like I’m at a spa haha

28th May, 2020

Oop I better replace my loofah :o

24th May, 2020

I replace mine frequency but didn't even think about disinfecting it. That's good to know!

23rd May, 2020

Yuck. Makes sense. Time to biff my not so old one out anyways

21st May, 2020

My whole family use these (shower thingys) and after reading this I’m going to throw them all out and get new ones. I’ve only been replacing them about every 3-6 months.

19th May, 2020

I use a dry brush and love it, has lasted ages even with a clean occasionally. Can’t use anything else knowing what a breeding ground it could possibly be

19th May, 2020

I threw mine out today and bought a new one!

19th May, 2020

I don't use a loofah. I have brushes I sometimes use, but I prefer exfoliating gloves. Great tips :)

18th May, 2020

Gosh I didn’t know this at all. I’ve been using a flannel.

17th May, 2020

I used to use them but got sick of replacing them all the time.

17th May, 2020

I loved using a loofah but when I read similar information about it being a breeding ground for germs I threw it out. Haven't had one for atleast six months and I miss it, but have noticed I have less skin issues. I just use an exfoliating scrub every other day and skin still gets the scrubbyness I like.

17th May, 2020

This article reminds me it’s really time for me to clean my exfoliating shower towel....

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