Enhance Your Self-Care Routine With Loofah
- We all love taking baths in summer. In Summer sweat, dirty and bad odors, lose our confidence. Bathing gives us that relaxation from sweat and keeps the bad odor away. Thus, it became necessary to take a bath properly. For this, we need an accessory that makes our bath an amazing experience.
- Only soap is not a good solution, you need something else that removes dirt from the body and makes us fresh for the whole day. For this purpose, you can use loofah– the bathroom accessory. It helps to remove dead cells and dirt from your body and gives you a feeling of freshness.
What is loofah sponge?
A Luffa sponge is a natural sponge that is obtained from the fibrous interior of the luffa plant. The Luffa plant belongs to the guard family.
It is used as a scrub and, exfoliates the skin. With the help of a loofah sponge, you can scrub your skin easily and it will remove dead cells from your skin.
It also improves the blood circulation in your body. Luffa sponge is one of the best bathroom accessory that takes care of your body.
Why Loofah scrub?
There are different reasons which tell us why using luffa scrub is necessary for our body:
Exfoliation
Loofah scrub is important for our skin as it helps in removing dead skin cells, dirt, and oil. Your skin feels smoother after applying this scrub and you feel freshness in your body. We all are busy with our working schedules so much, we can’t have time for our self-care routine.
Many of you may be, have sales profiles, used to get out for sales, and business meetings, in this type of busy schedule life when you return back to your home and want to have a bath, just applying soap can’t give you that relaxation that the loofah can do for you.
Blood Circulation
Blood circulation is important for our body, it keeps us energetic and our hearts healthy. Scrubbing with luffa scrub leads to blood circulation. When you scrub your body with loofa in a circular motion, it stimulates blood flow and makes your skin glowing and healthy. Blood circulation improves the proper functioning of every organ.
Massage is a way that stimulates blood flow but we don’t have time to get massage daily and some people who are used to massages keep untrained persons who don’t know to give a proper massage but still, to earn money they keep doing massages at low wages, resulting in adverse situation. So while taking a bath loofah scrub can work as a massager for your body.
Deep Cleansing:
Deep cleansing removes excess oil, dirt, blackheads, and pimples. it smoothens our skin and enhances our overall experience. It ensures skin tightening, reduces impurities, and helps in removing fatigue and stress. Applying only soap to your body is ineffective, as it does not help in deep skin cleansing. Loofah scrub penetrates the skin pores and deep cleanses your skin.
A skincare product
Luffa scrub is a natural skincare product that deep cleanses your skin and makes you fresh for a full day. It goes to the deep pores of the skin and scrubs your body effectively. Luffa is made up of the fibrous interior of the loofah plant. It removes dead cells, dirt, oil, and impurities from your skin. It removes sweat from your body and makes your skin glowing and healthy.
How to use a Loofah sponge?
You must know how to apply luffa sponge to your skin. Loofa is a healthy skin care product and is available in different shapes and sizes in all parts of our country. It is combined with the handle so you can rub your back easily. It will be easy to hold with the help of the handle and you can scrub your body gently.
- Take a loofah sponge in your hand and then wet it with warm water.
- Take a liquid soap of your choice and then pour it to make a lather on the luffa or, you can rub a soap bar on the luffa sponge.
- After making the lather, scrub the sponge on your body parts in a circular motion. Clean your ankles, knees, toes, and shoulders, and rub your back, with a loofah. Don’t scrub it rigorously. Take care of your sensitive body parts like underarms and under thighs.
- Rinse your body with cool water. If you are addicted to using warm water then you can rinse your body with warm water also. Don’t forget to rinse off the luffa sponge with warm water to remove soap from it then hang it on the wall and let it dry until the water is squeezed from it.
What precautions needs to Be taken while using Loofah?
There are some precautions you must take if you are using loofa sponge:
- Although luffa sponge is a natural product and does not have any side effects, still you need to use it gently because of its dry texture, especially in sensitive areas. Rinse the loofa every time after use and take care to rinse properly to remove soap from the loofah.
- Don’t forget to hang the luffa sponge and let it dry in a free moist area. You should dry it properly after every rinse, make sure that your bathroom is dry, and if your bathroom is humid then dry it in another room so that it does not attract any bacteria. Sanitize your loofa sponge weekly in hot boiling water atleast for 30 minutes to keep it safe from fungus and bacteria. You need to change the loofa every three to four weeks. It is not safe to use a single loofah for a longer time.
Which one is reliable Natural loofah Sponge or synthetic sponge?
It is your choice what product you want to use but some differences are mentioned below so that you can choose any of the two according to your skin type:
1. A natural luffa sponge is made up of the fibrous interior of the loofa whereas a synthetic sponge is made up of synthetic materials such as nylon and polyutherane.
2. A natural luffa sponge is eco-friendly as it is made up of loofah plant and it is a biodegradable substance but if we talk about a synthetic sponge, it is a non-biodegradable product, also, because of the plastic present in the sponge, it makes the environment polluted.
3. The texture of natural luffa sponge is rough as compared to synthetic foam but this natural sponge is more reliable than synthetic foam as it deep cleanses your skin and doesn’t affect your skin as there are not any harmful chemicals present in it and is not any harm to use natural product unless and until you apply it rigorously, whereas synthetic loofah sponge is smoother as compared to the natural one but it contains some chemical substances that can harm your skin in a long run.
4. Synthetic luffa is prepared in factories using chemicals while natural loofas are obtained from plants and then processed without any chemical use.
5. For long-term use, natural loofahs are more affordable as compared to synthetic sponges and also it is environmentally friendly.
What climate is required for The loofah plant?
The Loofah plant belongs to the guard family and requires hot and humid weather to grow. Its stem needs, a support of wall to climb like a cucumber. It should be sown in March end or in the first week of April and, it takes a long time to get prepared and can be harvested in mid of the September.
When the loofa dries up, then press the loofa with your hands softly and after that peel it, after peeling you will get your natural sponge. Boiled it first before use and dry it, so that, no bacteria come in contact with the loofah. You can change the shape of the loofa to cubical, cylindrical, or in rectangular shape.
What are the other uses of Loofah?
Loofa is not only meant for body scrub, it can be used in many areas of the home like the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom. You can clean the bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom tiles, kitchen slaps, doors, and windows. You can bring it to use as per your choice.
How to plant loofah?
If you want to plant loofah, then you should follow the methods given below step by step:
1. Seeds
First, you need high-quality seeds. You can order luffa seeds online or you can buy them from your nearby nurseries. Immature seeds of the loofa plant are white in color and soft whereas mature seeds of the loofa plant are black in color and are hard as compared to immature seeds and appear like watermelon seeds.
2. Soil
You need fertile soil for sowing loofah seeds. The soil must be rich in compost or manure and have good drainage.
3. Planting of loofa plant
You can plant luffa seeds in a pot, in a rectangular cardboard, or in the garden. Plant it deep in the soil at least 1 inch. But take care of frost, as it is a vining plant and can’t grow in cold season.
4. Watering the plant
After planting keep watering the loofah plant, but take care, not to water the plant in excess because it can damage the plant from the root.
5. Support is required
The Loofah plant belongs to the guard family and is grown like a cucumber, and bottle guard, these all require support to grow. You must provide a structure for this vining plant to climb, and at the time of harvesting, it would be easy for you only to harvest.
6. Use of fertilizers
You should use the best fertilizers and fertilize the soil from time to time as per the instructions to protect your loofah plant from pests.
7. Time to harvest
Harvest the loofa when it grows approximately 6-8 inches long, you must take care to leave a few inches of stem that is attached to the plant.
8. Let them Hang to dry
As the loofa at the time of harvesting are green in color so let them dry till they get brown and the whole process will approximately take about 6 months.
9. Pressing
After the loofa gets dried, take the loofah in your hands and press it gently so that it will be easily peeled.
10. Peeling
Peel off the loofa after pressing it by removing its hard skin, after so much hard work you will see the inner structure i.e. the interior fiber of the luffa.
11. Don't forget to clean before use
Cleaning is important before using of loofa plant, clean it in hot boiling water and let it dry in a dry room. Don’t forget that it attracts bacteria so try to avoid moisture in the room. You can collect its seeds so that you can sow these seeds next year with the same process.
12. Warehousing
Your last work is to store all the loofahs after boiling and drying them. Keep them in a dry room for future use.
The above are the steps guiding you to how to plant loofah, each step is required. Must follow the above-mentioned steps cautiously.
From Where You Can Buy Loofah?
Make sure that you purchased a natural loofa, only you can figure out the difference between a natural loofa and a synthetic sponge for your body type because sometimes shopkeeper when you go to the shop to purchase it the shopkeepers show you plastic loofahs for use, saying that there is not any hardly difference between both of them, both are same, so you are the only one who can choose which one you want to buy.
You can buy loofah from the following places:
Local Stores
You can buy luffa easily from local stores in your market area. You can buy it from supermarkets, chemists near your place, or from a local shop near your home.
Online Retailer
You can order luffa sponges online from Amazon, eBay, Etsy, blinkit, zepto. You can buy natural luffa sponges easily from the given sites.
Organic Stores
Organic Stores are also established nowadays. You can buy Natural Luffa from such stores set up near your house.
Local Farmers
If you know farmers residing near your location who are growing loofah plants then you can purchase from them as well.
Beauty and Bath Accessory stores
These stores are specially designed for bathroom accessories and the luffa being a bathroom accessory, easily available in these stores
FAQ
Natural Luffa Sponge belongs to the guard family and is best to use as compared to synthetic sponges as it doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals. Luffa sponge exfoliates the skin and removes dead cells, dirt, and sweat from your skin. Being a natural product it is beneficial for every type of skin but it needs care as it attracts bacteria so if you use loofah as per the directions it will not cause any harm to you. You must rinse to squeeze the soap from it with warm water and dry it in a moist-free room after every wash. Sanitize every week in hot boiling water for at least 30 minutes and then let it dry and change your luffa sponge after a month.
No, according to dermatologists you should not use luffa on your face. Your face is a very sensitive area and never thought to clean your face with loofah as the surface of loofa is harsh for your face. Loofa is a natural product but it doesn’t mean that it is made for every body part, you should not apply loofa on your sensitive parts such as underarms, and under thighs. it can make your sensitive area harsh. Along with it dermatologists also recommend washing your face with cold water only, daily applying soap is not the best idea for cleaning your face. apply soap or other face washes if you want to then use only twice a week and moisturize your face after every wash. You can also apply ice on your face even before you want to do party makeup. It will help the makeup to stay long and control sweat.
Yes, Loofah is a vegetable that belongs to the guard family. Loofah is also spelled as Luffa or Loofa, In Northern states of India it is served as a vegetable named ‘Torai’. When Luffa is green in color then it is harvested to eat. It is rich in nutrients. It contains many benefits, it prevents colds, sinuses, allergies, nasal swelling, constipation and even menstrual problems in women can also be cured with this vegetable. You can add loofa to your daily meal. It is also recommended for breastfeeding ladies as it helps in milk production.
No, Dermatologists never prefer you to use a Loofah sponge because of its harsh surface. They recommend you to use Loofa for 3 days a week. If you want to use it daily then, you can, but make sure that don’t use it rigorously on your skin. Apply it gently in a circular motion so that it circulates blood flow in your body. Don’t apply it without soap directly, wet the loofah first then take liquid soap or soap bar make a lather, and then apply. Be gentle with your sensitive areas like your face, underarms, under thighs. Change your loofahs from time to time, take proper care of them, sanitize them regularly in hot boiling water for 30 minutes every week, and let them dry in a moist free area to protect them from bacteria.
Generally speaking, a Luffa sponge doesn’t cause any irritation unless and until you use it harshly on your skin or loofah comes in contact with any bacteria. It should be used with care, otherwise, it will irritate your skin. if your skin is highly sensitive then don’t use it, apply in small areas of your skin and rinse with water check whether you are feeling any irritation or redness, If yes, then apply coconut oil or ice on it and contact your dermatologist without any delay.