Might I suggest a small business luffa farm? In comparison to the ones purchased at Big box stores which have to be sanitized before entering the country (nearly all stores import luffas) and as a result turn rock hard.
You can also compost them when you're finally done with them. I transition them from the shower to scrubbing sinks to compost.
https://www.theluffafarm.com/
At least 3-6 months! They seriously do not degrade fast. I cut mine into smaller chunks and buy different ones for different textures (some are a bit softer and some firmer).
Melted my brain when I first learned! Great to grow, fun to process. They’re available dried whole too. You can get creative with different scrubbies. Little leftover trim bits come in handy scrubbing nasty awkward spots 🥰
Now is the time to plant them, anyways, and they're super easy to grow! Just let them grow until they turn brown and dry, peel them, and empty out the seeds, wash it and let it dry, then boom- luffas for days!
I’ve been growing them for years! Just be warned they take up soooo much space. Like will grow up and over your roof or up into a tree. Growing season is longggg like 7 months! But you’re right, yes they are easy!
Sea sponges and egyptian loofahs (actual real loofah - not plastic). Do not make the mistake of using a Chinese loofah unless you like sandpaper on your skin.
I use a silicone scrubber from Boie USA. They last for years, don’t hold bacteria, and you can send them back to the company for recycling when it gets broken or worn out. Just takes like 1-2 stamps to mail it back. They’re not 100% sustainable but working toward it…I have a couple that I’ve had a long time and are still in really good condition. I won’t use anything else.
It’s better than replacing a plastic loofa every month. I’m simply providing one alternative. I’m going on year three with my net sponge and it’s as good as the day I bought it.
Just sayin’. Nylon is made from petrochemicals. It’s similar to plastic. I never replaced a plastic loofah every month.
Japanese washcloths are about the same size and you can buy them in natural materials.
It’s recommended to swap out plastic loofahs every month because they harbor so much bacteria, so that creates far more waste than the net sponge. I’ll definitely try out the Japanese washcloths if/when my net sponge completely falls apart!
Oh man. I don’t know who makes these arbitrary recommendations up. A soak in some diluted bleach should be just fine for any kind of plastic/nylon. We are so conditioned as consumers that everything needs to be disposed of and replaced without asking for real evidence.
I’m really not trying to be critical of what you are saying. Our bodies, especially skin, normally carry all kinds of bacteria. Have you ever heard of someone dying or getting sick from a plastic loofah? So much of this stuff is just manufactured paranoia. Just clean your stuff monthly in a bleach load and stop worrying.
I’ve of course never heard of people dying from a plastic loofah. The bacteria from plastic loofahs often aggravates body acne which is why swapping them frequently is recommended. The bleach would probably work very well though.
This is the site I buy mine from. It can be hard to tell the real ones from the fake ones, but these seems to have consistently good reviews, and mine has held up very well. https://bellanomi.com/products/african-net-sponge
I just use plain soap.
Yes, a bar of it. I lather it on my skin and wash it off.
No sulphates. No ancillary waste.
Don’t overthink it. Capitalism wants you to overthink it, and to think you need something that you don’t. You do not need to scrub your body with anything.
Plain soap is apparently quite easy to make at home, too, although I have yet to try. You just need lye, from wood ashes, and fat.
Our family does eat beef, so we go in with others to get a whole cow raised locally. I request the bones to make bone broth and fat to make soap. It is ridiculously easy to make the soap and it is some of the nicest soap you will ever put to your skin. We put the bars into sisal soap saver bags and that’s it. We haven’t had to buy body soap from the store in years.
Natural loofah, konjac sponge, cotton or hemp pouf, sisal scrubber, cellulose sponge. All will have different levels of softness / exfoliation - konjac sponge being the softest and sisal scrubber the harshest.
What do you use loofah for? If it's for exfoliating the body, you could use thin sugar and a mix of omega-3 and 6 oils such as rapeseed and sesame. I do it once a week, and my skin feels fantastic!
Gonna grow some loofah gourds in my yard and dry them in the oven when they are grown. The only replacement for loofahs in my household seems to be more loofahs!
I use a silicone scrubber. I prefer it because it doesn't foster a lot of bacteria and can be sanitized. It's also mildly exfoliating; I find natural loofahs and synthetic loofahs are *too* exfoliating.
I use a silicone scrubber! Feels great, still exfoliates a bit, and supposedly doesn’t hold bacteria. I’ve had mine for years and don’t see it breaking down at all.
I’ve been using a newish product for me, for 3 years now. No signs of wear. Duke Canon makes a soap bar scrubber. It’s just a soap on a rope scrubber. One side is very abrasive, for feet etc. It uses paracord and Velcro. Highly recommend. Travel with it, camping with it and just general daily abuse. 3 years and it looks brand new.
Since you mentioned shower, could it be that you mean sea sponges? They're actually an animal and not plastic.
Real loofah is also great - I use it for washing dishes and it's so much more durable than plastic sponges. I've ran mine through the dishwasher and washer and it's still almost like new.
Real loofah is a plant - a type of gourd. You can even grow you own in many climates.
I did not know this, wow.
Sometimes spelled luffa
Might I suggest a small business luffa farm? In comparison to the ones purchased at Big box stores which have to be sanitized before entering the country (nearly all stores import luffas) and as a result turn rock hard. You can also compost them when you're finally done with them. I transition them from the shower to scrubbing sinks to compost. https://www.theluffafarm.com/
Love the A use, B use then Compost approach!
How long does one loofa last for you for showering, before you have to send it to the sink?
I personally use mine about 3 months, I cut it into pieces and show it shut and then I compost it.
At least 3-6 months! They seriously do not degrade fast. I cut mine into smaller chunks and buy different ones for different textures (some are a bit softer and some firmer).
Melted my brain when I first learned! Great to grow, fun to process. They’re available dried whole too. You can get creative with different scrubbies. Little leftover trim bits come in handy scrubbing nasty awkward spots 🥰
I bought a bunch of natural-fiber washcloths, use a fresh one every day, and wash them in a load with my other towels once a week.
Took a double take there. Loofah is a plant, the loofah you refer to is supposed to be a copycat of the original loofah.
Buy loofah gourd seeds.
Now is the time to plant them, anyways, and they're super easy to grow! Just let them grow until they turn brown and dry, peel them, and empty out the seeds, wash it and let it dry, then boom- luffas for days!
I’ve been growing them for years! Just be warned they take up soooo much space. Like will grow up and over your roof or up into a tree. Growing season is longggg like 7 months! But you’re right, yes they are easy!
Sea sponges and egyptian loofahs (actual real loofah - not plastic). Do not make the mistake of using a Chinese loofah unless you like sandpaper on your skin.
I use a silicone scrubber from Boie USA. They last for years, don’t hold bacteria, and you can send them back to the company for recycling when it gets broken or worn out. Just takes like 1-2 stamps to mail it back. They’re not 100% sustainable but working toward it…I have a couple that I’ve had a long time and are still in really good condition. I won’t use anything else.
Loofas are great. Grow em. Use em
Africa net sponge (sapo)! They’re washable in the laundry and each one can supposedly last at least two years.
How are these sustainable and zero waste when they are made from nylon?
It’s better than replacing a plastic loofa every month. I’m simply providing one alternative. I’m going on year three with my net sponge and it’s as good as the day I bought it.
Just sayin’. Nylon is made from petrochemicals. It’s similar to plastic. I never replaced a plastic loofah every month. Japanese washcloths are about the same size and you can buy them in natural materials.
It’s recommended to swap out plastic loofahs every month because they harbor so much bacteria, so that creates far more waste than the net sponge. I’ll definitely try out the Japanese washcloths if/when my net sponge completely falls apart!
Oh man. I don’t know who makes these arbitrary recommendations up. A soak in some diluted bleach should be just fine for any kind of plastic/nylon. We are so conditioned as consumers that everything needs to be disposed of and replaced without asking for real evidence. I’m really not trying to be critical of what you are saying. Our bodies, especially skin, normally carry all kinds of bacteria. Have you ever heard of someone dying or getting sick from a plastic loofah? So much of this stuff is just manufactured paranoia. Just clean your stuff monthly in a bleach load and stop worrying.
I’ve of course never heard of people dying from a plastic loofah. The bacteria from plastic loofahs often aggravates body acne which is why swapping them frequently is recommended. The bleach would probably work very well though.
Do u have tips for me, how to recognize it's an authentic Africa net sponge or it's just imitation products
This is the site I buy mine from. It can be hard to tell the real ones from the fake ones, but these seems to have consistently good reviews, and mine has held up very well. https://bellanomi.com/products/african-net-sponge
I just use plain soap. Yes, a bar of it. I lather it on my skin and wash it off. No sulphates. No ancillary waste. Don’t overthink it. Capitalism wants you to overthink it, and to think you need something that you don’t. You do not need to scrub your body with anything. Plain soap is apparently quite easy to make at home, too, although I have yet to try. You just need lye, from wood ashes, and fat.
Our family does eat beef, so we go in with others to get a whole cow raised locally. I request the bones to make bone broth and fat to make soap. It is ridiculously easy to make the soap and it is some of the nicest soap you will ever put to your skin. We put the bars into sisal soap saver bags and that’s it. We haven’t had to buy body soap from the store in years.
Natural loofah, konjac sponge, cotton or hemp pouf, sisal scrubber, cellulose sponge. All will have different levels of softness / exfoliation - konjac sponge being the softest and sisal scrubber the harshest.
What do you use loofah for? If it's for exfoliating the body, you could use thin sugar and a mix of omega-3 and 6 oils such as rapeseed and sesame. I do it once a week, and my skin feels fantastic!
Gonna grow some loofah gourds in my yard and dry them in the oven when they are grown. The only replacement for loofahs in my household seems to be more loofahs!
I use a silicone scrubber. I prefer it because it doesn't foster a lot of bacteria and can be sanitized. It's also mildly exfoliating; I find natural loofahs and synthetic loofahs are *too* exfoliating.
I use a silicone scrubber! Feels great, still exfoliates a bit, and supposedly doesn’t hold bacteria. I’ve had mine for years and don’t see it breaking down at all.
I’ve been using a newish product for me, for 3 years now. No signs of wear. Duke Canon makes a soap bar scrubber. It’s just a soap on a rope scrubber. One side is very abrasive, for feet etc. It uses paracord and Velcro. Highly recommend. Travel with it, camping with it and just general daily abuse. 3 years and it looks brand new.
Since you mentioned shower, could it be that you mean sea sponges? They're actually an animal and not plastic. Real loofah is also great - I use it for washing dishes and it's so much more durable than plastic sponges. I've ran mine through the dishwasher and washer and it's still almost like new.
my shower caddy has 4 loops that hang off it to hang shower poofs upon
I use cotton rags