Growing up my mother always had this weird thing in her shower. It was a loofah and a weird one at that. As a child you don’t really worry about exfoliating so knowing my mom would intentionally scratch her skin with that thing confused me. But little did I know what this thing actually was. The real original loofah is not that plastic mesh we are used to seeing. It’s actually natural and a vegetable in fact. The Loofah is a vegetable in the cucumber family and when it eventually dries out it becomes a sponge and exfoliant at the same time with a wide range of uses. The loofah vegetable is very popular throughout African and Asian cooking. As well as a very interesting vegetable to grow.
Not only is the loofah great for exfoliating, but can also make a great natural dish washing scrub as well. Many people grow and use their own loofahs which makes it the more interesting and useful. I wont be growing any, but I have been interested in dry brushing and what better way to put my mom’s weird bath tool to use.
So last week I decided to buy one. It took me a couple of days to find it but I finally found it near my sister’s house at her local Indian shop. I got this big Ol’ loofah and started laughing when I saw it. The lady just looked at me but it was just a funny looking thing. It cost me $3 which was a great deal considering how many sponges and uses I could get out of it.
I was curious about using this loofah and had been contemplating on dry brushing for quite sometime as well. Which was the main reason why I purchased this type of loofah. Dry brushing is a technique used to not only help make the skin smoother and softer but also helps rid the body of toxins.
Here some of the great benefits to dry brushing:
– Helps with cellulite
-Helps boost immune system by stimulating lymphatic system
-Helps rid body of toxins
-Improves circulation
and many more important benefits
Dry brushing is just that, brushing your skin dry before you shower. To get the best results you must not wet your skin or the loofah. At first this was very weird but once I read the benefits to dry brushing I thought why not give it a try.
I of course cut the big piece of loofah with a knife and put the rest away in a bag where it would not gather dust. I cut a nice piece and there were seeds in them which you can see in the photo above. I left them in since they don’t interfere whatsoever. It is recommended you start right before a shower, start with your feet, exfoliating upwards towards your heart.
Below is the video I watched to give me an idea which is pretty simple:
I keep my loofah by a window to prevent mold. I have been dry brushing before my showers about every 2-3 days but you can dry brush everyday if you would like. When I first tried it I noticed my skin shining as if I had just polished my skin. And that was before the shower. Also my skin felt tingly which was very interesting. When dry, the loofah feels coarse but not that rough either and my skin felt very smooth afterwards. I either use shea butter to moisturize or coconut oil and so far my skin is feeling and looking great. Not only is this great for the immune system but also helps with cellulite as well as stimulates the body to naturally detox. You can also use this loofah wet which I love to use on my elbows and feet. So far I will be adding this to my skincare regimen especially with the added health benefits.
For more information on growing your own loofah and dry brushing check these websites out:
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