How to Make Your Own Natural Loofah Sponge

I am back with another DIY. Let's learn how to make your own 100% natural loofah for exfoliating your body during bathing. A loofah like this costs anywhere between INR 60 to INR 250 in the market, when you can easily get it for free.

I am blessed to have grown up in completely natural surroundings, close to nature. We used to use this loofah often during childhood. A few years ago, I was surprised to see it is beautified and sold in the market for a good price.

Natural Loofah, loofa or luffa is the fibre of dried bottle gourd. It grows on a vine and is easily available in many countries. In India, it grows in abundance August onwards and is a winter vegetable.

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If you do not pluck it from the plant, the gourd dries on the vine and looks like this. 

Please note that the plucked bottle gourd bought from the market would NOT dry into this. It needs to dry naturally while hanging from the plant.

Pull out the fibers to easily remove the dry peel

When you remove the dried peel, you expose this beautiful golden natural loofah. 

It is modified into different shapes and the price increases accordingly.

Here I cut it into two pieces simply using a pair of scissors.

The bigger half is my loofah. You put a thread or ribbon through it and it looks like the first picture above. Make sure that the cut ends on both sides are not abrasive. It they are sharp, just rub them against a rough surface to smoothen the edges.

HOW TO USE?

Just wet it a little and scrub on the body after applying soap. Else pour your shower gel directly on the wet loofah and scrub. You need to dry it everyday else it will catch fungus and won't last long. If you can get your hands on it in a village/kitchen garden or anywhere else, make many loofahs and stock them. Replace whenever required.

Now let's see what I did with the smaller half.

Ta da, you can be creative and make many other things out of it. Varnish it. You can even dip-dye it in food color or cloth color and make colored flowers in a dry flower arrangement. I used to do that as a kid and they look really beautiful.

Loofah Flowers dipped dyed in food color

Leave them to drip dry hanging from a cloth line

OTHER USES:

• You can turn it into powder using a mixer blender and keep in the bathroom. Just add to your shower gel when you want to use it as a body polish. It is the same natural loofah power which is also used in The Body Shop body polish and other brands. I think it may be a little too abrasive to use on the face, so do NOT use in a face wash.
• You can use it as a scrubber when washing utensils.
• If you know soap making, turn it into a loofah soap :) See THIS interesting loofah soap-making article.
• Use it as a moss for small indoor creeper plants. Else tie many of these around a long rod and fix it into a pot for your money plant or other creepers to creep up.

Loofah Soap

How did you like this article. Do let me know :)

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