One of the best things, when I write about stuff that relates to me the most, is that I know more facts about it while writing. I ask my mom a lot of stuff, and she surprises me every time. Like now, I just knew that my grandpa used to plant Egyptian loofahs at their garden. Things that she says casually, like oh yeah, it was there, fresh and has an earthy smell that you want to fill your lungs with. 
Besides all the roses and fruits and vegetables. And here I am, someone will feel like a lost puppy if I ever forget mine while traveling.
When I shower without it, I feel like I never did. I actually suffer when I don’t travel with it. That happened two months ago when I thought it never a big deal and used different kinds of loofah, but nothing is compared to this one. Don’t imagine that hard never moving with your body on the stick loofah, or the very thin kind, it’s far from these. This is the OG of all.
Where to find it
The Egyptian organic loofah is not too hard, not too soft, the knit of it is pliable, but its texture is all you need for the perfect scrub. It exfoliates, prevents ingrown hairs, scrub the skin and remove dead skin, but doesn’t all do that? No, think of it as the Egyptian cotton sheets, the same excellence but in the shape of loofahs. I asked my sister to get me a good one when she was in Egypt. And by good, I mean old and dark. The older it gets, the better it will serve you. You can find men with carts on local streets sell it or in public markets and spice dealers. I prefer the markets because they sell it older than the man on the streets. I believe you ask yourself now, do you mean I have to go to Egypt to get a loofah? No, I’m saying if you’re there by any chance, it’s mandatory to be on your buying list. Plus, there’s nothing you can not order online but when you do just be specific of the age of it, the texture, the length…etc. Like, you’re trying to buy fine wine online. Hard, but doable.
How To Pick It
First of all, it smells. And when it touches the water, it smells even more. It has an earthy, muddy, natural smell that you’ll get used to it fast. It has the perfect pale yellow sand color when it’s fresh a and gets darker when it gets older (perfect tan). When you grab one, look for the hidden seeds inside of it. It has big seeds that get smaller when it gets old, so if it’s there, you’ll notice it fast. It ranges from soft to hard textures. The harder and darker, the older. Which indicates a mature with enough tough fiber for a good scrub that lasts you for ages loofah. So pick what will suit you.
How It Looks Like
Naturally, loofahs look like an artful cylinder and varies in heights, you might let the man you’ll buy it from cut it out for you vertically then you may cut it yourself horizontally to see which length is better for your grab.I like an original tall length, only vertically cut to reach my back and clean it thoroughly. When it’s sliced vertically, you’ll find that the harder face is inside and the softer one is the outside face.
Before Use
If it’s your first time, it might be a little harsh in your skin, like retinoids, you have to get used to it. You may soak it in a large bowl to get it to soften a bit, you can leave it for an hour or so to soften it before use. This loofah expands a bit when gets wet— like it breaths when it touches the water!!— which makes the whole scrubbing experience foamier and dreamier.
How I Use It
In regular days: I allow the hot water to soften my skin, and in the meantime, get the leeffa wet as well to soften it a bit. I slide a bar soap on it because it’s the best thing to use with it and will make you feel squeaky clean. If you use gels, you will find it escaping from the tiny holes of the fibers and never get bubbly like the bar soap. Then I start rubbing in circular motion. There are two sides to it, hard and soft. You’ll feel your body needs in the process and will alternate between the two sides every now and then.
On special days: aka the long days and before showering, I dry brush my body, both the leefa and the body are dry in this case (sometimes I wet the leefa a bit), and I brush with a minimum pressure toward the center of the body, which stimulates the normal lymph flow. I feel rejuvenated when I dry brush. But let’s keep in mind this action is for pros that dealt with loofahs for a long time. Start with the normal routine and work your way up.
How It Feels
With the slightest pressure made against the skin, yet the most effective scrub your body will feel. It will scream MORE I need it here, and on my back OEHH…, while you’re using it, you’ll feel like you’ve never showered before. And of course, after this squeaking soft skin session, you’re skin will be ready for your body lotion like no other day.
How to Clean It
Too easy just with water.
After Use
Let it dry thoroughly to prevent bacteria from growing. Egyptian loofah doesn’t lurk, but I’m afraid of anything wet for a long time. Besides, it drys super fast and will be ready for the next use in less than 20 minutes. Also, you can soak your leefa in a diluted bleach solution once or twice a month to make it super clean.
You can use it for months before it wears out, it depends on how soft it was at the beginning, if its harder, it will stay longer. Anyone who scrubs with products will feel meh if they try this loofah. I never turn to scrub products to get real results. If anything, I use it after using the leefa because the leefa works like a toner to absorb all the product to my skin.
I also use one for my face because it’s like getting a good spa day every day. But if you have sensitive skin, you might skip that part.
