The Is What Loofahs Are Shockingly Made Of

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

This article was originally published on HelloGiggles.com.

There's a good chance that you have at least one loofah hanging up in your shower. And, you obviously have quite a personal relationship with it. While this information was likely available for awhile, we just learned what natural loofahs are made out of, and - well - we honestly had no clue.

Just for the record, it's nothing that'll gross you out. It's just a material that's so unusual, that when you think about it a little too hard, showering with one just seems kind of wrong.

Before we get into it, know that we don't mean the colorful plastic loofahs you can pick up at the grocery store on a whim. (Since, uh. You totally forgot the last time you replaced it.)

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We're talking about the slightly more upscale white ones that you can find in a lot of beauty-centric stores.

Buzzfeed was the first to spread the information that those types of loofahs are actually made from dried gourds.

Oh Yes. You heard right.

Dried gourds

Out in nature, the gourd in question is called the "luffa aegyptiaca," otherwise known as the "sponge gourd." Looking like a cucumber, it's versatile enough that it's seen as both a fruit and a vegetable. Pretty cool, huh?

The "loofah" material that we're familiar with is actually found inside the gourd, so just by looking at them in their typical form, we wouldn't have put two-and-two together. Yes, even though it's known as a "sponge gourd," we didn't get the hint.

Those of us in America typically don't eat the vegetable. And while we're not sure who decided to market them for shower time, we've got to hand it to them - it's strange, but nothing exfoliates better.

This is just proof that it's important to be innovative. Who knows? Perhaps in a few years, you can market a brand new use for apples and oranges, and never have to worry about money again.