Junior and Lil Miss are staying with us Oldies for Half Term.
The subject of Loofahs came up. The kids had never heard of one. The Missus knows the name but never had one.
I grew up with Loofahs. That long springy tube like a sackcloth leg that lived in the bath next to its mates, sponge and pumice.
Good for scrubbin backs and other rear gear, Loofahs were sensitive graters that dried out in between jobs.
I had no idea where they came from as a kid. I didn't even know what they were. As mysterious as capers and baby bio, they were just there.
I imagine it's not environmentally friendly
Did you grow up with a loofah?
Loofahs were extremely environmentally friendly as they were dried sea sponges - live creatures harvested from the sea and dehydrated. If you looked at one from the end, you could generally see the three chambers running the length of the cylinder and the fibrous mat of material making up the body of the sponge. They generally arrived flat and plumped up when immersed in water. Whether this practice is still ongoing or if loofahs are now entirely synthetic, I don't know. The other natural product we always had in the bathroom was a chunk of pumice stone - aerated volcanic rock, which floated happily in the bath and was used to take rough skin off calloused feet! oh and the large scallop shell soap dish too!
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