What Might Happen to Your Body If You Stop Using a Sponge in the Shower

There’s nothing as relaxing as taking a warm shower after a long day. You probably have a few favorite products you like to use as a part of your daily self-care routine, and a bath sponge or loofah might be among them. Although they’re all-natural and organic, loofahs actually aren’t perfectly safe to use on a daily basis, and they might cause more harm than good over time.

Here at Bright Side, we’ve also been given cute shower puffs and loofahs in gift sets. But we’re definitely considering showering without them after we learned what might happen if we ditch them for good.

1. Your skin might look clearer.

Although loofah sponges are meant to scrub off dead skin cells and make your skin silky and smooth, they might actually work the other way around. Because the loofah is very porous, it easily traps those skin cells you just removed from your body, becoming the perfect environment for bacteria to flourish. And because they are used and stored in a wet bathroom, they never totally dry out, which creates a perfect breeding ground for fungal organisms that may lead to skin infections.

2. It may help prevent skin irritation.

There’s no doubt bath puffs and loofahs can effectively scrub your skin, but doing it too often and too vigorously might, in fact, cause more harm than good. The coarse and brittle loofah fibers might be too abrasive for your skin and can damage it over time. If you’re using your loofah every time you take a shower, it might irritate your skin and cause it to become more sensitive and appear reddish.

3. Your razor burn may heal faster.

Shaving your legs is the fastest and easiest way to get rid of unwanted hair, but it often causes painful razor burn that takes some time to heal. Although exfoliating your skin may help prevent ingrown hairs, it’s better to avoid using a loofah for a few days after you shave. After all, there are lots of bacteria inside the pores of your loofah, and they can get into your skin through micro-cuts left after shaving.

4. It might keep certain unpleasant symptoms at bay.

When you get out of the shower and hang your loofah to dry in there, the moist environment of the bathroom creates perfect conditions for harmful bacteria to multiply. If you don’t store and dry it properly, your loofah sponge can grow dangerous bacteria called E. coli. Exposure to E. coli might lead to some disturbing symptoms, including stomach pain and nausea, and it may even cause vomiting.

Do you use a bath sponge or a loofah in the shower? Have you ever tried to bathe without it?