Looking for a zero waste loofa?
That's a wise choice! But where do you start?
Loofahs are actually an eco-friendly choice for your shower - natural loofahs that is. Their plastic counterparts found in nearly every drug and big box store around the country are much less beneficial.
Plastic loofas (or poufs as they are sometimes called) are a double whammy of environmental impact.
Not only are they made of plastic (which carries its own environmental harm in production) but they shed microplastics as they are used, which then go down your shower drain and make their way into the ocean. Microplastics are a seriously big deal. According to National Geographic, microplastics that make their way into our waterways are often swallowed by animals causing their digestive systems to block, altering their feeding behaviors and reducing their growth and reproductive outputs.
In turn, microplastics end up in the food on our plates, with the average person eating 70,000 microplastics each year.
Shower poufs are commonly made from nylon, a type of plastic produced from crude oil. In order to manufacture nylon, a pretty intensive chemical process is needed which results in a serious amount of energy and water being needed. A byproduct of this process is nitrous oxide, which is 300x more potent to the environment than carbon dioxide.
While plastic shower poufs are cheap and plentiful, their production is causing the pollution of our oceans and expediting the collection of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Fortunately there are plenty of eco-friendly plastic loofah alternatives for you to browse below.
Different kinds of loofah alternatives
There are a variety of green plastic loofah alternatives to choose from, here are the broad categories you can consider.
Fabric-based scrubbers
Fabric sponges often act as a wrapper for the soap, sudsing up like any traditional sponge except for the plastic waste. These sponges are often made of a natural fiber like hemp, making them a compostable option once they're past their prime.
Natural loofahs
The loofah is actually a dried gourd, making it a perfect sustainable alternative to plastic loofahs. These natural scrubbers suds up like any plastic sponge while eliminating the plastic waste.
The best eco-friendly plastic loofah alternatives
1) Zero Waste Store Loofa Sponge
Price: $4.00 for 1 loofah
The perfect alternative to plastic dish sponges and plastic bath loofahs. Use this zero waste, sustainably sourced loofah sponge (made from a plant!) to wash dishes, naturally exfoliate your skin, clean sinks, tubs, and so much more! Once wet, they naturally expand making the perfect sponge and scrubber!
2) Eco Roots Soap Saver bag
Price: $5.97 for 1 bag
This soap saver bag is made of sustainable sisal, a 100% natural fiber that comes from the agave cactus family.
This sisal scrubber bag is great for those little leftover bits and pieces of soap, or for a whole soap or shampoo bar.
Easy on your skin, this textured soap saver bag also helps to produce a creamy, rich lather or to exfoliate and massage your head, hands, or body.
NO MORE WASTE, when the soap bag gets worn out, toss it into your compost bin!
- Plastic-Free
- Package-Free
- Zero-Waste
- Compostable
- Vegan
- Plant-Based - 100% Sisal Fiber
How to take care of it: After each use, rinse and hang up to dry.
This product is unpackaged and always shipped 100% plastic-free using compostable/recyclable materials.
3) Net Zero Co Exfoliating Mitt
Price: $6.99 for 1 mit
Trade wasteful disposable plastic loofahs for this all-natural sisal based exfoliating shower mitt. These shower mitts are reusable and compostable making them a clean solution to your shower routine, simply lather up the mitt as you would a loofah and start scrubbing away. To clean, handwash the mitt and hang dry in between uses to extend its life, these mitts should be replaced every 3-5 months.
4) Etee natural loofah
Price: $4.00 for one loofah
Trade in that plastic loofah for the real deal, these natural loofahs from Etee come from a family owned loofah farm in Guatemala, loofahs are the perfect zero-waste alternative to your bathtub poof. These dried gourds that are part of the cucumber family are great for exfoliating & cleansing your skin, but they don't stop there.
Why we like these green alternatives
We only include brands that walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
All of these brands are committed to cutting down on waste, preventing further destruction of our environment.
Microplastics might be cheap and make for some useful products, but there is no denying the damage they do - both in their production and their journey to our oceans. Cutting down on plastic products lowers emissions generated by their production, and virtually eliminates all waste if you are using compostable products.