How to Make Gifts From Loofah
The loofah is a cucumber-like plant that produces long seed pods filled with a network of fibers that, when dried, are great for exfoliating. Loofah is sometimes used in flower arrangements in place of Spanish moss. You can make a wide range of gifts with loofah.
Things You'll Need
- Large kitchen knife
- Kitchen shears
- 1 cup bleach
- 3-gallon cleaning bucket
- Scented oils (optional)
- Glycerin soap chunks
- Plastic soap molds
- 1 pair backless spa slippers
- Basic sewing kit
Instructions
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1
Pick a loofah gourd from the vine or buy one from a local farmer's market. Choose one with loose, leathery skin. Find a weak spot and spread this skin apart with your thumbs. The skin will peel back in long strips much like a banana peel, exposing the network of loofah fibers inside.
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2
Bleach the loofah in a solution of one cup of bleach diluted in three gallons of water. Bleaching isn't necessary, but it will remove any dark spots for a nicer looking product.
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3
Dry the loofah. Depending on your craft project (see remaining steps for options), go ahead and dry the loofah or complete the craft while its pliable, then allow the craft to dry. To dry first, lay the loofah in the sun and rotate every hour until it is completely dry.
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4
Make a loofah bath sponge: Extract the whole loofah from the plant, bleach and allow to dry. This cylindrical product will then be ready to use in the bath or shower.
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5
Make loofah soap for a luxurious bath experience using these steps from the American Gourd Society. Extract the whole loofah. Carefully slice the wet loofah into one-inch circular slices and allow them to dry. Place the dried slices into soap molds. Melt glycerin for 40 seconds in the microwave, add optional scented oils, and pour over the loofah slices in the soap molds. Set them aside to harden, then pop the soap bars out of the molds.
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6
Use your loofah in flower arrangements. Extract the loofah, but cut a slit down one side so it rolls out into a flat sheet. Bleach as instructed above. To make the loofah easier to work with, loosen the fibers in your hands by fluffing. Shake excess water from the loofah and allow it to dry partially. While the loofah is still a little bit pliable, spread it across the top of a flower arrangement.
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7
Create custom slippers with an exfoliating foot bed: Dry the loofah in a flat sheet as you did in Step 6. Buy a pair of cheap slippers. The kind with a covered toe and open back work best. Trace the sole of each slipper onto the sheet of completely dried loofah. Cut just to the inside of your lines because the inside of the slipper is slightly smaller. Slide the loofah into the slippers, and pin where needed to hold the loofah in place, then stitch into place around the slipper.
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Tips & Warnings
Together, these gifts make a great spa set gift.
Dress up your soap by adding dried flowers to the glycerin and loofah before drying.
Always dry loofah products thoroughly between use and never store them in the shower. Wet loofahs are known to harbor infection-causing bacteria.
The most difficult step of the process is harvesting the loofah fruit to reveal the nest of fibers with which you will create your gifts.
