While we were impressed with this device, it also fell short in a few ways. The heads felt too small (except for the massage head), so it took a while to use them over the entire body. It also felt awkward to use at times—the device has some give to it, so sometimes it was difficult to wrangle where we needed it to be. But, if you’re looking for something with all the bells and whistles, this is the option for you. While you may want loofah with serious physical exfoliating power to help slough off dead skin and promote circulation, a too-rough loofah can damage the skin. You want your loofah to have a soft, fine grit, explains Ross. “It shouldn’t be too rough, or it can break the skin, leading to irritation, redness, and possibly infection,” he tells Byrdie. Something like the Luv Scrub Mesh Body Exfoliator is ideal.

a) S.-L. Chou, J.-Z. Wang, M. Choucair, H. K. Liu, J. A. Stride and S.-X. Dou, Electrochem. Commun., 2010, 12, 303 CrossRef CAS; Overall, we love this cruelty-free, eco-friendly option (it's sustainably harvested and completely biodegradable, after all), but it's not without its downsides. It's not the best option for exfoliation, and the natural material may not last as long as synthetic loofahs. It could also use a hanging ribbon to make for easier use and to store while it dries. b) D. Wang, D. Choi, J. Li, Z. Yang, Z. Nie, R. Kou, D. Hu, C. Wang, L. V. Saraf, J. Zhang, I. A. Aksay and J. Liu, ACS Nano, 2009, 3, 907 CrossRef CAS. This device also has bonuses built into nearly every feature. The loofah head is silver-infused, preventing it from harboring bacteria, and the silicone body and cleansing brush are naturally antibacterial, hypoallergenic, and odor resistant. The vibration—dubbed SonicGlow™ Technology—buzzes at 7,000 pulses a minute, which helps clear out pores and tone skin. There are four different settings, one low and one high, and two with a special vibrating pattern. However, when we used the vibration feature, it was a little uncomfortable to hold because we could feel the buzz throughout the handle instead of just concentrating at the end of the device. A. A. Balandin, S. Ghosh, W. Z. Bao, I. Calizo, D. Teweldebrhan, F. Miao and C. N. Lau, Nano Lett., 2008, 8, 902 CrossRef CAS.A. Peigney, C. Laurent, E. Flahaut, R. R. Bacsa and A. Rousset, Carbon, 2001, 39, 507 CrossRef CAS. R. Ruffo, S. S. Hong, C. K. Chan, R. A. Huggins and Y. Cui, J. Phys. Chem. C, 2009, 113, 11390 CAS. The PMD Clean Body Cleansing Device is unlike anything else on this list. The high-tech, rechargeable device can hardly be called a loofah. With three attachments and multiple settings, it has everything you need in one product; however, it might not be the most ideal option for everyone.

K. S. Novoselov, A. K. Geim, S. V. Morozov, D. Jiang, Y. Zhang, S. V. Dubonos, I. V. Grigorieva and A. A. Firsov, Science, 2004, 306, 666 CrossRef CAS.

Out of all the loofahs we tested, this was our favorite. It was very effective at cleansing and exfoliating, it was able to reach the entire body, and it’s a hygienic, long-lasting option. One thing to note is that the gloves feel pretty small and tight when you first put them on, but after the initial use, they do stretch out a bit and become more comfortable. M.-H. Park, M. G. Kim, J. Joo, K. Kim, J. Kim, S. Ahn, Y. Cui and J. Cho, Nano Lett., 2009, 9, 3844 CrossRef CAS. G. Zhou, D.-W. Wang, F. Li, L. Zhang, N. Li, Z.-S. Wu, L. Wen, G. Q. Lu and H.-M. Cheng, Chem. Mater., 2010, 22, 5306 CrossRef CAS. J. Yang, B. F. Wang, K. Wang, J. Y. Xie and Z. S. Wen, Electrochem. Solid-State Lett., 1999, 6, A154 CrossRef.

Loofahs can be made of various materials, including polyester, microfiber, cotton, nylon, silicone, mesh, or even natural sponges sourced from the ocean. The best options are long-lasting and resistant to bacteria and mildew growth. We are grateful for the financial support of this work by the National Basic Research Program of China (2007CB209700), the Natural Science Foundation of China (21006063, 21073120) and the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (10DZ1202702). Dr Chen would like to thank Australian DEST Inter. Linkage Aust.-China program and ARC Discovery Grant DP0877348 for continuous financial support. References c) A. Magasinski, P. Dixon, B. Hertzberg, A. Kvit, J. Ayala and G. Yushin, Nat. Mater., 2010, 9, 353 CrossRef CAS. Electronic Supplementary Information (ESI) available: Experimental details and supplementary figures. See DOI: 10.1039/c1ra00429h/Y.-S. He, D.-W. Bai, X. Yang, J. Chen, X.-Z. Liao and Z.-F. Ma, Electrochem. Commun., 2010, 12, 570 CrossRef CAS. Crafted from a unique mesh-like wide-weave nylon, it effectively exfoliates the skin while still being gentle; it’s not scratchy or too rough for everyday use. “It feels like it gets a deep clean like I was scrubbing everything clean,” says tester Rachel Lee. “I was impressed with how effectively it exfoliated; my skin felt rejuvenated and so soft after. It noticeably helped with any skin texture/bumpiness!” It’s not the best option if you prefer a super sudsy shower, but the benefit to this is that it doesn’t soak up a lot of product, meaning less soap gets wasted. Overall, it’s a nice option for doing everything you need a loofah to do. It cleans well, mildly exfoliates, reaches everywhere on the body, and comes in five gorgeous colors. Plus, it’s long-lasting: The brand claims it’s good for up to 18 months.

C. K. Chan, H. L. Peng, G. Liu, K. McIlwrath, X. F. Zhang, R. A. Huggins and Y. Cui, Nat. Nanotechnol., 2008, 3, 31 CrossRef CAS.

Lily Of The Valley Shower Gel

Beware that the low price means it may not be as high quality as other options. Some of us felt that the material was a bit rough. Still, it’s super affordable, and it’s made out of 100 percent recycled material. Overall, this is a great affordable loofah that exfoliates gently and without irritating skin. H. Shi, J. Barker, M. Y. Saidi, R. Koksbang and L. Morris, J. Power Sources, 1997, 68, 291 CrossRef CAS. b) H. Xiang, K. Zhang, G. Ji, J. Y. Lee, C. Zou, X. Chen and J. Wu, Carbon, 2011, 49, 1787 CrossRef CAS; H. Ma, F. Y. Cheng, J. Chen, J. Z. Zhao, C. S. Li, Z. L. Tao and J. Liang, Adv. Mater., 2007, 19, 4067 CrossRef CAS.