# Using real Luffa off the vine



## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

Anybody use real luffas off the vine before? I bought a few at our farmers market last weekend to try doing luffa soap. I got most of the seeds out of it but I can see there are still some trapped in it. Are there any tricks to getting them all out? Also, they seem a bit dirty. I think I am going to try washing them out in water before pouring the soap.

Tiffany


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## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

I haven't but think it is *neat* (cool sounded old, lol) to have homegrown or local stuff in your soap.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

They are bleached and washed in a big commercial washing machine. Even the ones I purchase have seeds in them, it takes a LOT of banging to get them out. I grew them one time, it took shooting them down out of the pine and oak trees to get them down though, the vines simply took over! They were very misshapen and it is just so much easier to buy them in bulk. They weigh nothing so frieght isn't a lot. I have hundreds of them, we got to dollar type stores and when we see them we buy all they have, they will give you a discount if you buy the cases in the back of the store before they open them. Vicki


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

I liked the idea of the local luffa. They will sell good at the market because of that. I thought I got a decent price on them. They are about 5 inches in diameter and a bit over 11 inches. I paid $4 each for them.


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## DawnBreakers (Sep 20, 2011)

That is really cool that you are doing that, and no...no suggestions from me.  Making cheese is my new big thing this year. Though soap sounds a lot "funner"!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

They are 50cents to a $1 each at dollar stores


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

How big are they Vicki? I've looked for them here but we must be in a different region than you. All I can find here are ugly green, blue and white poufs. I've found smaller ones at other stores for $2-$3.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

They all come from China and are either flattened about 6 inches long or normal and are from 7 to 8 inches long. Back when I first started using them we used to coop them in, perhaps aftertherayne.com would be of some help, she imports the bath poofs and soap savers....in looking through one import book recently waiting on my shea, they weren't in there, and when I did buy my last full box at a dollar store the guy ripped the invoice off of the box. If you have a small dollar store that you can talk to the owner/buyer and not just someone that works there, they have the import books that they order everything from, perhaps he can order you a case if you buy the whole case. They are so light that shipping is inexpensive, especially the flat ones if you can't use a case of them! Sell the rest. So many of the places on the internet simply never have them or they are crazy expensive if they ever get them in. Vicki


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Vicki,
I don't think that aftertherayne is doing those anymore. The last time I was in contact with her, she had only a limited number of soap savers available and wasn't going to be getting any more in, and I _think_ she didn't have any poufs, either. But she might still have info on where to get that sort of thing.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

Do you wet them to get them into the pvc pipes and then let them dry before pouring in soap?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yes you have to really soak them to squish them into the PVC pipes. I bang out as much moisture as I can and then stuff them in. I keep the end cap off the pipe so they can continue to dry and have poured soap into loofahs that have been in the pipe drying a week. So that part of the routine makes no difference. I have also made poured soap into them 20 minutes after putting them in the molds. The only trick is to make sure you pour at thin trace, have another mold ready to pour into if what you were thinking about pouring into your loofah is at trace at all, just make another batch to pour into them...it has to be thin or you won't end up with soap around the loofah or in all the nooks and crannies. Vicki


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

Thanks, I've been meaning to try those. I'll look around at the dollar stores in town today and see if they have any of the loofas.


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## tlcnubians (Jan 21, 2011)

You can buy them online from Brambleberry ($1.50 each for approx. 6" long luffah); or the Chemistry Store ($5.00 for approx. 25" long luffah). If you don't want to put them into a PVC pipe, you can cut them to size, lay them on a wax paper covered cookie sheet and pour the soap over them to make individual soaps. Caroline


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## papat (Jul 24, 2011)

vickie which dollor store in conro do you get them


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

99 cent store, over by Academy and Anna's Linens on the 336 loop (The loop that has Ryans and Walmart on it). I know the buyer though....they have also had them at Dollar King on 105 going east right off 45, maybe 5 miles or so on your right.


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## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

ok, so dumb questions here, I can't quite picture this... I read that you stuff them into pvc pipe and then pour the soap around them... so you wind up with a round cylinder with the loofah poking thru on in a couple of places? Hard to picture. Then do you cut the cylinder into cookie slices or sell the whole cylinder?


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## Lynn_Theesfeld (Feb 21, 2010)

here is a better idea of what they look like  Sorry not the greatest pic- that was before I got a new camera 

Lynn


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## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

interesting, so you do slice them into big cookie patties!

its pretty, I like it!

how do you cut them into slices, what do you use to do that cut since cutting thru the loofah part is different than the soap?


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## tlcnubians (Jan 21, 2011)

A serrated edge bread knife is what I use to cut the loofah, but I do it before pouring the soap onto them. Caroline


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## Lynn_Theesfeld (Feb 21, 2010)

LOL didn't think of them as cookie patties, but yea pretty much  
I use a forever sharp bread knife  it has a serrated edge, but i don't cut the bars until after I unmold everything. Take my thumb to smooth around the edges of the soap and set to cure. I also use my miter box, and pretty much saw through it. I had tried to use my regular soap cutter- oh boy was that a mess!! 

My advise it try it, find what works for you  This is a great soap to have on hand though! 
Have fun!
Lynn


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## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

"on hand" LOL, on dirty hands :grin


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