ISTR that one of our Dopers works in a dermatologist’s office. She posted once that it’s her job to call an average of about five people a day to let them know that the lesions on their skin are staph infections. And that the culprit is the scratchy meshy shower scrubby things, because it’s hard to completely clean them and they cause micro-abrasions on the skin.
Does anyone else remember this?
ETA: Hey, I found the thread! I usually fail at this kind of archive search.
If you have the same pouf for longer than a few months, then yes it probably is full of bacteria. As noted in the OP, it’s not like these things are cost prohibitive.
Yup. One of the best investments I’ve ever made (I’m male).
Male here. I just use my hand and soap when I’m in the shower.
For any exfoliation I might need, I rely on my bath towel after I get out. I scrub my skin pretty thoroughly with the towel - it’s much more involved than merely drying my skin off. The towel seem like the right mix of soft and abrasive, and the long length makes it easy to scrub my back.
I sometimes use the pouf, and sometimes just my hands. The pouf is more to help exfoliate a little bit.
Oh, and the Clarisonic for my face. They rock.
I’m glad I’m not the only one!
Pouf on a stick! I was a “just my hands” person for most of my life, until I developed shoulder problems and didn’t have the range of motion to effectively wash with just my hands. Looking for a way to clean places I couldn’t reach (which at that point was most places other than my forearms), I purchased a pouf on a stick. It has now become my favorite thing. I know I do a much better job of cleaning than I did before, and it is invigorating.
Female, and no. I use a washrag on my super oily face, and hands everywhere else. I have had a pouf here and there over the years and felt they required more soap, and while I’m oily I’m also fairly sensitive and they’re too scratchy for me. But for those with flaky skin who need to scrub, they’re certainly easier than a cloth, I can see the appeal for sure.
They’ve been considered a definite gay thing for a long time.
This is why, all things being equal, I use a washrag and use it exactly once before I consign it to the laundry bin.
I use scrubby gloves and body wash.
Me too, as a direct result of Alice the Goon’s thread. I went out and bought cheap, rough, nubbly washcloths (not the soft velvety deluxe kind) and I use them once and then they’re laundered. They seem to do the trick quite well.
what’s the purpose of exfoliating? I’ve never attempted exfoliation and don’t seem the worse for wear.
You wouldn’t be – your body is designed to slough off its dead skin no problem.
I don’t go out of my way to do it beyond using the gloves which I would use anyway. It does remove flaky skin and leaves your skin smoother. I’m about as low-maintenance as you can get (I don’t bother to use lotion for dry skin) but it does help to remove the dead skin and if you are using a moisturizing wash, it can make your skin more comfortable in a dry/winter weather, for example.
ETA: If you are truly Pro Crust, you would want to do your best not to exfoliate.
I just use my hands. They’re more nimble than a pouf or wash cloth. And they’re washed more frequently.
Female here.
I said yes, even though what I actually use is a shower sponge. Same idea though, and I like how it foams up into a mass of bubbles.
Dry skin on shins/feet…
This has worked for me for many years. It doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin or take up space in landfills.
Same here. You know what works really well?? Those REAL sponges - not the cheap artificial things, but ones of actual sea sponge. They have perfect scratchiness that gets off the dead skin cells. Those plastic pufs are practically useless for anything except making suds.
I use a shower pouf when I’m washing with a shower/bath gel…otherwise, I use a cotton washcloth (with a bar of soap). I never use the shower pouf on my face or delicate bits; also, I never reuse a pouf until it has throughly air-dried, and I replace them fairly often.
Male here, and I voted Yes even though I use a kitchen sponge with nylon scrubber (like this one). The scrubber is like an exfoliator but much more rough, so I don’t scrub as hard. For my face I use a wash cloth. I have dry skin so I buy goats milk soaps.
