Guide
How to wash your back without help
The middle of your back is the one place most people never wash properly. You can't see it and you can't reach it with your hand. A long-handled scrubber solves the reach. The rest is technique.
- Upper back: reach over your shoulder and work down.
- Lower back: reach behind you at your waist and work up.
- The middle: go over it from both directions. It's the part almost everyone misses.
Step by step
- Wet the loofah all the way through and squeeze it a few times. A dry loofah won't lather and drags on your skin.
- Put body wash or soap on the loofah, not on your back, and squeeze it until it foams.
- Hold the handle near the middle rather than at the very end. You get more control, and the scrubber feels lighter in your hand.
- Reach over your shoulder for your upper back. Then reach behind you at your waist for your lower back.
- Go over the strip between your shoulder blades from both directions. It's the part almost everyone misses.
- Scrub in small circles. If it doesn't feel like it's scrubbing, press a little harder rather than going faster.
- Rinse your back, then rinse the loofah until the water runs clear. Squeeze it out and hang it up.
If lifting your arm is hard
If reaching over your shoulder is stiff or painful, skip it. Reach behind you from the waist only and let the curve of the handle carry the loofah up your back. Go slowly and use short strokes.
The same handle reaches the soles of your feet, so you can wash them without bending down.
Common mistakes
- Using it dry, or with too little soap, which makes it feel rough instead of soft
- Scrubbing hard and fast. Small circles with steady pressure clean better.
- Leaving it on the shower floor afterwards. It needs to hang and dry.