Salute The Salux

In my reading of the internetz, I’ve heard again and again about Salux, the Japanese “Beauty Skin Cloth”. People swear by them for smoother skin, so I finally decided to get one to see what all the fuss is about.

Getting one, however, was a little tricky, but only because I was trying to use Amazon Prime for free shipping. Amazon appears to have a lot of sellers who are sending out inferior Salux knockoffs, so I had to search around before I found a seller that was legit. When I did, the only color they had was sea green, which is one of my least favorite colors. (Possibly because it was one of my favorite colors in the 80s. Same thing with lavender.)

The cloths themselves are HUGE as far as washcloths go. 11”x35”! It seemed a little unwieldy at first, but by my second use, I managed to loosely fold and scrunch it up in a way that made it totally wieldy. (Wieldy is a word!) During my first use, I considered cutting it in half, but then you can’t use it for its best use: Scrubbing your backside like a cartoon.

I’ve used back brushes before, but using the cloth is so much easier and more efficient. (Plus, it’s kind of hilarious.) I’ve also used those scrubby gloves, which work nicely for most of the body, but it’s hard to get your back, and it always feels weird to be naked with gloves on. (Because it IS weird.) The Salux has taken the place of both of those things in my shower, but I still have one of those poufs in there because my husband is afraid of the Salux. He’ll probably come around though.

The material is 60% Nylon 40% Polyester and feels like a combination of scrubby gloves, pouf, loofah and even, a little bit, pumice. It’s scratchier than you would expect at first, but then it starts to feel good. The cloth dries really quickly so it doesn’t get funky, and it is also machine washable. There are options for Salux cloths in other materials that are less coarse, but I haven't tried any (yet).

The first time I used it, I didn’t notice much of a difference in my skin. The second time I used it, I noticed a BIG difference. Especially on my legs. I didn’t know my skin could be that smooth! I mean, I didn’t even realize my skin wasn’t smooth to begin with, it seemed fine. But now it is SUPERFINE! Third use seems to be about the same, but I am interested to see the effects of long-term use. Still, I'm cool with "superfine".

I’ve heard you can buy them in Asian markets for 3 or 4 bucks, but since I would have to take a $2.25 subway ride and then try to hunt one down, I just ordered mine online here. (If you read the reviews, please note that the seller is Emma's, which does not do the bait and switch thing. Some of the reviews are from people who bought from someone else.) Again, I got mine from Amazon because of the “free” shipping with Amazon Prime. They sell them all over the place, just make sure you are getting a real one, because the people who get Chinese knockoffs seem piiiiiissed! Also, the real Salux cloths come with hilarious instructions printed on the package, but I’m not going to spoil that for you.

One other thing: Salux won the “Invention Prize Awarded in Japan.”  I don't think any of my other washcloths or shower scrubbies have won any awards lately, so la-di-dah!