Review (1/5): Tiny, smell terrible, and have... corn inside of them?
The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was how small they were. Not to worry though, they're "flattened and dried" before shipping, according to a card in the box. Soak in warm water for a couple minutes and it should be fine.
So I fill the sink up with warm water, take one of the sponges out of the box and two things become apparent: 1) It smells horrible. Think decaying vegetables. 2) It's as hard as a rock. Not spongy, or compliant, like any other loofah I've used before. Thick, and it takes effort to compress it. Ok, it's a natural product, right? It might smell at first, probably normal, it used to be alive. I'm sure after I use it with some soap it'll be fine. And it's totally dry, of course it's firmer than normal.
So I plop the sponge in the sink, feed the cat, get ready for bed, etc. I come back and it has started... shedding, for lack of a better word. What appear to be the outer layer of corn kernels... maybe? The smell is 3x as strong, and as I go to take the sponge out of the water my sink fills up with the little pungent granules. I'm even more dumbfounded by the fact that, despite rounding out, it hasn't expanded at all, nor grown more compliant. It's still unsettlingly firm, and tiny, it's just now accompanied by a stronger smell and little corn husk babies (not cute).
This leads me to my review. The first picture is the sponge in it's bath (as per the manufacturer's instructions) floating in all its glory with its shedded corn things. The second picture is the inside of the sponge where the corn husks seem to be coming from. The third picture is my hand and shaving brushes for scale. Final verdict: It's tiny, smelly, and it sheds. Don't buy this product under any circumstances.