On Fri, 14 Jun 2002 09:21:52 -0500 Jo Webb <[log in to unmask]> writes:
> I'm also curious to know modern hunter-gatherers keep themselves clean?

> Presumably  they don't reach for the Wash and Go.

My mother-in-law, who was born in 1901, took a bath once a
week, and did not use deodorants.  She took her bath before
attending Mass on Sunday.   She considered herself a "clean"
person.....changed clothes every day, and kept her house
spotless....and occasionally used the basin and washcloth to
"freshen" herself after sweaty work........what constitutes "clean"
varies from culture to culture.

HG's who live close to plenty of safe water...ie: no crocs,
hippos, sharks, or pirhanas....bathe frequently....but with
no Dial soap, or deodorants to use.  Those who have to
conserve drinking water don't bathe in any sense we would
recognize.......and our protected noses would probably
think they stank.......

But, human bodies DO have distinctive odors....just like
dogs or cows have..... and people from different dietary
cultures smell different too......depending on what they
eat.   I find I can tell who eats a lot of garlic for instance
....just by hugging them and sniffing......and we all know
a smoker reeks of tobacco.....I know I do.......but I've
been told that in WWII American soldiers could locate
German troops by the smell of all the cabbage they
ate......and later they could smell the Japanese soldiers
too.....I don't know if this is true, or just a soldier's
myth.   Didn't they tell the troops in Viet Nam not to
use certain soaps and deodorants and aftershave lotions
because the VC could smell them?

Many herbal books cite ancient uses of herbs....such
as using a rosemary tea to bring out the red in your hair....
and using aromatic herbs in bath water......and I recall
a man I know mentioning a girlfriend in Italy who used
an herbal rinse when she bathed but used no commercial
deodorants....he said she smelled very good!  It's hard
to find deodorants that don't include aluminum compounds
and I won't use the ones that do.....but I've found a
couple....not anti-persperants....deodorants...which are
two different things......And I won't cook in aluminum
either.........

[log in to unmask]
Walk The Path With Practical Feet!


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