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! ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.