cleanliness is next to godliness

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gutsy

Joined
Sep 27, 2005
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i've been thinking alot about primitive hygiene and have been doing some reading on the matter and have seen recipes for everything from mouthwash and toothpaste to soap and antiseptic solutions . any thoughts ,advice or comments would be appreciated .book recomendations would be helpfull as well . thanks
 
Smoke baths, are antiseptic, In the past Frankincense smoke, producing a highly anticeptic smoke was used to purify both body and soul. Temples were a major place of congregation so that extra protection was needed. American Indians have used smoke for purification for millenia.

Here is a good article.
 
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Chewing on a small stick bout the size of a pencil til it's "fuzzy" makes a good toothbrush.
Mint, Wild Ginger, and others are good breath fresheners.
Goin for a swim and drying off with Sage or Cedar helps get the crud off.
Fact is that it's Bacteria farts that smell:D
 
In the Bible, people used to oil their hair. I would deduce that aside from giving them that cool 1980s Prince and the Revolution Geri-curl, it kept out fleas and lice.

I wonder if in the past, since we were not so addicted to sugar and refined starches, bacteria had a slightly harder tome colonizing on and in us.
 
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I have been afield for as long as three weeks. After the first day or so, you don't notice the smell. :D

A small tube of toothpaste will go a long way. Keeping the choppers clean is good, but thats about the only thing I worry about when away from home on the trail.
 
this is good stuff. i'm really looking forward to learning as much as possible about this .
 
i have heard of people smoking their feet to ward off jungle rot . i guess if we can cook meat with smoke then we could smoke ourselves too .it is kind of strange with the similarities between native americans and old testament practices .
 
According to the Mormons, the American indians are old testement tribes, that came here before the tribes were enslaved over there.
If thats true, then the similarities make a lot of sense.
 
Eating a higher game meat protein diet doesn't require the brushing of teeth like a modern diet with high doses of sugar, carbs, and starches. A heavier diet of game meat and natural greens requires less dental hygiene other than a periodic flossing.
 
I carry a small travel tube of toothpaste and a bottle of Dr Bronner's soap. Of all the soaps, both household and specialty products marketed for camping, nothing cuts grease or rinses in cold water as well as Dr Bronner's.

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I've come to love baby wipes for those waterless cleaning sessions.

Good quality wipes make cleaning one's hands, face, head, neck, pits, bits and feet an easy and satisfying job (these are the main baby wipe body parts to focus on imo).

Before turning in, a thorough wipe session makes you feel (and hence sleep) better, keeps your sleep gear cleaner and fresher, and the used wipes make useful firestarting tinder.
 
Baby wipes are excellent as stated above. I get the unscented ones & add some rubbing alcohol to them to help aid in killing bacteria & de-greasing the face & cleaning any cuts. YMMV.
 
I remember my father washing our plates etc with just sand and water at the shoreline on a Lake Trout trip. I was surprised and repulsed because mom never did it that way ! He told me that every man eats a speck of dirt before he dies.....I'm still eating the odd speck here and there I suppose.
 
Modern civilization's hygene is overrated. Sure, you don't want to get sick. But a bit of dirt and some stink isn't going to kill you. Especially with the short durations of the trips afield most of us take. I take a microfiber backpacker's towel and a small bottle of camp soap like Dr. Bonners. I use a twig for a toothbrush if I am so inclined (as mentioned above... sassafrass or willow being my favorites), but I don't obsess with hygene when afield. Clean dry feet, socks and shoes.
 
Avoid "ass to mouth"....That and keep the drinking water clean, that pretty much sums it up. :)
 
I also use Bronner's, not just on the trail.
A few things that work for me.
Hikes through heavy poison oak are followed by a dust bath, clothes and all. My dog taught me this and it works.
The sun is a powerful cleansing agent. rinsing your clothes and hanging them up gives them the ol' sun wash, and it works.
There are plants that produce suds easily when bruised and crushed, ones that come to mind are yucca, types fo ginger, even one called soaproot. Check to see whats growing in your area. And fish / animal fat makes that dog's coat shine, probably good for us too.
 
upnorth said:
He told me that every man eats a speck of dirt before he dies.....
Click to expand...

The proverb is "a peck of dirt." There are four pecks in a bushel.... I guess nobody uses pecks and bushels any more, and in another generation or two everybody will think it's a speck of dirt.

Just to keep the knowledge alive a little longer, the small basket is a peck. The others are bushel baskets.
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[video=youtube;UfnwhlywWjA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfnwhlywWjA[/video]
 
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