SHTF Hygiene

[tortoise]

I was reading that other thread - assuming that we had to survive 1 year without electricity, etc.

What about personal hygiene?

We all know that baking soda and vinegar fix everything. Great. We can make vinegar. But baking soda? That is going to run out fast!

I was sorting through my bathroom stuff and thinking about this. I'm not sure what I would do!

I did buy a Diva cup today - ladies know what I am talking about. So that is one fewer major thing to worry about.

What IS "crystal" deoderant? Is it something that can be made at home?

How can lye be made for lye and lard soap? I volunteered at a museum that had a log cabin and I was the docent out there. There was a wooden structure that looked like it was for water collection, but I was told it was fill with wood ashes and water ran through to make lye. Is that remotely true?!

I CANNOT live without nail clippers, nail file, or Q-tips. How could those be replaced? Well, maybe not the nail clippers - they should last more than a year! But the rest?

I guess we would revert to "family cloth" after a while?

 

[FarmerDenise]

Lye is made from wood ashes. There are certain woods that are better for making lye than others, but I don't know which ones.
The contraption I saw once, was made from concrete. A box narrower on the bottom than the top, with a spigot a few inches from the bottom. This sat on a metal frame a few feet off the ground. The ashes went in the box, water was poured in slowly and eventually came out the spigot, where it could be collected in a bucket.

When I was very young, we did not have qtips, my mom used the corner of a wash cloth for cleaning our ears.

While camping and hiking I have often found myself with a chipped nail and no way to fix it. I learned that certain rocks work well enough as a file.

I already use personal cloths and used to use fabric pads.
Newspaper works as a substitute for tp, you just need to crumple it up a bit, to soften it and make it more absorbant and usable. I grew up without tp too. and no paper towels or paper tissues. We did have paper coffee filters though

 

[chipmunk]

I'll bet one of those diamond nail files would last for a long time. I pretty much let my nails just wear down after I clip them, but every now & then it's nice to smooth them out like civilized people do.

 

[Rebecka]

I use the crystal deodorants now. They run me about 6 bucks and one has lasted me well over 2 years. Men might need more I simply ordered 10. Its not like they go bad. Its a mineral salt mix. I cant tell you the exact mixture, but I know someone who uses regular old salt and can tell you the results are... limited.

All hail soap nuts! I LOVE these things. I use them to make hand soap, dish soap and of course laundtry and have heard of them being used to make toothpaste. Those that live in a warmer climate could conceivably grow them. Virgin Products ( google it ) is where I get mine as its the best price and some still have seeds.

Its funny you mention making lye. We were literally just talking about that today. Seems you take Hard wood ash and put it over several layers of varied filter medium, pour water over it then evaporate off the water. What you have left if lye. I have a couple of survivalist books that have the recipe. We are going to be heating the house largely with hard wood this winter, so we will have plenty of ash to try it out with come spring

When I still had the 'lady thing' I always wanted to try the Diva cup, but was scared. I am really curious as to how thats working out.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Crystal deodorant is made primarily of salt, I think. Never thought about making it. I have several that I actually use in rotation and they last a LONG time.

Yup, lye can be leached from wood ashes by running water through them.

I dunno about the nail supplies. I can't stand a ragged nail so with a lifetime if practice I'm very good at shaping them with my teeth and I've found blue jeans make a fair file for really rough edges. Not that I'm opposed to manicures, just I seldom have time and I always get that annoying snagged or cracked nail when I'm not near any supplies.

Baking soda would probably be a VERY good item to majorly stock up on. Besides it's really cheap and I don't think it goes bad if it's sealed and nothing is likely to try to crawl in and eat it.

But yeah, hygeine would probably be my biggest issue too. I'd really want a solar shower or some way to take one. I'm fine without makeup and hairdos but I GOTTA be clean.

eta: shoulda known everyone would be typing and since I'm so slow the answers are already there.

 

[big brown horse]

Baking soda mixed into your favorite lotion (Burts Bees here) and a few drops of essential oils (optoinal) is how I make my deodorant. (You could use coconut oil rather than lotion btw)

Baking soda (3-4 TBLS) mixed with about 10 drops of peppermint essential oils is how I make my toothpaste...love it btw.

100% organic raw coconut oil for facial cream. It cost me about 8 bucks and will last forever. I stocked up and have 3 jars....they should last the rest of my life. My face never looked so good...and I smell like coconut all day...mmm. Add a squeeze of lime peel oil and your face smells like a pina colada!

You can also use coconut oil for body lotion too.

Homemade shampoo and conditioner = baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

Soap? I order exclusively from Blackbird. I'm going to have to look into those soap nuts though now that BB is MIA in the big city.

I stock pile baking soda every time I go to the store. I use it for cleaning around the house too. I must have 7 boxes stashed away for a rainy day.

 

[MorelCabin]

Baking soda is one thing I keep stocked as well. I use it ( just plain old baking soda with nothing added) for deoderant. I have tried the crystal, they really don't work for me. Baking soda is amazing. I also use straight baking soda for brushing teeth...and it keeps the bathroom sink clean at the same time:>)
As for nail filing...it it came down to it I would simply be biting them off, don't need anything but my own teeth for that:>)
Water, all on it's own is pretty cleansing for body odor, but for getting hair clean I am not sure what will be available if TSHTF...there would have to be some natural way of doing it, after all, people were around long before shampoo was invented:>)

 

[tortoise]

http://www.ehow.com/way_5221112_recipe-crystal-deodorant.html

Now to find some alum. (I have never heard of it before.)

 

[freemotion]

There are a lot of things we could live without if we had to. I thought about this....baking soda is one I could live without. I'd whine about it but in reality, I could live without it.

Alcohol will kill the bacteria that cause body odor. Learning to make booze is helpful for more than just partying! I bet vinegar would do the same. Have you ladies consider that by the end of a year or so, your razors will be too dull to scrape your pit hair???

The crystal deodorant is made with aluminum salts, not table salt.

Shampoo? Bar soap will work, and a rinse of vinegar and water. Your hair will be fly-away, frizzy, etc, but clean. If the soap-hits-the-fan, who will care? Everyone will be in the same shape.

It's the toenails that worry me! But I would think a good toenail clipper should last much longer than a year....I've had the same set for many, many years.

 

[FarmerDenise]

It's the toenails that worry me! But I would think a good toenail clipper should last much longer than a year....I've had the same set for many, many years.

Teeth work on those too, yoga and a pedicure in one