Personal Hygiene

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Hristo Botev
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by Hristo Botev »

Frita wrote:
Tue May 11, 2021 5:29 pm
Wearing sunscreen (at least 30 SPF and reapplying) is also vital. It prevents skin cancers and wrinkles. Plus it keeps my skin lighter; otherwise, I get really brown (versus tan). I have nothing against being dark; however, living in the US, people seem to think asking, “Are you Indian?” is okay.
The men who indulged in nocturnal thought, it seemed to me, had without exception dry, lusterless skins and sagging stomachs. They sought to wrap up a whole epoch in a capacious night of ideas, and rejected in all its forms the sun that I had seen. They rejected both life and death as I had seen them, for in both of these the sun had had a hand.
― Yukio Mishima, Sun and Steel

I'm not necessarily saying sunscreen is a bad idea (DD's Godmother is a dermatologist and would certainly say that it is in fact a bad idea not to wear sunscreen), but I always think it's worth asking whether something is really necessary when as a species we survived and thrived for thousands of years without it.

Jin+Guice
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by Jin+Guice »

Thanks for the responses about soap. It seems like everyone's got a slightly different regimin and I don't see a strong reason to change mine.

The next area I'd like to ask about is haircare.

What do y'all do? Any special shampoo? Conditioner? Dandruff? "Product?"


I have curly hair that looks better unwashed. Because of this I almost never use shampoo, never use conditioner and only wash my hair with water infrequently. Not surprisingly I have pretty bad dandruff.

For my personal haircare, my main questions are:

Does anyone have a good way to add the effect of dirt back into hair to get the cool/ sloppy curly hair effect? I already know I'm not going to bother going to the store and buying expensive haircair products, but is there something I have on hand or something I could easily make a large quantity of that would work?

What causes dandruff and what's the best way to deal with it? If dandruff shampoo is the only solution, I'm willing to buy it, if I could solve the above problem. I've also heard that overusing dandruff shampoo can cause more dandruff?

white belt
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by white belt »

Jin+Guice wrote:
Sat May 15, 2021 12:09 pm
What causes dandruff and what's the best way to deal with it? If dandruff shampoo is the only solution, I'm willing to buy it, if I could solve the above problem. I've also heard that overusing dandruff shampoo can cause more dandruff?
There are different causes of dandruff; the two most common are dry skin and malassezia (yeast like fungus). Since you live in a humid region and wash your hair rarely, then it's likely that your dandruff is caused by malassezia. I suspect that curly hair also can worsen dandruff, though I only have anecdotal evidence. I also think there are genetic factors at play (for example, I had cradle cap as a baby and what do ya know, I've also had dandruff for my entire life). My dandruff subsides if I keep my hair very short, but since you seem to like you hair longer then I'm assuming shaving your head down to a 1 or 2 is probably not on the table.

There are a bajillion natural remedies out there for dandruff, so I'd recommend experimenting with some of those to see if any of them work with you. If none of the natural remedies work, then you want to progress to some of the store bought remedies. Here is a breakdown of some of the most common active ingredients: https://www.insider.com/best-shampoo-in ... r-dandruff

Another tip I use is to apply the shampoo at the start of my shower and then leave it to soak into my scalp during the time I'm cleaning other parts. So the shampoo goes on first and washes off last. I think this gives the active ingredients more time to work their magic.

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Alphaville
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by Alphaville »

massive jewfro here, no dandruff. wash daily with water only. shampoo occasionally. found lately this thing works best for me:

https://ethique.com/products/frizz-wrangler

pricey, but since i only wash rarely, we'll see how long it lasts. also i don't seem to need conditioner after. so cut price in 1/2.

for lube: jojoba is like natural sebum.i apply after shampoo or as needed.

but if u got dandruff, try maybe tea tree shampoo and virgin coconut oil on the scalp, which is purportedly antifungal or some folk notion. by which i mean this is not science just hearsay, see if it works for you, virgin coconut oil.

i'd still recommend an sci-based cleaner though. problem with most dandruff shampoos is they are harsh af, will dry all up and leave you looking like this:

Image

ah! VANICREAM makes a medicated shampoo. have not tried it but you could try. their soap is kind on the epidermis so i'd assume the same applies to hair wash:
https://www.vanicream.com/product/free- ... ff-shampoo

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Jean
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by Jean »

I don't use déodorant or toothpaste. I wash my hair(long and curly) maybe every 2 month, but i brush them when they start to annoy me. I use soap on my feet, crotch and armpit when i shower about once a week. I wash my ass and crotch with water After pooping, and my hands with soap After it. Switching to water After pooping (vs Toilet paper) greetly reduced my needs for shower or clean underwear. I don't use sunscreen, despite being very white, but i cover myself from strong Sun in summer, and try to show skin in thé mid seasons. This régimen is very uncostly and makes me very attractive to other mamals, birds and tree. For some reason, i still have to trim my beard every few month to keep my visual atractiveness.

chenda
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by chenda »

Jean wrote:
Sat May 15, 2021 2:37 pm
I don't use... toothpaste.
What do you use instead ? :shock:

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Jean
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by Jean »

Hot tea to kill bactériae, and ocasional(every few weeks) brushing to remove limestone(very hard water where i live). My gf was jealous that i don't wash my teeth every night and had me check them, but thé dentist found no cavity.

chenda
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by chenda »

Jin+Guice wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:30 am
What's everyone's regimen?
The full works, everything gets rigorously scrubbed, conditioned, waxed, moisturised and everything. Mass produced soap is apparently one of the great wonders of the industrial age (in the words of Hr Fisker) and it's so cheap it doesn't make much financial sense to make your own, unless it's a hobby.

Since covid I've had to moisturise my hands much more as I'm washing them so much, and hand sanitiser is very drying.

@jean - you should still regularly visit the dentist, they can detect things early like mouth cancer even if you teeth are ok..

ertyu
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by ertyu »

I find myself using toothpaste less and less regularly. Out of laziness, not anything else - I've got toothpaste. But sometimes when I can't be arsed with it i just rub the toothbrush on the bar of handsoap and use that (have gotten used to the taste and don't mind it). I figured it's alkaline so I should be fine, though if someone knows of a particular reason why I shouldn't wash my teeth with bar soap pls share :lol:

Myakka
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by Myakka »

@ertyu
ertyu wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 3:36 am
though if someone knows of a particular reason why I shouldn't wash my teeth with bar soap pls share :lol:
I would wonder what nasty stuff had been slipped into the soap. Does your soap have a "this is poison do not eat" kind of warning on it?

I have been dialing back on my use of a salt/baking soda mixture with peroxide as the moisture source because I am a major klutz and I swallow it too much and that impacts my digestion (in that my stomach loses the acid it needs to digest things). I learned this method from a Natural Dentist -- he called it the Secret.

I am going with just the peroxide after each meal and an occasional brushing with the method above when that seems like the right thing to do at the moment.

I am pretty sure there is something they put into peroxide to keep it stable enough to sit on the shelf for months, and there may be impurities in the salt and baking soda too, but generally they meet my ideal of using simple products rather than complex ones like toothpastes usually are.

chenda
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by chenda »

Why don't you all use toothpaste ? Cheap, effective and dare I say socially expected...

In third world countries, dental health is often appalling due to the lack of toothpaste, dental hygiene education and the prevalence of soft drinks. Treatment usually involves a visit to the blacksmith and a pair of plyers.

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Alphaville
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by Alphaville »

i don't brush a ton, however i floss and rinse after every meal.

the tongue can do most of what the brush does... but the tongue can't floss.

also for rinsing there is no need for listerine etc. when you get oral surgery you're told to just rinse with saltwater. so why not.

chenda
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by chenda »

Alphaville wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 9:59 am
the tongue can do most of what the brush does... but the tongue can't floss.
Lets keep the discussion family friendly :lol:

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Jean
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by Jean »

Actually, I have a big enough jaw (or small enough teeth) so that i can floss with my tongue.

white belt
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by white belt »

I do brush with toothpaste, but I’m fairly certain over the long term that using floss and/or dental jet (getting the food particles out from in between your teeth and in your gums) is most important for dental health. If you really want to go down a rabbit hole then Google how much of dentistry practices aren’t evidence-based. If your impression is that dentistry is as evidence-based as medicine, then you will be in for a surprise.

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Alphaville
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by Alphaville »

chenda wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 10:11 am
Lets keep the discussion family friendly :lol:
but the family that tongues together stays together! :D

Frita
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by Frita »

Hristo Botev wrote:
Wed May 12, 2021 9:42 am
― Yukio Mishima, Sun and Steel

I'm not necessarily saying sunscreen is a bad idea (DD's Godmother is a dermatologist and would certainly say that it is in fact a bad idea not to wear sunscreen), but I always think it's worth asking whether something is really necessary when as a species we survived and thrived for thousands of years without it.
What was the life expectancy of humans during this time span? If I knew I was going to die young, I would have continued with the orange-tinted gelle Ban Soleil SPF 4 ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bain_de_Soleil). Come to think of it, those years frying in the stuff probably contributed to some of the things I have had shaved/cut/“punched”—most with stitches; some with multiple layers of stitches—from my face and body starting in my early-30s. Wearing sunscreen stopped that fun within a few years. (I get keloid scarring, which are ugly and sometimes pain, so yea.)

But each person can decide...I saw farmers have parts of their noses and ears cut off, knew middle-aged and older people die of melanoma, and yet my tanning continued. When a close friend died in her late-20s of melanoma, living behind young children for hands-off spouse to raise, I went to the dermatologist for the first time.

At some point I would like to explore and consider more natural options. I won’t wear nail polish due to the chemicals yet slather on the sunblock. Does anyone use something else?

chenda
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by chenda »

Hristo Botev wrote:
Wed May 12, 2021 9:42 am
I'm not necessarily saying sunscreen is a bad idea (DD's Godmother is a dermatologist and would certainly say that it is in fact a bad idea not to wear sunscreen), but I always think it's worth asking whether something is really necessary when as a species we survived and thrived for thousands of years without it.
Well yes but lots of fairer skin people are now living in areas where they 'shouldn't' be living eg. white people in Australia so this might be worth considering (anyone can get skin cancer but the rates are much higher amongst white people)

A certain amount of sun exposure is good for generating vitamin d, so its going to depend on where you live and your lifestyle as to whether you should be using sun protection and how often.

There are two types of suncream, physical and chemical. Physical uses either Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide and forms a physical barrier between the sun and the skin. Chemical suncream absorbs the sun's rays. Physical ones are generally better in that they provide an instant physical block and usually last all day, whereas chemical suncream should be put on a certain time before sun exposure and need to be reapplied every few hours for optimal protection. They are also more prone to skin irritation, although physical ones can also be drying and sometimes leave some residual dried cream on the skin.

You also can't effectively get much more than SPF 30; some countries permit the sale of products labelled SPF80 or SPF90 but its just marketing bullshit.

@alphaville :lol:

macg
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by macg »

Regardless of topic, I always have questioned the theory of "as a species we survived and thrived for thousands of years without it" ... I mean, technically we survived, that's true, but thrived? Isn't it true that for the most part, until the last couple of hundred years, the life expectancy was somewhere around 30?

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Alphaville
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Re: Personal Hygiene

Post by Alphaville »

yukio mishima was a war-dodging butch queen who just plain forgot to get out of drag. the whole thing was a performance. considering he killed himself at 45 under comical circumstances, i wouldn't consult him for health advice...

quentin crisp on the other hand lived to age 90. he wrote, "health consists of having the same diseases as one's neighbors" :lol:

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