So today I whought it would be a good idea to talk about Hygiene and sanitation and the importance of it during a longterm camping/survival trip. Before I do that here is a video of Dave Canterbury and he pretty much sums it all up here.
I have watched other videos on how to keep clean in the wilderness aswell and I pretty much get the idea that hygiene is not as important when you're out there on your own. In such a scenario who cares if you smell a little if you're all by yourself. Still you're smell may be not that big of a deal, bacteria are. I have seen another video some time ago but I couldn't find it.. It was about smoke baths.
Smoke baths kill bacteria.. You can sit near a smoky fire or hang your clothes near it and it's a wonderfull method if you don't have soap. In order to get a good smoky fire it is best to burn green wood and branches. Any type of branches that are not all dead and dry. Pine seems to work great.
When you're out in the woods there is a big chance you sit near a fire all the time so making a special smokebath may not even be necesarry.
Taking a swim in the nearest lake can be fun but it's not necesarry, Take some water and wash the most important areas on your body that are most likely to get dirty and where filth can build up. All in all it doesn't matter if you get a little dirty as long as you do not get so dirty that it can make you sick.
When I head out I won't be bringing soap, perfume or deoderant with me. Water and smoke will do just fine. Smelling good may be important in a urban enviroment, people may tell you to take a shower twice a day, commercials on tv tell you to buy their products in order to stay clean. Hygiene over here has become a must and it's overrated. When you're in the bush on your own using soap and perfume and all that may even work against you. Some game animals can smell your soapy skin from miles away while other dangerous and curious animals may come and investigate what smells 'so good'. So much for hunting for food huh..
That's it for now, take care everyone
Birch leaves or chestnut leaves crushed in water act as a soup subsitute. Sting nettles boiled in water can also be used as a washing liquid and are good for shampoo. Both birch and Oak bark contains saponins which is a form of natural soap and can be used to wash with.
ReplyDeleteSoap is basically an alkali and a lubricant and can be made with lye and fats. Make a very mild solution of lye by boiling wood ash in water. Then add any fat you can find and boil it all up. You can add pine tar or herbs to create a scented version.
If I ever get so dirty that I realy need soap then that might be very usefull so I am going to write it down in my field manual.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot ;)