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Body Odour & Hygiene Habits

So the pores opens and the bacteria come flying out only for the hot water to wash them away? Maybe there is something in sluicing down with cold water after a hot bath?

Now isn't that what the Romans used to do at the public baths? Dragging out my general knowledge from Latin lessons, they were in the hot steam room - which would open the pores and sweat stuff out - then they scraped themselves with the strigil - to wipe off the debris - and finally jumped into a cold plunge pool - which would close the pores again.

If anybody has more advanced knowledge of Roman bathing habits other than those imparted by the Cambridge Latin syllabus and the late great Pete Slowey (old-school Latin teacher), I will prepare to be enlightened!
 
Now isn't that what the Romans used to do at the public baths? Dragging out my general knowledge from Latin lessons, they were in the hot steam room - which would open the pores and sweat stuff out - then they scraped themselves with the strigil - to wipe off the debris - and finally jumped into a cold plunge pool - which would close the pores again.

If anybody has more advanced knowledge of Roman bathing habits other than those imparted by the Cambridge Latin syllabus and the late great Pete Slowey (old-school Latin teacher), I will prepare to be enlightened!
I suppose its the same reason for a sauna followed by a plunge in the ice lake. (Then some more vodka)
 
Can bacteria really come flying out of your pores that quickly?

Yep, they fly in and out at will.

Flying-Bug-Super-Hero.jpg
 
Dragging out my general knowledge from Latin lessons, they were in the hot steam room - which would open the pores and sweat stuff out - then they scraped themselves with the strigil - to wipe off the debris - and finally jumped into a cold plunge pool - which would close the pores again.
A colleague of mine recently recommended having a blast of cold water at the end of a shower and I seem to recall that it is often touted as being "good for you" though I thought it had more to do with circulation. But perhaps it is good for skin bacteria too?
 
A colleague of mine recently recommended having a blast of cold water at the end of a shower and I seem to recall that it is often touted as being "good for you" though I thought it had more to do with circulation. But perhaps it is good for skin bacteria too?

I always finish off a shower with cold water to close the pores.
 
How do we know that?
Native populations in Africa, Australia - the sweat dries pretty quickly in the heat and the wind, so no opportunity for bacteria to really get a hold.
 
Native populations in Africa, Australia - the sweat dries pretty quickly in the heat and the wind, so no opportunity for bacteria to really get a hold.
Thank goodness. I thought you'd been sniffing naturists.
 
Let me start by saying i shower every day & am a normal clean person - but recently have been giving some thought to this whole topic

Several years ago i had an ex boyfriend who lived a couple of hundred miles away. I'd work in London & then travel up on a Friday evening to see him (i was hopelessly in love!), fighting through rush hour to make my connection with a big weekend bag, it was hot work even in winter. One night i'd made it to the midlands and was standing in the garden at a party with him, i'd showered in the morning but that was hours before and it had been a long day - i thought oh no i can smell my own underarms! Smelled a lot like weed for some reason (noticed that before and i don't smoke weed). Kept my arms by my side like a penguin (hoping to get deodorant out of my bag) when he grinned and went 'what is that beautiful smell!' and he wasn't joking, he thought someone had weed but it was just my under arms. Pheremones?! I just grinned and kept quiet, it wasn't a bad smell to be honest!

Since lockdown i've had to work from home so have generally given my skin a bit of a break from deodorant / make up every day and have been doing high intensity workouts every day, sans deodorant - sometimes i can really smell myself, which sounds awful but it's not actually bad if that makes sense, just a bit musky and strong. But i certaintly wouldn't go out in public like that (don't wear strong perfume or anything but definitely don't want BO, pass the deodorant please!)

But i thought wow, people in previous centuries must have smelled AWFUL at least by our standards, and looked it too (teeth? Make up? Hair? I can't imagine how they must have actually looked) but i am very much into (subtle, well applied) make up
 
But i thought wow, people in previous centuries must have smelled AWFUL at least by our standards, and looked it too (teeth? Make up? Hair? I can't imagine how they must have actually looked) but i am very much into (subtle, well applied) make up
Before people got the idea that 'cleanliness is next to godliness', people might have only washed once a year. Imagine the smell.
 
Before people got the idea that 'cleanliness is next to godliness', people might have only washed once a year. Imagine the smell.
Can't even imagine how bad it must have been, sure people were all a bit 'nose blind' as everyone must have been the same but wow - not to mention unwashed hair, unbrushed teeth, unwashed clothes, no products....how do any of us exist?
 
An actual bath might have been rare, but giving yourself a once over with a washcloth probably wasn't.
The germans at least seems to have had a lot of bath houses in the medieval era.
 
I think roll-on deodorant also sticks to clothes and seems to fasten in the smell so even after washing those t-shirts I think they always smell a little musty once they heat up. I much prefer aerosol deo.

I’m going to really lower the tone here (A particular speciality of mine apparently) but you have to wonder just how popular the arts of fellatio and cunnilingus were back in the times when regular bathing wasn’t all that common!

Lee Mack: "I must admit to texting while driving. I hold the phone in my lap, between my legs. The wife says, Aren't you worried about radiation damage? I say F*ck it, the phone's insured".
 
I think roll-on deodorant also sticks to clothes and seems to fasten in the smell so even after washing those t-shirts I think they always smell a little musty once they heat up. I much prefer aerosol deo.
A trick I learned for dealing with sports kit that never seems to smell clean is to hang it up after use to let it dry out, rather than bunging them straight in the laundry basket to fester until it is washed. Works like a charm.
 
Whats sports kit??:dunno:
 
I find it hard to believe ancient peoples DIDN'T bathe or wash. Why wouldnt they?

Most people wouldve lived near a river or stream so having a dunk or a splash wouldve been easy. It may not have been every day and perhaps not on very cold days but regularly. Like wise washing clothes. You wouldnt spend hours, days, creating a nice warm leather garment only to let it get stinky and greasy.

Even primitive animals wash and preen and bathe.

it may have become less easy to wash once humans started living in permanent dwellings with animals and water having to be carried further but even then im sure they weren't as stinky as we think .
 
Putting washing out in the sun kills bacteria a dryer wont, as for armpits I have a rock,
not exactly sure what it is but it came in a fancy red pouch looking a bit like a old
purse with draw strings, had it for years just wipe it over slightly wet skin after a
wash or bath no smelly or tender pits for a day, I thought it was a lump of rock
salt but cant find anything about it on't net though they do sell Alum sticks that
seem to be the same idea.

Tough the one I have looks just like a rock though it as smoothed out with use
these look like a more refined version.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deodorant-Stone-packed-drawstring-pouch/dp/B00TXAQ8Y0
 
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There was a spray on sale at one time that had what I think were Alum xtals in the bottle, it was kept topped up until they dissapeared
Marketed under the Bionsen label.
 
Human beings become nose blind after enough exposure, the town where I grew up in Manchester was near the biggest sewage treatment plant in Europe, and the area had a right old niff to it, especially in Summer no one really noticed it, they've done a lot of work over the last few decades so its barely noticeable now

Come to think of it, Humans become blind to most things when they are exposed to a lot of it, including violence, abuse, discrimination, nudity etc
 
A trick I learned for dealing with sports kit that never seems to smell clean is to hang it up after use to let it dry out, rather than bunging them straight in the laundry basket to fester until it is washed. Works like a charm.

The thing with kits - particularly sportswear is to make sure you shower before you use them - then you can get away with hanging lycra, etc up. If you don't your old bacteria will stink everything out.
 
The thing with kits - particularly sportswear is to make sure you shower before you use them - then you can get away with hanging lycra, etc up. If you don't your old bacteria will stink everything out.

That's a pro-tip.

Scarg can you like this please? I've always wanted to deliver a "pro-tip".
 
The thing with kits - particularly sportswear is to make sure you shower before you use them - then you can get away with hanging lycra, etc up. If you don't your old bacteria will stink everything out.
Showering too much is bad for your skin and I want to shower after as I am sweaty. The drying out after use tip works for me and is what prevents the smell since the bacteria multiply in damp conditions.
 
Showering too much is bad for your skin and I want to shower after as I am sweaty. The drying out after use tip works for me and is what prevents the smell since the bacteria multiply in damp conditions.

Yep get that but you shower when you leave, (in the morning), and then when you get to work - you are at work if you are say cycling above 10km on a normal bike the chances are you'll be smelly. At work is that an ok thing?

If you have access to showers at work it's also a major psychological boost to get in and shower. This is if you are cycling over 10km.
 
Yep get that but you shower when you leave, (in the morning), and then when you get to work - you are at work if you are say cycling above 10km on a normal bike the chances are you'll be smelly. At work is that an ok thing?

If you have access to showers at work it's also a major psychological boost to get in and shower. This is if you are cycling over 10km.
You didn't mention cycling to work before. Yes, if you don't have anywhere to hang your stuff then you don't have anywhere to hang your stuff. When I used to cycle to work my locker had a hook so I could still hang stuff inside it.
 
I used to work alongside a bloke who was massively into running, including to/from work and during his lunch break. I couldn’t say where he used to hang up his sports kit in between runs but everyone knew where his footwear was....in the corner of his office drying off. What a god forsaken stench! Nice chap....evil feet!
 
I used to work with a woman who was a marathoner (and is still a very senior marathoner) who commuted into the city. Because it was too dark to run before she came to work, she would change in her office after work into running togs, run up to central park (1 mile through traffic) run around the park twice, I'm guessing a total of maybe 10 miles, run back to the office, then change and take off for Grand Central for the train. I used to wonder if people learned to avoid her on the train.
 
Ah, but ladies don’t sweat like men.....they merely perspire or possibly even just glow!
 
Roll on March 14th by the way!
It must be a bloody good brand if you only have to roll it on once a year.

My daughter has sensory issues, and couldn't tolerate smelly deodorant sprays. So my solution is 50-50 acv and water, with a good few drops of patchouli oil and, if I can be bothered, perhaps a few drops of something citrussy. The vinegar suppresses bacteria growth and hence unpleasant smells: the "eau de chip shop" effect disippates in seconds.

Bear in mind I'm built for comfort, not for speed, and I live in the tropics. And people don't obviously avoid me, so, you know. They can't all be nose blind.
 
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