Posted on 06/25/2019 2:25:28 PM PDT by Red Badger
Amidst the no-shampoo revolution, a look at global hygiene habits
Cleanliness, it turns out, has been one dirty trick. One reason early-20th-century Americans ramped up their weekly baths to daily showers is that marketing companies capitalized on the insecurities of a new class of office drones working in close quarters. As Gizmodo wrote last week, to sell products like "toilet soap" and Listerine to Americans, "the advertising industry had to create pseudoscientific maladies like 'bad breath' and 'body odor.'"
Take, for instance, Gizmodo's description of the philosophy of the Cleanliness Institute, which was founded by the Association of American Soap and Glycerine Producers:
The trade association wanted Americans to wash quite unwittingly after toilet, to wash without thought before eating, to jump into the tub as automatically as one might awake each new day.
And so we did. A Reddit user recently polled 562 people and found that most men said they showered daily. Women's bathing rituals were more diffuse, but about 60 percent preferred to shower three, four, or five times weekly.
Now is the dawn of a new, more pungent era, though. People are snapping up dry shampoo and No-Poo and coating themselves in bacteria. Dr. Sanjay Jain recently told Jezebel that "showers don't need to be too hot, or too long, and you should always pat dry, rather than rub, to avoid irritating your skin." One family went six months without using soap and raved about the results.
But as it turns out, Americans aren't alone when it comes to having overdone it with too-frequent showers and shampoos.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
I’m reading “Samurai William” now. (The basis for Richard Chamberlain’s character in “Shogun”).
The Jesuits only began to make progress in Japan when a new head Jesuit landed. He had them become more Japanese, which meant better hygiene, hiding the meat, including prep tools, utensils, cookware, and serving ware, since the Japanese could smell it.
Maybe they’re counting, or not, walk-in tub use some weird way - people that use handheld shower heads while sitting?
The few years of my father’s life, he needed one of those half-in/half-out tub benches for showering, and for getting in & out. As his fear of falling grew, he showered less frequently, and he’d occasionally reek.
no way do i believe 75% of the french shower once a day, no way...
[It was when I was a kid, at least in my family, but my folks were from the rural south, and grew up without running water.]
“Negative 3 showers per week”
I’ve worked with those people.
Interesting point. I’m old enough to remember when people only shampooed like once a week. It might have been the introduction of Herbal Essence that ushered in the idea of frequent use. Heck, anyone remember 5-Day Deodorant Pads? Wipe your pits on Monday and your good to go for the whole week.
My son's wife's stepfather is Indian. He took them both for a visit a few years ago. Son got deathly ill. They cooked meals in a filthy room, and had the disgusting habit of everyone touching their food after being served. Open sewers right outside luxury hotels. Never a place I'd go.
As his fear of falling grew, he showered less frequently, and he’d occasionally reek.
Serbs are fanatic about their showers.
In some Mexican villages, a shower consists of dumping a bucket of water over your head.
Regular baking soda does work to clean your hair but it leaves it kind of thick and heavy feeling.
A daily combing with a very fine tooth wooden comb does get a lot of the oils out and means you have to wash it less often.
Some scientific type pinpointed the bacteria that produces body odor. Then he developed a wipe that knocked them right out. He went, undoubtedly in Birkenstocks, for several years without bathing or smelling bad.
From what I read elsewhere, though, eradicating underarm bacteria isn’t the end of the story. Bacteria from other parts of the body will eventually take over the vacated real estate and you don’t want that.
Twice a day is minimum. When i wake up and before bed. It’s just being civilized.
Yes i am shocked at other people’s lack of consideration for others.
“Olga Khazan “
Just another smelly foreigner trying to tell us how to live.
I notice the frequency of bathing correlates with average temperature. The hotter the country the more often they bathe.
Classic freeper response right there.
Not to mention the swarms of flies and bees attracted by the honey. I don’t think the vinegar would discourage them much with that kind of bait.
Perhaps it is taking into account the many people who shower twice a day?
“Body Odor”
I remember the LIFEBOUY soap radio ads of the 1940’s using in their radio ads chanting “B.... O.....” while someone talked about the use of their product. Not sure if that soap is still available today. Will have to look for it next time at the store. It had a distinct smell.
Have a good day...
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