How to reduce BO - aka Body Odor- SHTF Scenario

Why do I need to worry about this?
1) other people can smell you if you are trying to not be noticed
2) confined spaces and overly smelly bodies will make everyone sick

How to tackle BO.
Body odor is caused by bacteria on the skin in moist wet places.

#1 kill the bacteria that causes BO

Ways kill bacteria
1) Soap and water
2) alcohol
3) vinegar and water

What other ways can you think that will kill skin bacteria that cause BO?

 

I started to have stinky issues after 40, and after much trial and errors I found a combo of a fungal issue and diet. Once I changed diet (got way down on fatty acids) and an aggessive soap with lots of borax and strong apple cider vinegar mixed with black tea leaves and ground mint, my issues went away! No more stinkboot or smelly pits!
I also started wearing moisture wicking under clothing which draws the sweat and prevents bacterial growth! I also went back to my Mil. Spec 2 layer sock system, a nylon/spandex type base layer sock and a wool blend outer "Boot sock" set up! Really works well for me!

 

A pond to jump in and lots of stinky stuff like sassafrass and mint or or garlic if the skeeters are bad to rub all over my self when done swimming.

 

I'm sticking with my plan to smell like a wet dog so everyone will leave me alone or at least decide i'm not good eatin'.

 

Listerine on the arm pits? saw some kinda claim that it worked... but??????

 

Limburger cheese and garlic should do the trick.

 

General cleanliness will help keep the worst at bay and why knowing how to make soap is so important.

There is a small business that makes organic soap and they have an all over bar that I have used for a while. Good as a shampoo and body soap. I'm out now but looking to get some more. As the haircut gets shorter, the "shampoo" factor is less important though.

 

I will smell like gun oil and gunpowder

 

Dunerunner's choice is by far the best unscented natural and long lasting if used like a bar of soap while your damp you can "treat all your areas it is Mineral salt, you can find it as a block or shape like a soap bar or round. like a deodorant stick. Eliminate scents and can be used over the body non toxic no scent kills bacteria lasts for a long long time is Potassium alum mineral salt wet it rub it on allow to dry. today people that are concerned with chemicals and alumina chlorhydrate some think it could be related to Alzheimers are using this natural method of odor control. this also keeps deodorant scent from clashing with cologne or perfume.
So you do not smell like Hai karate or whatever you normally use as after shave.

 

I always have buckets of Glycerin sitting around, so making my own isn' that big a chore really. We stopped on our road trip and scooped up a couple buckets of Borax along side to road, we should be set for a while! Lol. Also scored a bunch of fine sulfer for the Holy Black, so while I'm mixing Powder, I will make extra char and add to the soap! Now to find Salt Peter, and more lead!

 

I had to sit next to a guy in a confined space the other day and he wanted to put his arm over the back of the seat, which would have been fine but the pit odor I just couldn't stand it.

 

@Dunerunner where do you get your Alum?

@ochit I have used some crystal deodorant for years. One of my pet peeves is when people confuse Alum with aluminum

 

First thought I had when I saw your alcohol as a BO prep was so you could drink it and not care how bad you smelled or what anyone else smelled like. Works for making people look better, so why not smell better???

 

In the 1940,s the hospitals didn't have showers or baths in the individual rooms, instead you were given a spit bath with a washcloth wet with rubbing alcohol at least once a day and more often if you had a fever. Worked very well and was done both for cleaning and disinfectant. Alcohol, tincture of green soap, vinegar, carbolic acid, bleach, sun light, lye soap with an excess of lye, a dilute solution of lye, all were used to minimize the danger of infection and if things go bad, we will all be doing them again. Had to prevent infections as there were no "magic" drugs to fight them. Didn't always work, but probably a lot better than we do today. Grand mother was a RN and often delivered babies. They got a new mattress, washed and boiled all the sheets,etc and ironed them with hot irons, repainted the rooms and washed all the wood work with a carbolic acid solution, no one was allowed in during the birthing process etc. She said that in her lifetime, born in 1873, such practices cut maternal deaths caused by infection by a large percentage. BO may bother you, but infection, parasites, etc, can kill you.

 

@duane great post I completely for got about carbolic acid. The point is to kill bacteria so that preps do double duty. And you can't sneak up on someone if they smell you coming before they see you.

 

Given the look on her face, I don't think it was BO...