Like the illusion of Wall Street, with its vast and powerful investment banks, now shuttered, China too is an illusion perpetuated by the Globalists that gave us the 15,000 mile Caesar salad, poisoned cat food and lead based paint on babies' pacifiers. Like the illusion that money would come from thin air to always push housing prices higher, China has spent a generation pursuing its illusion. Pursuing an unattainable dream to be like the West, while 6000 years of its carefully shepherded top soil blows into the sea.
Joined: Oct 12, 2004 Posts: 1012 Location: In the suburban sea of strangers
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 10:58 pm Post subject: Shampoo, toothpaste and shaving cream
Have you looked at the ingredient lists? No way you can make this stuff. (Not the good kind anyway) I'm stocking up. I can make do with very little comfortably if I don't have to feel scroungy and dirty all the time.
"Shaving is an unnatural act."
-Unknown
Think about all those frustrated hair follicles.
If you "google"soap and toothpaste recipes certainly something will come of that. Otherwise, check with your local herbalist.
If I were to stockpile those items, I'd do so with the intention of trading or maybe even giving them to people who are convinced that they are needed.
I still use shampoo at the moment, but at some point I'll most likely shave my head. This will make shampoo unnecessary, since soap could easily take its place. Maybe even soap can be skipped if I let my head sit out in the sun -- when it is out, that is -- for a bit and give it a good rinse afterwards.
I haven't been using shaving cream for a while now, and I'm still trying to figure out why I used it in the first place. All I use now is cold water and a razor, and to be honest, I've come to the point where I can shave my entire face -- using both upstrokes and downstrokes -- without getting a single laceration of any kind. The secret is to be patient and don't be reckless. Maybe it'll work for you, or maybe it won't. You'll never know until you try.
I floss more frequently than I brush, but when I do brush, I'll use a mix of baking soda and salt instead of commercial paste. Seems to be working out fine so far.
I think that I'll ultimately end up using only soap, baking soda, and the sun as cleansing agents, which is what I pretty much do right now if I exlude the use of shampoo. I haven't noticed a difference in comfort from when I was using some of the commercial junk, but I do notice that I saved money. Oh, and if you go out and buy organic soap, you'll notice that there aren't very many ingredients. Eucalyptus is the first ingredient in the soap that I use, and there are plenty of those Fark where I live. I suggest finding a soap that uses ingredients that are available in your area, and save the ingredient list on the packaging. Then do some research on processing.
Commercial sanitation junk could be great for barter, since many people take that crap for granted, but I would personally spend money on something else.
Joined: Jun 12, 2005 Posts: 4189 Location: 1st territorial capitol of AZ
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 2:38 am Post subject:
Out in the bush I'd use aromatic herbs like sage etc to brush with, chew 'em up then brush brush brush, if no toothbrush chew 'em up or grass stems etc then use the cud-ball with my fingers to give the old toothies a good scrub. In India the traditional toothbrush is a "neem" tree twig.
I think likewise aromatic plants can be used to scrub with in the water for the rest of the bod.
Clean sand is also a good cleaner.
I think it would be good to see what the Navajos etc used for their hair, the First Nations folks were definately America's experts on keeping clean without a lot of technology.
You can use soap instead of shampoo. That's what people used to do not so long ago. Soap isn't difficult to make, you only need fat (any kind of fat, including vegetable oil) and wood ash. I expect soap to be easily available even in the worst case scenario.
As for toothpaste, using aromatic herbs certainly works. If you want to be more sophisticated, there are a few recipes for toothpaste using fairly easy to get ingredients.
I don't know so much about shaving cream, because I'm a woman and I haven't worried much about it, but I don't doubt that there are simple methods of making it.
My version of luxury shaving starts with a bar of local soap trimmed to fit in a milk-glass shaving mug. At bath time I put the mug in my shaving bowl and fill the bowl with the hottest water available (solar or woodstove depending on the season). Then I get to lather up with hot suds. The latest bar of soap is lemongrass/aloe. There are about five soap makers on the peninsula.
Toothpaste should keep pretty much indefinitely - not a bad idea to stock up. You may want to lay in a 5 gallon bucket full of toothbrushes as well. As mentioned, salt + baking soda will work all right too. Don't depend on the dentist being open post-peak.
Razor blades - these things can go dull just sitting on the shelf (don't ask me how/why this happens, but it's something I know from personal experience). Don't bother with more than a 1 year supply. Perhaps consider growing a beard or learning to use a straight razor. Soap will work ok in place of shaving cream. It does tend to dry the skin out, though. I imagine having a baby-soft complexion will be the least of one's worries, post-peak.
Soap can be made, but it is a low cost item that can be stored indefinitely. Not a bad idea to have a 5+ year supply on hand, enough for you to get thru a crisis and have a chance to get your own production set up.
And, although one can improvise in a pinch, there's no truly acceptable substitute for toilet paper. I hope we all have a garage-loft full of the stuff before it ceases to be available.
Shampoo. Soap works, but I think I'd prefer to shave it off (unless of our course global warming continues its couirse and I have to wear a hat - I hate hats!)
Shaving cream. Nothing but water and a straight razor. A few good facial cuts might even make you seem more manly when your battling for the last widget at Wal-mart.
Toothpaste
How to make your own toothpaste
From Everything2.com
First, you need to make tooth powder:
* Thoroughly mix 3 parts baking soda with part salt and funnel the compound into a short small-mouthed container such as a soda or beer bottle. If you'd like, add a few drops of peppermint or wintergreen oil to the concoction.
Next:
* To each half cup of homemade powder, add 3 teaspoons of glycerin, 10-20 drops of flavoring (peppermint, wintergreen, anise, cinnamon or whatever) and 1 drop of food coloring. Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and add just enough water to make the concoction "tooth-pastey". Spoon the substance into a small refillable plastic squeeze bottle or any container that dispenses easily and won't leak.
Note: If you use cinnamon, use it sparingly, seems to be much stronger than the others...
If you google soapmaking websites (soapmaking ingredients), you'll find alot of sites selling solid shampoo bricks. You can buy shampoo by the pound... much easier to stack/store than a bunch of bottles, as long as it's in a relatively cool place (will melt in heat). And it works pretty well. Buy some of the little racks to dry it out after each use (so it doesn't melt away) and your solid shampoos will last a really long time. You can add your herbs or scents or whatever you want to them too, but melting them and adding it, then letting it set til solid again.
Joined: Jan 29, 2005 Posts: 363 Location: New Zealand
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2005 6:24 am Post subject:
The key and basic component is lye, and knowing how to make it is advantageous on the long run. _________________ regards,
Rostov
"Some {} are more equal than others"
Joined: Apr 06, 2005 Posts: 1022 Location: 38 km west of Warsaw, Poland
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2005 3:54 pm Post subject:
As for shaving cream, if you are in the US, just go to the grocery store and look on the lowest shelf in the section for shaving cream. You will see a brand called 'Barbisol'. Just buy 4 or 5 of these and that will be enough for the rest of your life.
Seriously, a single can of this stuff can last for years. Usually it rusts out before you can finish it. Numerous comedians have done bits on this stuff over the years.
Why would you want to shave anyway? I am looking for any excuse not to! Shaving to me is sort of like wearing a tie. What's the point?
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