Survival and Personal Grooming

This is an area that probably is not taking a high priority in our preparations (and rightfully so). However, I do think that it should be addressed in at least some manner during the course of your preps.
What arrangements or preparations have you made for personal grooming , ie: Shaving , haircuts , bathing products? Having had several “experiences “ while in the military of being in field conditions for extended periods with limited bathing, laundry , shaving or haircut opportunities. I can attest to the fact that they were amongst my most miserable times. You can only do so much with baby wipes, and having a face full of stubble just seems to magnify the discomfort (at least for me). Assuming that you are at least meeting your immediate needs for food, water and safety, I think that the morale lift of looking and feeling clean is important. And think of the image that looking clean, relatively clean shaven and a decent haircut (well, at least a controllable mop of hair) can give you if you have to deal with other folks (do not under estimate the potential significance of this).

Below is a list of what I have stock piled to start to address this issue. All are low cost, and as sales present themselves I add to them.

The bargain priced laundry flakes (in plastic pails) 5 5lb pails

Shaving soap in bar form (with shaving brush) 10 “bars”

Disposable razors 20 four packs

4 sets of barber scissors and combs (fingers crossed I don’t get scalped )

Ivory soap 100 bars

Toilet Paper 40 10 roll packages (to start)

All of these have almost unlimited "shelf life" if kept dry.

This is obviously not an all encompassing list, is just a basic “load”. Ladies will obviously have some things they may want to add. My wife is in charge of that department.

Yep! We do the same thing. ;) Cleanliness is next to Godliness!
We invested in peppermint soap. A little goes a long way if you get the liquid and it's safe for outdoor use so I can take it camping with me. You can get it anyplace, but I got mine for about 10.00 a 16oz container at Target.

Same here. In addition to several CASES of toilet paper, we have 5 cases of "female products" from the auction. Also several boxes of disposible razors and blades for fusion razor. We have some soaps and such but not nearly enough. We have to be careful of scented stuff did to wife's alergies to most of them.

Well I've taken a slightly different approach. I am stockpiling Carbolic soap, Ivory soap, Boric acid, Washing soda, White vinegar, Bicarbonate of soda and other basics. Combine a few of these or use individually and you have personal hygiene and household cleaning covered. Always have plenty of TP. I have got a few extra toothbrushes too. I don't keep toothpaste stored, I don't trust it to keep. Bicarb makes a good toothpaste.

So Winnie, Is the white vinegar for when you go Roman? I have tons of soap and toothpaste stored ( all on a rotation schedule) Everytime CostCo has a coupon for soap, toothpaste or toothbrushes, I max out. So plenty stored, just hope it is enough.
Let us not forget air bathing...... This is when you get naked on a sunny day and expose as much of yourself to the UV radiation.

Dont forget fingernail clippers! My nails grow faster then my hair....sadly, thats the truth...anyways, I keep a few extra clippers around in different bags, trucks and at camp.

Ahhh Sarky, sir, White vinegar is the most versatile cleaning product and it makes a great hair conditioner. Whats this going Roman? I'm an Anglo Saxon through and through, right back to the Doomsday Book and beyond.

I tend to stock up on bar soap and buckets of laundry soaps.I just recently started buying the liquid hand and laundry soaps cause they seem to be cheaper at the moment

Don't forget dental floss, crown/filling repair kit, & Anbesol.
If your gums get in trouble it can affect more than your teeth. A gum infection is a serious matter.

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Originally Posted by Winnie

Ahhh Sarky, sir, White vinegar is the most versatile cleaning product and it makes a great hair conditioner. Whats this going Roman? I'm an Anglo Saxon through and through, right back to the Doomsday Book and beyond.

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Agreed! I have about 3 jugs of white vinegar in my pantry at all times. It's a GREAT cleaning aid, deodorizer, and I heard about the conditioner...but have never used it that way yet.
I remember my grandmother soaking a rag in white vinegar, wringing it out so it didn't drip, and walking around the house swinging it over her head like a helicopter blade. That was how she deodorized the house before there were spray deodorizers. ;) I leave bowls of it around the house when we have a skunk problem. LOL!

I'm probably the oddball here but since my preps are geared more toward natural disasters I have a shaving kit in my BOB. I also have plenty of Campsuds that can be used as soap, toothpaste, clotheswash, dishes, anything. If I have soap and a toothbrush I'm in pretty good shape. I carry a toothbrush to the field with me now every time I go out.

That's the type of stuff I had in my BOB for a long time too, Rick. I think as the prices of food and other grocery items started to go up, I started taking into account what I couldn't do without if I had to choose...and when it went on sale I stocked up. This way...I guess it's just peace of mind. Now I know that if costs get too high, I don't have to put money into grooming supplies when we need to stock the shelves. ;)

I recently switched to using an old school straight folding razor to shave. It can be a pain in the *** if I haven't shaved for a few days, but not much more than using my old mach 3. I think I'll keep with it and probably just buy some bars of shaving cream to go with that.

If things really went down hill I don't think I'd cut my hair anymore. I'd just go back to having dread locks and keeping them clean and dry the old fashioned way.

That made me wonder; is hair good for anything other than clogging drains?

Camp 10 has a good point with the nail clippers. I aimed this post at "grooming" mainly because its effects are not widely discussed. I may be off a bit on this, but I don't think so, but when you have to deal with folks you are not familiar with, a "relatively neat" personna gives the other person at least an impression that you have your stuff together and are not some sort of "wacko". I have seen through past experience in difficult circumstances that it works. And to repeat, this is assuming that you have at least met your immediate food ,water and safety needs. The hygene aspects certainly deserve a discussion, to share whatever field expedients we have discovered.

Hmm, personally, my hair isn't much of a concern (including facial hair). If it got too long, I would just take scissors or a knife to it. I wouldn't be shaving often, thats for sure (even though after a certain length it drives me crazy). I guess a good knife would be able to take care of it (though I do want to try a straight razor, which would be great to keep with me since it's something I would be able to sharpen).

For soap, yeah, it would be nice to have, thats for sure, but you can make it in the wild.

The one thing I would be aware of though is if someone came walking up all clean and shaved it would be clear they have supplies, which could be dangerous. It would be great to have if you started a settlement though.

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Originally Posted by JPGreco

Hmm, personally, my hair isn't much of a concern (including facial hair). If it got too long, I would just take scissors or a knife to it. I wouldn't be shaving often, thats for sure (even though after a certain length it drives me crazy). I guess a good knife would be able to take care of it (though I do want to try a straight razor, which would be great to keep with me since it's something I would be able to sharpen).

For soap, yeah, it would be nice to have, thats for sure, but you can make it in the wild.

The one thing I would be aware of though is if someone came walking up all clean and shaved it would be clear they have supplies, which could be dangerous. It would be great to have if you started a settlement though.

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I guess that is certainly one way to think about it. The other is , for a minimal investment of time, money and space you can stay relatively clean and "presentable". In the long term that has a significant impact on a persons morale. I personally would think twice about making a misjudgement about a person who is relatively well groomed . I have experienced dealing with folks in rough environments, and the one (s) that have been able to maintain basic grooming always seemed to be folks at the top of the food chain. But of course these are only my observations (boots in the field as it is referred to :) ).

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Originally Posted by Pal334

I guess that is certainly one way to think about it. The other is , for a minimal investment of time, money and space you can stay relatively clean and "presentable". In the long term that has a significant impact on a persons morale. I personally would think twice about making a misjudgement about a person who is relatively well groomed . I have experienced dealing with folks in rough environments, and the one (s) that have been able to maintain basic grooming always seemed to be folks at the top of the food chain. But of course these are only my observations (boots in the field as it is referred to :) ).

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Thats exactly what I'm saying. I would be wary of someone clean cut who came walking up to me in any kind of survival situation (though I'd be wary of anyone... lol).

My point more is in a BOB or BOV carrying space is at a premium. Unless you have a stocked BOL, I personally wouldn't be carrying a lot of personal grooming stuff since you can forage and make items in the wild. Even the stuff I would bring would be used very infrequently to preserve it since it's use isn't necessary.

Let's not forget, cleanliness is also healthier. In a SHTF scenario, we can't afford to get sick or disabled in any way. If there's ever a time to be in top condition, that's the time.

Yep. Bat cat has a very good point.