If traipsing round tropical rainforests teaches you anything, it’s that it’s the outsiders who wash once a day and cover themselves in anti-perspirants that smell bad, not the local people. Despite washing infrequently, and never using deodorants or cleansers, tribal people living in the most basic of places don’t suffer from bad body odor.So why not? How is it that most people living in in modern society become socially-unacceptably smelly and greasy after just a day or two of not washing, but those living soap- and hot-water-free in the tropics manage to stay clean?
By washing and applying deodorants, which tend to work by removing or masking the odour-producing bacteria, we alter the skin microbiota. Ammonia-oxidising bacteria are a perticularly sensitive group of bacteria, and they are slow to repopulate, so they are the worst-affected by the hurricane of chemicals that bombards them every day. The trouble is, without ammonia-oxidising bacteria, the ammonia we sweat out is not converted into nitrite and nitric oxide, chemicals which play some fundamental roles not only in regulating the running of human cells, but also in governing our skin microbes. Without nitric oxide, the corynebacteria and staphylococci that feed on our sweat can run wild. Changes in the abundance of corynebacteria in particular seem to be responsible for the bad body odour that we are all so keen to avoid.
The irony is, then, in washing with chemicals and using deodorants to ensure that we smell nice, we kick off a vicious cycle. Soap and deodorants kill off our ammonia-oxidising bacteria; no ammonia-oxidising bacteria means disruption to our other skin bacteria; the altered composition means our sweat smells unpleasant; and therefore we must use soap to clean up the mess, and deodorant to mask the smell.
From the book; 10% human, by Alanna Collen
All you need is water-only and for good measure a cloth to rinse the skin with, do that daily.
Maybe it will feel strange and scary at first but you’ll be thoroughly clean and your skin will get a naturally pleasant scent.
Soap and perfume industry have got you hooked, like a drug addict, time to break the bond and live free 😀
