Not washing

[Haai]

I find that showering is bad for my skin. It makes it dry and itchy. So I shower only about once per week, without soap. I use raw eggs to wash my hair instead of shampoo.
I can't stand the smell of deodorants and perfumes...complete waste of money if you ask me, unless you want to wear it to scare someone away. They also give me asthmatic symptoms.
I do brush my teeth once or twice daily using an all-natural toothpaste, free from the chemical crap found in normal toothpaste, such as sodium laureth sulphate and flouride etc.

[Wolf]

I get oily hair so I need to at least wash my hair sometimes.  But as far as washing my body, I don't think I'll ever wash my skin with soap again, it feels so much better without it.

[Waldpfad]

A diet high in grains, beans and processed sugars (including lab chemicals like artificial falvors MSG, food colorings, preservatives BHT, and hydrogenated oils) create a STRONG, BAD body odor. Alcohol and smoking also creates really BAD BO's.
When someone starts eating clean, and the glands recover, the skin clears up and detox is accomplished, you will notice that there will be NO bad body odor whatsoever, even if you go and sweat your butt off in a sports game.
Sure, you'll still smell sweaty, but it's a different smell, almost a pleasant smell.
I hate taking showers because the water is usually hot, and for some reason in America there is chlorine in it, which dries out the skin even more. I like my own natural oils...my skin smells spicey and when sun bathing I smell like a multi vitamin.
I wash my hair once a week with some coconut oil based glycerine soap. My hair doesn't even get greasy anymore, it is still as 'normal dry' on the last day as it is on the first, right after the wash.
I used to go through perfume soaps like crazy in the old days, sometimes washing my underarms twice or more a day. Oh, and the smell from stool and urine, omg.

All gone now baby, I feel cleaner now than I ever have in my adult life.
In my pre-primal days I still felt dirty and stinky even after a shower with perfume soaps.

[zeno]

I've become much more sensitive to unnatural scents since starting this diet. I can't stand smog, pollution or artificial scents. However, I enjoy natural scents more than ever--including my scent. I'm not sure if my scent is all that pleasant yet. Once several months ago my father confronted me about the way I smelled. I'm not sure if it was my hair, clothing, or skin. Hopefully that has passed. I'll have to ask around.

I don't wash my hair or body, only rinse once every few days. The chlorine in the water is damaging enough. When I use soap my skin becomes so dry that I have to rub fat onto my skin to moisturize my skin.

On a side note: my previous girlfriend enjoyed my natural musk. She stated that she enjoyed catching a whiff of my body odor when I was producing sweat.

[RawZi]

scents more than ever--including my scent. I'm not sure if my scent is all that pleasant yet. Once several months ago my father confronted me about the way I smelled. I'm not sure if it was my hair, clothing, or skin. Hopefully that has passed. I'll have to ask around.

I don't wash my hair or body, only rinse once every few days. The chlorine in the water is damaging enough. When I use soap my skin becomes so dry

    A handsome young clean looking (no smell that I detected either) delivery man was at my house yesterday talking with my son when I got home from Whole Foods yesterday.  The three of us wound up talking for about six hours.  I gave him raw meat while we were talking, then later raw milk and unheated honey and fresh made butter.  Somehow we struck it lucky and he is a primal dieter, six months now.  Primal dieters are supposed to eat every four hours.  He's not a boyfriend, no intimacy, but I have a very strong sense of smell whether I like it or not.  Myself, I haven't washed my hair in weeks, and haven't washed any of my body in days, save my hands.  I have a lot of high meats in my fridge too, and showed him all over the kitchen.  My cats had their food out (raw meat) and I had food for the feral cats outside where he entered (old butter and old meat).  Maybe he has no sense of smell, I didn't ask him.  Anyway, I doubt my place would smell all that good at the moment to a normal, and I don't use fragrances or heavy solvents in the house.  He never flinched a bit, and really enjoyed talking with us.  Strange though, as I was talking on the phone with a couple of primal friends earlier in the day, and they were practically kicked out by their families for having raw meat (unfermented) in their refrigerators, I'm talking SAD dieters!   SADies seem to be revolted at the direct smell of raw meat.  Luckily they seem to be mesmerized by the smell of raw meat eaters!

    However, during these six hours the new neighbor came to the door and talked a bit (young handsome man also very clean cut).  The delivery man's vehicle was blocking our driveway.  I wonder what the neighbor eats.  We opened the front door wide, none of the smells bothered him, he was very congenial etc I think he lives in the back house with his wife, I don't know, this is the first time I met one of them.

[zeno]

I forgot to mention something! On the subject of pheromones: ever since I began this diet I have attracted the most curious reaction from all sorts of animals! Dogs come up to me and can't help but smell me, they just want to sniff, lick and interact with me. Just last week, I was sitting on some grass near the sidewalk and a couple walking their dog were forced to stop and watch their dog interact with me because they couldn't control him--their attraction is that powerful!

Amazing!

[RawZi]

pheromones: ever since I began this diet I have attracted the most curious reaction from all sorts of animals! Dogs come up to me and can't help but smell me, they just want to sniff, lick and interact with me. Just last week, I was sitting on some grass near the sidewalk and a couple walking their dog were forced to stop and watch their dog interact with me because they couldn't control him--their attraction is that

    Lol this guy yesterday, one of my cats always has avoided human strangers, but she was very friendly to the delivery guy.  I'm pretty sure it's the first human male she ever met that ate raw meat.

    Anything like this I ever mentioned on a forum that was mostly raw vegan, I'd get a reaction like, "that just proves animals are stupid and need our protection".

[Isthmus]

I get oily hair so I need to at least wash my hair sometimes.  But as far as washing my body, I don't think I'll ever wash my skin with soap again, it feels so much better without it.

I am a male with long hair. I stopped using shampoo or soap. A good 'natural' way to wash your hair is to dilute a tablespoon or two of cider vinegar in some water, and rinse your hair with that.

[Löwenherz]

I forgot to mention something! On the subject of pheromones: ever since I began this diet I have attracted the most curious reaction from all sorts of animals!

Sounds funny!

And... YES, I have the same experience.

As long as I eat raw flesh from healthy animals, animals like me more.

Tsss....

Löwenherz

[KD]

I forgot to mention something! On the subject of pheromones: ever since I began this diet I have attracted the most curious reaction from all sorts of animals! Dogs come up to me and can't help but smell me, they just want to sniff, lick and interact with me. Just last week, I was sitting on some grass near the sidewalk and a couple walking their dog were forced to stop and watch their dog interact with me because they couldn't control him--their attraction is that powerful!

Amazing!

my gf's dog, who is female and usually inseparable from her, seems to have recently got some kind of jealousy thing where it barks at her some times when she goes near me.

[Dorothy]

My husband is always amazed how I don't wash my face. He washes his morning and night. I only wash when I'm in the shower - which happens when I feel I need it energetically. I take a shower for my own pleasure -- warm and soothing - and it fluctuates dramatically how long in-between.

I use deodorant because as soon as I eat something not just right for me (which is happening way too often lately) I can't stand the smell from my armpits -- but I found this stuff that is all natural essential oils of sage and tea tree that smells really great to me and feels good to my body. Even my dogs like it. My sense of smell has more in common with my beagle than most humans and both me and my beagle go a little crazy near fake nasty smells.... but, I love smelling my dogs' feet - (heaven on earth) and I too stick my nose right into my husband and do that quick in and out breath that opens up the olfactory senses that my beagle taught me. The more I eat raw (any version) the more sensitive my sense of smell and my own body aroma changes. Dogs have always been attracted to me no matter how I eat. Often children and dogs stop in the street and stare at me and both animals and children if close enough will lift and wiggle their noses. 

[Waldpfad]

"I use deodorant because as soon as I eat something not just right for me ( ... ) I can't stand the smell from my armpits"

Wow, you are just like me (or I'm like you)!
I just posted something exactly like this in another thread.
This makes me want to ask:  Are you of nordic descent?

[Dorothy]

"I use deodorant because as soon as I eat something not just right for me ( ... ) I can't stand the smell from my armpits"

Wow, you are just like me (or I'm like you)!
I just posted something exactly like this in another thread.
This makes me want to ask:  Are you of nordic descent?

I am 100% Bohunk 1/2 Bohemian and 1/2 Hungarian. Considering that the borders of those two countries have changed and intermingled so much and have been one country in history I am fairly singular as an American in terms of having such a narrow regional ancestry.

PS to Tyler - I have NO Native American ancestry at all - unless we take that ancestry all the way back to when the first Native Americans came over from Europe that is.

[miles]

I remember reading here about people in the past not washing because they 'thought it was bad' - this being a justification for not washing now. I thought people might like to know, that the reason they 'thought it was bad' was because it showed vanity, an expression of pride, which is a sin in Christianity; it also involves one getting naked an touching oneself, which were forbidden or frowned upon in Christianity. It was not for health reasons that they 'thought it was bad'.

The Christians reviled the Vikings for their vanity, because they washed fully once a week, kept long hair and looked after themselves, washing their faces every morning, combing their hair and washing their hands before and after eating. The Muslims on the other hand reviled the Vikings for their lack of hygiene - because vikings would bathe in still water, whilst Islam taught to wash only in running water.

[Aaaaaa]

Actually ever since going cooked paleo about a year ago, I've stopped showering regularly.  I don't smell at all bad--just a nice, pleasant "me" smell.  I use deoderant (natural) when I feel like it, but I don't need to.  I probably shower about once every week or week and a half now...basically whenever I feel like it. 
My hair likes it a lot better, too!  I wash it whenever I shower with a natural shampoo bar, and rinse with ACV and water.  I used to dye my hair with nasty chemical dyes, but now I use plant dyes like henna and indigo :-)
I HATE the smell of artificial colognes and body sprays; they make me nauseous.  I much prefer healthy people's smells, or natural (herbal) perfumes.

[Dorothy]

I remember reading here about people in the past not washing because they 'thought it was bad' - this being a justification for not washing now. I thought people might like to know, that the reason they 'thought it was bad' was because it showed vanity, an expression of pride, which is a sin in Christianity; it also involves one getting naked an touching oneself, which were forbidden or frowned upon in Christianity. It was not for health reasons that they 'thought it was bad'.

The Christians reviled the Vikings for their vanity, because they washed fully once a week, kept long hair and looked after themselves, washing their faces every morning, combing their hair and washing their hands before and after eating. The Muslims on the other hand reviled the Vikings for their lack of hygiene - because vikings would bathe in still water, whilst Islam taught to wash only in running water.

That was very interesting Miles.
I have this vague impression of something learned a long time ago that washing had something to do with being open to devils. Sort of like when you say "God Bless You" when someone sneezes it's because at one time they thought that sneezing left you open to a devil entering you.

In the old days they didn't have a clue what hygiene meant because germs were not discovered yet. 'Women died by the truck load giving birth because the male doctor would go woman to woman without washing in between. I guess "germ theory" has been good for some thing.