This isn't just a 'girl thing' - seriously, what do we do if we run out of shaving cream or cosmetics? This isn't about how to improvise, but are we willing to go au naturel and forego some of the frou frou we've become accustomed to?

-- Karen Cook (browsercat@hotmail.com), September 15, 1998

Answers

My husband uses soap to shave and soap is one of those things we've been stocking up on. Maybe I should get the local barber, who still uses a straight razor and a strop (is that right?) to shave the men - to show me how to do that. There used to be a powdered thing called "Rare Earth" that you could buy that would work for lipstick, blush, etc - I think you can still get something like that at the foo-foo cosmetic counters. Good bet - in herbal books are TONS of recipes for make-it-yourself toiletries. Baking soda and salt make a toothpaste. Deodorant stones are available at health food stores and last about a year.

I don't know how much lipstick I'll be wearing if TSHTF big time - guess I'm counting on candlelight to improve things! :-)

-- Melissa (financed@forbin.com), September 16, 1998.

I was about to say I use a rechargeable philishave (you don't need pre/aftershave) but once the charge runs out....... Stocking up with soap is going to be the least of your problems.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), September 16, 1998.

If the lipstick runs out you're going to have much more important things to worry about than looking pretty. Like staying alive. (I'm presuming you'll add cosmetics and sanitary products to your food stockpile to cope with any short-term disruptions).

Shaving: the cheapest electric shaver you can buy isn't a rechargeable, it uses 2 x AA batteries and they last about 2 months (for a man shaving). So, stock 12 AA cells. Alternatively get an old-style razor and plenty of blades. If you can't resupply within a year then growing and maintaining a beard will be the least of the problems.

One other thought. We live in a society where form is triumphing over content, where people are judged as much by their skins and what's on top of them as by what's underneath. I suspect that this is typical of good times. Hard times will re-focus attention on the things that really matter rather than on the superficial, by bringing the best (and, sadly, the worst) of humankind to the fore.

-- Nigel Arnot (nra@maxwell.ph.kcl.ac.uk), September 16, 1998.

Hard times will bring out the worst in individuals and government. I suppose in the "mad max" world they all had beards and stank.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), September 16, 1998.

Karen,

For fear of being laughed out of this forum, I will tell you what I am doing. I have been purchasing extra items like make-up when shopping. Uncle laughed at me when he saw me purchase those pink styrofoam hair curlers, (won't be using the curling iron when the electric is out). Also I was able to purchase essential oils at our health food store, mix a very small amount of oil (very potent) with a spray bottle of water and Voila` aftershave/cologne. Although this may seem trivial to some of you, feeling good about ones self during turmoil will make the transition less difficult if TSHTF. (For me anyway)!

-- Mrs. Deedah (oncebitten@twiceshy.com), September 16, 1998.

Straight razors take a LOT of ppractice (you should se some of my scars!)********JUST KIDDING!!! I would suggest an antique caalled a ROLLS RAZOR it is a safety razor (sort of) which comes in it's own metal case, with strop and hones built into the lids. This would remove the need to use the stockpiled razor blades for shaving and save them for other more life saving purposes, and would give you a GOOD sharpening stone and a strop to use on other blades.

-- Chuck a Night Driver (rienzoo@en.com), September 17, 1998.

It sudenly dawned on me this morning that i had provided a partial answer to the question that you asked and not to the underlying question : ie; "Why cosmetics in a Post-TEOTWAWKI / WTSHTF -type event." As Dean Ing I believe suggests in "Pulling Through", bathing and cosmetic application is extremely important. Bathing, we will agree is half for health reasons and half for noses. The health effects of bathing are actually two-fold, first clear physical prevention of disease transmission; but at least equally important is the mental lift that bathing gives. I will not forget the absolute sensuous pleasure of the, in truth luke warm solar shower in 60 +/- degrees in the Canadian Boundary Waters on the fourth evening of the trip. Both my wife and I were getting to the point that neither of us wanted to climb into the same sleeping bag with ourselves!!!! Cosmetics also allow us to put together a mental picture that we are where we really should be, that we are still reasonably "civilised", and that there is a REASON to try to look better and feel better. If you have children, the presence of soap, perfume for Mom, razors, and aftershave for Dad, assuming Mom and Dad use them now will be a VERY STRONG help in convincing them that the whole universe has not ended, and will help the transition if, indeed, the worst DOES happen and we do revert back to the 50's (HI HI *oops YUK YUK) or to the 1890's or before.

Remember, if we revert back to a horse-based economy, or even back to a pre WW-II economy, the kids are NOT going to be coping with this as well as the Grand-folks. Anything that serves as a bridge will be VERY helpful.......... until it becomes a painful reminder of the loss, a VERY narrow border separates these two!

cr

-- Chuck a Night Driver (rienzoo@en.com), September 18, 1998.

I don't think its silly-feeling clean and looking good contribute a great deal to quality of life.....I'm all for making the world a little bit more beautiful and personally am going to stock up on the items that help me do that. With bags of disposable razors at .99 you can buy years worth for very little, ditto shave creme, TP, soap, etc.

-- Suzanne McIntosh (smcintosh@hewm.com), September 19, 1998.

I recall seeing wind-up shavers which resembled Norelco rotaries with a wind-up key. My dad used one when hospitalized for an extended duration. (It was either that or don't shave.) It's been a few years since then, but in my search for one now, it was suggested that a source would be supply houses servicing overseas missionaries. Sounds plausible, I doubt that you can regularly charge a razor in the wilds of Africa or the steppes of Mongolia.

-- Vern Moore (vtmldm@epix.net), September 19, 1998.

I don't think it's silly to think about. When I think about survival, I try to think about not going crazy in the process. Having a semblance of civility will make my life feel more ordered. I was at a local country festival and almost bought one of those old fashioned "iron" irons. Like my grandmother used to say, "When you look good, you feel good."

-- margie mason (mar3mike@aol.com), September 20, 1998.

The heck with straight razors. Whenever the generator is running for anything else a couple of amps are going to go to a plug and my rechargeable electric razor. Half hour will give me a week's worth of use.

Deordorent will have to last between baths though .... I wonder if that means I'll need more or less.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), September 20, 1998.

maybey the "rubenesque look" will become the "look" again! It will symbolize the intelligent, prepared individual. Being skinny will be a look that is associated with poverty and ignorance. Pass the potatoes and gravy please!!

-- madeline (runner@bcpl.net), September 21, 1998.

Hey! I'm already skinny....what so I need, an emoticon with glasses AND a belt?

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), September 21, 1998.

Touche',touche' my mouth(or fingers) doth run awayeth from me.I was speaking as 20-something female who works with 40 other figure-obsessed women.The kind that notice when one of them gains 2 lbs.The kind that take dangerous medicine to lose a few lbs. It caused me to be insensitive to those folks who are naturally slim, and I apologize. I engaged in inappropriate comments,I was wrong, and I have no one to blame but myself. I deeply regret the pain that this has caused. I now must make this right with my God, my family, and my country.At no time did I ask anyone to delete those comments and cover for my lapse in good judgement. And now I think the best thing is to just move on...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously though, I realize now, that that statement was unfair of me.

-- madeline (runner@bcpl.net), September 21, 1998.

Madeline, ROFL! Thanks, I needed a good laugh!

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), September 22, 1998.