I was taking my early morning walk last week when I came up with my topic for this week. I had just left the beach and was on the road on my way home when this young man on a bicycle rode past me. He almost knocked me off my feet, not with his bike, but with his strong foul odor.
I mean that man’s body odor was so awful. I can understand if he repels all young ladies, and thought that he has never used any deodorant in his life. Probably he does not have the fault but simply has a high PH factor – whatever that means. So I reminisced what guys did twenty five years ago when there were no deodorants, at least in San Pedro.
Some people applied alcohol to their armpits right after a shower or after sweating profusely after a strenuous job or activity. This worked quite well, and there were some brands of alcohol that had fragrances like Wintergreen Alcohol and the “ruda” plant.
When a person’s foul odor was acute and unbearable, he or she was recommended to rub some fresh lime juice on his armpits. Lime juice works wonders and has long lasting effects, except that if your skin is allergic, it leaves you with a burning sensation. By long lasting I mean that after the lime treatment, you can go up to a month without the need of any deodorant and you do not offend anyone.
Also in some extreme circumstances, some folks used this white powdery substance known as white lime or “cal” in Spanish. It is generally used to boil corn before making the dough for the corn tortillas. It was also mixed with water and used to paint clay walls or concrete surfaces. Today I only know of it being used to mark the lines in the sporting fields. This “cal” was mixed with some water and the paste was applied to the armpits for a cure of that ugly armpit smell.
My point is this. If in the absence of deodorants, young men managed to stay fresh and attract the young ladies, it certainly is even more possible today when there are so many varieties and brands of deodorants in the market.
– by Angel Nuñez, Columnist
