Sunday 22 May 2011

A word in your ear about personal hygiene...

I realise that this post is going to come dangerously close to an uncharacteristic 'lifestyle' one for me, but I feel almost evangelistic about the little object shown above.

Some years ago, I was visiting a company in a village in the Mendips called 'Crystal Imports', with a view to buying up about 5 tons of a rare-ish crystal called 'potato stones'. The old boy who ran the company was retiring, and I managed to buy up a lot of stuff from him at a good rate.

During the procedure, he handed me one of the crystals above to try out for free. He felt as evangelistic as I do now, and I have to say that I have never come across a product which not only fulfills every promise it makes on the packet, but actually exceeds them beyond my most optimistic expectations.

Somewhere in Thailand, there is a mineral spring which has been used by the locals to bathe in and cure minor skin diseases for generations, and years ago, the Thais started extracting this water, boiling it down until nothing was left but it's mineral constituents in salty, crystalline form, then shaping it into little bars like the one above.

The old boy gave me a chemical break-down, listing these constituents, and there are flipping hundreds of them, including some very rare salts which are found nowhere else on earth in this form.

It is used as a deodorant, and every morning after a wash or shower, I quickly rub one end of this block under my wet armpits, around my toes, and over me nuts.

This leaves an invisible trace of the salts on the skin, and when the bacteria that actually causes the smell we associate with B.O. comes into contact with it, they instantaneously die. End of problem for 24 hours or more, no matter how drunk you got the night before, or how much red meat you consumed at the same time. For about 2 days, all you can smell is the feint scent of the soap you used to wash with, and that's all. No blocked pores caused by the roll-on, plastic varieties of 'anti-perspirants' - you can sweat as much as you want to, and the result will be the same. It even stops those yellow stains from forming in the armpits of white shirts and blouses that are so difficult to remove. It's bloody wonderful.

The other thing is that it lasts so long, that even if you pay £8 for one bar (you can get about 5 bars for around £3.50 each on the net), it still represents fantastic value, because it just lasts and lasts. I have just opened a new bar - that one - as the other one had gone down to about half an inch in the 6 or 7 years that H.I. and me had been using every day. Yes - you can share it, because there is nothing that 'self-cleans' on earth like it, apart from ozone gas.

I may be preaching to the converted here, but if you haven't tried it, give it a go - I guarantee you will not look back. (And I also guarantee that I am not being paid to say this.)

19 comments:

  1. P.S. - Beware of imitations. There are simple salt crystals on the market which do not come from Thailand, and these are nowhere near as good.

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  2. Hello Tom:
    This, so unlike you, is all becoming very personal and, possibly, intimate! We are intrigued by this product as well as by its properties for health and hygiene.

    The sales patter is very convincing. Should we track it down?

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  3. "Should we track it down?" - I can't believe you are asking me this question, given the unsolicited testimony above! Yes, Hattattas - you should. Best bet is to go onto eBay, type 'Thai Crystal' into the search, then see what comes up. In fact I'll do that now, and give you a link to a product in a minute.

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  4. OK - I've done the ground-work for you. Either do as I said above or type in this item number into the ebay UK search, and you will be directed to 4 good quality sticks of the stuff for £9, including free postage within the UK:

    290531200841

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  5. I've just gone and bought another 4 sticks (but not the batch with the above item number), just in case this post should produce a rush and shortage. This purchase - including the one we have left - should see us out for the rest of our lives, or at least until the last part of it, when we no longer care what we smell like.

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  6. I'm a visitor to here - friend of Cro and Lady M! Is this the same as Alum stone? Bought one for a friend recently - haven't tried myself, but apparently brilliant for the same properties as your Thai crystal...Catherine G

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  7. How intriguing. I must have a browse to see if this is available over here.

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  8. I have friends who swear by these. Maybe it's time I invested!

    How good to see CG above.

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  9. I am a little bit slow on the uptake. Sometimes I need diagrams to see how thing work. Photos of mentioned body parts requested.

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  10. Love learning new stuff ............

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  11. No, not the same as Alum, C.G. Get the Thai one.

    You show me yours, and I'll show you mine, Iris.

    So do I Helen - you'd think we've seen it all before, but I haven't seen Iris's.

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  12. Reckon you might be having us on. We'll all go out and try the stuff and end up smelling like a sheep's nether regions!

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  13. Oh, lovelygrey - now I realise that all the piss-takes and tricks I have subjected you to over the last couple of years have come back and created a 'cry sheep' situation. No - it's all true (for a change). If it were a joke, then I would be suggesting that you swipe your nethers with an old, well mature Bombay Duck on a daily basis.

    Actually, I haven't tried that... maybe I will... fish pheremones might be the way ahead for old geezers like me... it might make women think that - despite poor hygiene - I score occasionally? Make them think, "What the hell, I'll give the old guy a chance - someone else has". Your expert advice would be appreciated.

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  14. nothing wrong wih a sheep's arse

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  15. Liking the idea...a lot.Off to ebay now :)

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  16. To buy what, Suzanne? Bombay Duck or dried sheep's arse?

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  17. I found something on TradeMe (NZ online auction site) that looks like what you are describing, so I've ordered it and it should arrive in a few days. See how much faith I have in you, Tom? However it doesn't say anything about it being Thai, though, so maybe it's a fake. Whatever, it didn't cost much and I'll give it a try.

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  18. I was going to suggest that if you couldn't find it locally, maybe you could ask for a price from someone on eBay UK, or elsewhere. Good luck with yours, Judith.

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  19. My crystal thingy arrived today, Tom. In teeny letters at the bottom of the packaging are the words "a product of Thailand" so I am guessing it's the real thing.

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