How do you maintain your personal hygiene while on a deployment?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 18:58:55 -0400

For those of you who have deployed to combat or inhospitable environments, how did you manage to keep yourselves from getting too overgrown. I have particularly thick hair that grows throughout my body. Stateside, we have the comfort and privacy of our own bathrooms to take care of our grooming needs. On deployments, I would assume this is a luxury we no longer have. So, how can you take care of personal hygiene such as this. Do you get R&R time where you have barracks that you stay in? Did you have to go from a port-a-potty to a showering tent? Is this something that just goes left unkempt for the duration of the deployment? How have you handled such a task in the past?

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 14 at 2022 10:40 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 22:40:50 -0400

Most forward locations nowadays have latrine trailers and shower trailers. With running water. Some locations, depending on rank, there may be barracks with latrines...but they are far and few between. All you really need to be concerned about is if your face is shaved properly. Even if there is no trailer or container to shave in....you can always use your canteen cup and water. No one is going to care if your chest hair got too long.

Response by SPC James Neidig made Jun 15 at 2022 1:42 AM

SPC James Neidig — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 01:42:01 -0400

Invest in Rechargeable Hair Clipper’s They Go For About $30.00 ,?They Can Be Used on Any Hair, Also Get Plenty of Baby Wipes, They Will Come In Handy , They Can Be Used For A Lot of Cleaning Needs

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Jun 15 at 2022 8:06 AM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 08:06:54 -0400

This is an odd question for me. How are you managing daily grooming needs while in the field? The answer is basically the same. Yes if you are lucky enough to be deployed somewhere with plumbing, flush toilets, showers and all that nothing really changes. You wash, clean, brush, scrub and shave the same. If you are in a less than comfy situation you just roll like you are in the field. Baby wipe showers and all that. When in Afghanistan sometimes you were in a situation where the only laundry facility you had was bottled water, a bucket and soap to wash your clothes. Sometimes the only barber shop was a guy in your unit with clippers. Don't try to over think it.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Jun 15 at 2022 11:01 AM

SGM Mikel Dawson — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 11:01:07 -0400

One of the best inventions is Baby wipes. When I was in Kuwait/Iraq in the early days, sometimes it was all I had. I had a cousin send me the travel packs so they didn't dry out so bad. Great to clean up with.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2022 11:51 AM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 11:51:25 -0400

In 05, a shower was a once-a-month luxury if you were lucky. Maybe even a good shave and a real haircut.
Baby wipes took care of most of your issues with your pits, your balls and your ass. Maybe your feet if you had enough. Water for the rest.
Port-a-Potty? How about a wooden ammo crate instead....

Response by SPC David Willis made Jun 15 at 2022 3:07 PM

SPC David Willis — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 15:07:34 -0400

If youre deployed on a large FOB there are usually pretty nice facilities to shave and shower in. If youre on a small platoon sized COP running patrols daily and taking incoming fairly often hygene quickly becomes the 4th or 5th most important thing behind weapons maintenance, food, water and base upkeep. Electric razor wont keep you super smooth and bald faced but its good enough and haircuts were had when we ran refit missions to the FOB. But it wouldnt be uncommon to go close to a couple months without one and a month or so between real showers.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2022 7:18 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 19:18:17 -0400

Use what ever you have at the time, think things through as needed. Going to the field, than bring what ever is your desire, I always had shit paper with me.
I can only say as 11-bravo in the 70's, and we had much less than is available to you in these days. You have to think what is important to you to make your life in the field a little easer.
We used a OD green cloth that we tied around our neck, it was our catch all, it only needed a little water to wipe ourselves. If we came up upon water, or rained, we washed it, if we needed a tourniquet, we tied it, as the last resort, we wiped our ass with it.
So, in just that one piece of cloth, it had it's purpose, at the time and need.
Being in the field for 3 months straight, the army provided, water, food, even a pair of boots if needed. You know, there are good officers that do the logistics, and do their jobs well, not everything comes as soon as you need it, so, it'll be up to you to provide for yourself.
We all would like a port-a-poddy, but I tell you the truth, two ammo crats work well. It just comes down to, what do you want, a nice place to sit and covered, believe me, if I need to, than shitting in the wind is fine, but just have a buddy keep watch on you, you're very vulnerable taking a shit.
A lot of body hair, then loosen up your clothing, it keeps you a little cooler, and if you're getting shot at, it don't matter anyway.
The key is, you have to do what ever it takes, to have what it takes to make yourself more comfortable.
The nature of the beast for 11-bravo, and someday when you're older and not in the Army anymore, anything that comes up, won't make you blink, because you know, what hard life is really like.
Amen!

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Jun 18 at 2022 8:35 AM

SPC Erich Guenther — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 08:35:05 -0400

You know that I never deployed but can tell you from experience I came back from the field at Fort Campbell with an infected insect bite as I scratched it a little too much. That night I had a serious fever and chills and in the morning on sick call the PA started to trace an infection in my legs around the bite with magic marker on my skin. I was told if the line went above my knees they might have to amputate the leg to protect the heart. I was bed ridden for a full week and missed a deployment to Honduras.

You really do not have to be in a combat zone, so you shouldn't make that presumption and niether should your immediate chain of command. For me it was just one mosquito bite, scratched too much in unsanitary conditions. Also, will mention the 1SG was so pissed off the PA did not write a profile excusing me from the deployment to Honduras.....he found out about the whole issue from me after asking me why I was on sick call with a deployment pending. He really screamed at the PA that was responsible for the vague profile and you could hear his voice for quite the distance.

You should have a conversation with your assigned medic about medical issues in the field and when you need to make him/her aware of them.

Response by SFC Jaysin Smith made Jun 22 at 2022 3:56 PM

SFC Jaysin Smith — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 15:56:49 -0400

Hey bro, you're a grimey ass grunt. Embrace that shit. During the early days of OEF and OIF shit was scarce. No one gave 2 fucks about shaving their body hair. However I can tell you that the really fine sand that finds it's way into everything (even if it's supposed to be airtight) will catch in some of your body hair and may run you like sand paper at pivot points on your body. You groin, pits, ankles, front of your knees, wrists and forearms will pretty much be sanded down and hairless. There was this magical invention that a lot of us found called shower in a bag. It's like a big ass baby wipe. Those things are worth 2 blowjobs and your fellow grunts life savings. They don't usually dry up easily, some guys invested in a portable shower bag. Then they realized that those take up valuble realty in your ruck or assault pack. We found a device that attached to our camelpak and had a shower nozzle on it with a sliding clamp. These turned your hydration bladder into a shower. The problem was sometimes potable drinking water was scarce. So it was a gimmick and we went back to the magical shower in a bag and baby wipes. Keep your pits, your nuts and your feet clean. Pack plenty of socks and get grungy my brother. It's the infantry way of life. Besides killing all the things around us we no longer desire to have life. You'll never see a legit picture of a clean infantryman in the field. Stay hydrated and frosty.

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Aug 29 at 2022 3:57 PM

SFC Casey O'Mally — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 15:57:50 -0400

If you are talking about manscaping, save that for once you get home.

For the basics, baby wipes will get you between more luxurious showers - sometimes even with hot water! And shaving happens when it can. It's called "scraping your face" for a reason - water and shaving cream are NOT required. Don't waste money on expensive blades in that environment.

Response by SGT Ruben Lozada made Sep 25 at 2022 11:14 PM

SGT Ruben Lozada — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 23:14:10 -0400

Excellent question Specialist. I recall being deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. Our unit used whatever was available. When We first got to COP Miri, We didn't have a shower facility. We just used large bottles if water and shampoo. We went to the nearest FOB once every month. We did that for the first six months. After suffering those first six months engineers built a shower facility, and brougt over a washer and dryer, which helped out a lot. We went to the nearest FOB every two weeks. We finally had hot water available.

Response by SGT Ruben Lozada made Sep 25 at 2022 11:23 PM

SGT Ruben Lozada — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 23:23:12 -0400

Also, while deployed each COP and FOB are different. There are many COPs that don't have an actual bathroom building. But, many FOBs do. As far as haircuts go, there will always be a fellow Soldier who has clippers. Also, You'll get R&R during a deployment. Also, the only barracks I saw were stateside. While I was deployed there were many large sleeping tents and wooden shack sleeping huts.

Response by SGT Larry Reed made Jan 27 at 2023 7:02 PM

SGT Larry Reed — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 19:02:20 -0500

Going on bivouac use you steel helmet to wash and shave, oh I just remembered you soldiers now use Kevlar helmets?