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Eliminating stuff you don't need
Take a look at what you throw into your toiletry bag. Then carefully
pare out things you don't usually need. For example, instead of carrying
a bottle of shampoo and a second of conditioner, I use a two-in-one brand,
such as Pert or Pantene.
Women--Minimizing make-up: If you normally wear a lot of make-up, try
to minimize your look for your trip. Nowadays, I carry only my eyeliner,
two-shade eyeshadow, and one tube of lipstick. My "lipstick"
is now a tube of Blistex "Liptone," a tinted lip balm that serves
the dual purpose of lipstick and lip balm. These can be had for just a
couple of bucks; not much of a loss if it melts in a hot car, or you lose
it. Forget the eyelash curlers and the liquid foundation. If you must have
some foundation, use a small powdered form in a small compact (with a mirror
so you don't have to take a separate mirror).
When Hairy Met Sally Hansen: Women--instead of taking a razor, why
not have your legs waxed right before your trip? Men--if you're going to
rough it or take a relaxing vacation, can you start growing a little beard
before your trip begins? I realize this isn't realistic for everyone. But
it gives you an idea of how resourceful you can be. A warning: If you are
traveling overseas, do not grow a beard if your passport photo has you
barefaced. There are some travel-sized electric shavers you can look into,
although these have trouble tackling really thick beard hairs. The Body
Shop sells a small razor that's barely the size of one slide film, which
uses disposable razors. Another option is the "lipstick tube"
style razor where the razor end twists up and out of a little tube. Hard
to describe--go look in the Magellan catalog.
Bad Hair Day? Most haircuts are good for four to six weeks. It also
usually takes a good week for a new haircut to settle. I always recommend
that you get see your stylist/barber the week before your trip. If you
are contemplating what length to trim, go as short as you are comfortable
with. You will feel much cooler, and you will use much less shampoo.
Take Only The Amount You Need: Have you ever traveled with your regular
bottle of shampoo? How long do you take to use up that bottle? If your
answer is "longer than the length of my trip," then you should
carry a smaller bottle with you. The best method is to find out how long
a small travel-sized bottle will last you at home. Most travel bottles
hold two ounces, while some smaller ones hold an ounce. If you have a two-week
vacation coming up, and your two-ounce bottle lasted three weeks, then
you know you have more than you need for your trip. You might think it's
too bothersome to do this work beforehand--those who are staying in hotels
with their own toiletries don't even have to take any shampoo or soap with
them!
There are three ways to start building your toiletry supply:
-Always keep an eye out for travel-sized bottles, and pick up those
you think you will use
-Buy some plain travel-sized bottles and fill them with the stuff you
normally use. -Save the sample-size bottles whenever you stay at a hotel.
Keep the bottles after they're empty, and refill with your favorite shampoo.
Note that many times, the price of an empty bottle is the same as a
sample-sized bottle of filled shampoo! If you're creative, you might even
be able to convert some containers for different purposes. For example,
I wanted a teeny tiny bottle of hair spray, but everything I found held
two whole ounces. I finally found a little spray bottle to clean eyeglasses.
I emptied and cleaned it out and refilled it with my hair spray. This worked
because the hair spray isn't used for ingestion so I didn't have to worry
about any residual eyeglass cleaning solution. Save your tiny plastic container
that used to be filled with cooking spices. Fill it with talcum powder.
If you've ever gotten little sample packets of shampoo in the mail, save
them for use on your trip. They lie flat, and don't leak.
The following are the contents of my toiletry kit, which is a plain
5" x 7" ditty bag with one zipper [Note: One of the reasons I
have so little in my toiletry kit is because some items are in a separate
First Aid Kit I carry--listed in another section]:
-A folding brush/comb from Goody (folds to 4.25")
-Traveler's toothbrush (folds into a case, to 3.5")
-1-ounce bottle of Pert shampoo (a 2-in-1 with built-in conditioner)
-0.9-ounce tube of toothpaste -0.3-ounce tube of Jergen's hand lotion
-0.2-ounce bottle of Clear Eyes eyedrops
-0.5-ounce container of deodorant -2" x 4" unbreakable mirror
-3.5" nail file
-Eyeliner pencil
-Small two-shade eyeshadow
-Blistex Liptone lip balm (tinted so I don't need separate lipstick)
-1-ounce bottle of Jergen's Body Wash
I take my toiletry kit with me everywhere I go, and the contents last
me a full week (longer if I'm conservative).
If you have very short hair, you can substitute the shampoo for a gentle
dishwashing liquid like Ivory. This way you will also have some soap to
do your laundry in.
Not everybody uses toothpaste. We are conditioned to have minty-breath,
but it's not required to remove the plaque from your teeth. Just remember
to also brush your tongue well so you avoid bad breath!
If you're on a longer trip, take a few small bottles with you. You
can throw the bottles out as you finish using them, lightning your load
and decreasing your packing space.
Deodorant: Travel with commercially available sticks of deodorant if
you use deodorant crystals (sometimes marketed as "Thai deodorant
stones"). These are perfectly legal, but without appropriate labels,
may raise the suspision of unfriendly customs or security agents. Men:
Trim your underarm hairs to about a half-inch in length before you embark
on your trip; don't feel embarrassed, since most people won't even notice.
You can do it with either an automatic beard trimmer or a pair of scissors
and a comb. Trimming will still leave you looking manly without looking
like you shave your underarms. You will use less deodorant this way, and
you will actually have decreased body odor.
Contact lenses: If you wear soft disposables like I do, make sure to
bring one (if not two) extra pair(s) with you, as well as your prescription
glasses. It's not a bad idea to have your doctor write out your eyeglass/contact
prescription as well. Some doctors don't want to do this, because they
worry that you may use your prescription to order your contacts through
mail order--just explain to them that you want to have it with you on your
upcoming trip.
Keep in mind that many people find contact lenses impossible to wear
in some places because of the dust! Glasses are mandatory if you are traveling
to a developing country. You will also want to take out your contacts during
a flight (cabin air is too dry and will irritate your eyes).
Take a trial size bottle of contact lens solution with you, and if
you can, find the type that allows you to clean, rinse and soak with the
same solution (I use "Complete" from Allcon). Make sure your
contact lens holder has little screw-top lids with rubber gaskets in them,
so that the change in cabin pressure will not force the solution out of
the container (the holders with flip-top lids will do this).
The Body Shop: This UK-based chain of stores sells a large gamut of
earth-friendly products. Many of their toiletry products are available
in two-ounce travel-size containers. In addition, they sell "cologne
sticks," which look just like a sticks of lip balm (e.g. Chap Stick),
but are infused with fragrances. A quick stroke of this wand on your wrist
and you can smell pretty while on the road (and not worry about breaking
your bottle of perfume, accidentally spraying your neighbor, or overdoing
it and smelling too strong).
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