Maintaining hygiene while backpacking
@harrynewman and I are going to do some long term travelling. We realise our usual washing and showering routines will be hard to maintain and toiletries in South America may be hard to come by in some areas so I have been looking into some ways we can keep our packs light but still be as hygienic as possible.
An item I think that may be ideal is a shampoo bar. It's compact, you can store it in a tin, it's said that you can get at least 60 washes to each bar and you don't need to worry about a bottle of liquid leaking through your bag.
Today I purchased 3 different bars from Lush to test out, 2 shampoo bars and 1 conditioner. My hair is oily at the roots and dry on the ends and I'd say my hair is fine so I'm some what skeptical as to how affective these bars will be. Harry's hair is thick, coarse and a little dry so I'm eager to see his results.
Montalbano shampoo bar for squeaky clean hair
This bar cost $14.95 AUD
15 Ingredients:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Green Olives (Olea europaea), Sicilian Lemon Oil, Fresh Lemon Juice, Fresh Lemon Peel, Popping Candy, Lemon Peel Lemon slice, Rosemary Absolute, Organic Lemon Myrtle Oil, Citral, Geraniol, Limonene, Perfume, Gardenia Extract
Seanik shampoo bar for soft shiny hair. I was advised this bar would moisturise our hair more than the Montalbano.
This bar cost $14.94 AUD
11 Ingredients:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Irish Moss Gel, Perfume, Nori Seaweed, Fine Sea Salt, Lemon Oil, Mimosa Absolute, Orange Blossom Absolute, Jasmine Absolute, Limonene, Colour 42090
Sugar Daddy conditioner for blonde or lighter shades of hair.
Only I will be trying this one. Harry and I have been using coconut oil as a leave in conditioner and its been really good. It seems to be holding Harry's curls together especially well, more so than any other product he has used and my hair loves it but I find if the oil gets on my skin it can cause a breakout so I've decided to give this bar a go as an alternative.
This bar cost $10.95 AUD
23 Ingredients:
Cetearyl Alcohol & Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Linseed Infusion, Guar Gum, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Perfume, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Polyquaternium-88, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Stearyldimoniumhydroxypropyl Laurylglucosides Chloride, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Argan Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Violet Leaf Absolute, Rose Absolute, Bergamot Oil, Cananga Oil, Limonene, Linalool, Coumarin, Isoeugenol, Benzyl Alcohol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Colour 60725
I'll update you guys on how it all goes and if you have any tips, tricks or suggestions for travel toiletries or travel in general Harry and I would love to hear them.
Peace :)
If you have periods, get a menstrual cup. They are awesome (way better than tampons anyway--I would never go back). Plus tampons can be hard to find in lots of countries and you don't wan't to waste space in your backpack loading up from Aus. For some reason, overseas women still like using pads. Gross.
https://www.menstrualcupsaustraliaonline.com.au/menstrual-cup-comparison/
You can get the lunette in Biome. Practice before you need it cos it takes a bit to get used to it. If you can feel the stem, chop it off all the way. You can push it low enough to grab hold of.
That's my tip.
Thanks @choogirl 😊 I was doing a little research online but that link is great. I’ve never used a menstral cup before but from what I’ve read it’s the best way to go when travelling I just wasn’t sure which brand to go with.
Pads are gross and uncomfortable. They are the last thing I’d want to be using. At first I thought the cup was going to be messy but I watched and listened to a few reviews and I guess you get the hang of it the more you use it.
Thanks for sharing @choogirl I appreciate it the more I can learn before we leave the better 😊