This summer, Mrs. HB and I went on a trip together. Over the course of that trip I realized that we were vastly different when it comes to packing. She brought over 110 toiletry items. I brought 14. I asked you to weigh in and it was all over the map. Some packed like me; some packed like Mrs. HB, some were somewhere in between. So it got me top thinking. What would my grandmother’s toiletry bag look like? Probably fairly simple. I suspect she’d have been closer to the 14 because back then there weren’t bazillion choices for everything, and times were just simpler!
These days there seems to two conflicting sides: the minimalist approach and the I-own-a-million-of-everything approach. I think a lot of people have been worn down by the constant barrage of health and beauty ads, so we’ve gone from simple to insane when it comes to toiletries. Do you have 3 things of mascara in your bathroom drawer? Multiple types of lotion? Scented? Unscented lotion? Differently scented? Face lotion? Sunscreen? Body lotion? What about eye shadow or shampoo or lipstick? Do you have a toiletry cabinet that is bursting at the seams?
If so, how do you tame it? How do you work towards minimalism where toiletries are concerned? Here’s what I do. You can take it or leave it, but it sure works for me:
- Use it up: I use every drop of something before I replace it. I squeeze every last bit of that toothpaste out and then tip those shampoo bottles out and drain every last drop. If I didn’t do that and I replaced them too soon, I’d find myself opening the new bottle when the old bottle still had some remnants. Then I’d end up with two bottles taking up shower space.
- Buy one of each: I have one tube of mascara. I have one bottle of face lotion. I have one tube of toothpaste. I don’t believe in buying multiple products that do the same job just for the sake of having options. Saves money and my clutter-hating sanity.
- Find products that can do the job of two: Speaking of buying multiple products, I double up when I can. I have bronzer than can act as blush and eye shadow too. There are lotions that have sunscreen and can be used on your face and body as well. See if a product you are using can do the double duty and then replace it with one product. Can your body wash act as shaving cream? Say goodbye to multiple products when one can do the job of many.
- Ignore the ads: I don’t follow trends. I ignore all of the ads I see for new and improved this or that. If something I am using is no longer working or the product I’m used to has been discontinued, then I’ll do a little research and find a new one. But if I bought the new and improved mascara every time one was released, I’d be buying 5 tubes every month!
There are a few tips I live by. What about you? What are you must-have toiletries you can’t do without? How would your bathroom cabinet compare to your grandmothers? How many tubes of mascara do you own right this second?
~Mavis
Linda says
I stopped wearing make up and I don’t use multiple products in my hair. I have more time in the morning. I realized these things were not important to me. Not reading beauty mags has also helped as I didn’t see the ads for products that didn’t work for me any way.
AJ says
I’m definitely on Team Minimalist Mavis as far as toiletries. Only one of each item and don’t replace it until it’s gone, even if it got all watery because you left the lid open in the shower. 😉 The only things I barely use but have on hand just in case, even on trips where if I’m 99% sure I won’t need them, are bug spray and sunscreen. Being eaten alive or sunburned happens way too easily to me and is not worth it!
Erin says
I’m having a difficult time getting to 14! Shampoo, face wash, body wash, deodorant, tooth brush, toothpaste, floss. Done.
You’re so extravagant, Mavis!! 😉
Julie says
I’ve kept too many products from the past that I haven’t used up, but I rarely buy new trends. I need to purge my makeup “collection” for two simple reasons: I don’t hardly use make-up and that stuff leftover is too old!
If I had to go quickly, I’d take these few things:
My good bar soap (works for all-over, head to toes). A little ACV for the locks afterward and perfection achieved!
My Dr. Christopher’s Beauty cream. (You can use on blemishes & minor wounds, too!)
My deodorant stick.
Pure coconut oil…for any region left out. Lastly, my nice purple $1 eyeliner. I have tried a half dozen other brands and this cheapo is the best one!
Martha says
Hmm…Made me look! In my go bag (Ziploc) was a solid shampoo(lush), toothbrush and paste, sunscreen, and bug spray, working hands lotion, deodorant. Small enough to clear the airport easily.
Beth says
I don’t wear make-up. I also stopped buying shaving cream, My travel bag would have deodorant, mousse to tame my frizz, shampoo & conditioner, sunscreen, toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion bar, and soap. Very minimal.
Carrie says
I only have one mascara. I think I am somewhere in between. I am on a quest to find the perfect earth friendly and body friendly items. Some things are hit or miss. I can’t seem to find the right shampoo for me. Or the right acne fighting face wash. I love the Body Shop’s body butter (using honeymania now and love it!) and bar soap when I can afford it but I haven’t had luck with their tea tree oil face care line. I’ve been using the wash, toner and spot treating with tea tree oil for a year now with no change. Any other products out there you recommend?
Mavis, maybe you can have guest posts with pictures of readers bathroom cabinets similar to the pantry ones. 🙂 I am always intrigued with how others organize things. I’d totally submit mine.
Angela D. says
Yes! What a fun idea— let’s peek inside each other’s bathroom cabinets!
Crystal says
If you are looking for something for acne, look into the oil cleanse method. Works fantastically, and it can be tweaked for whatever your skin is doing.
Betsy in MN says
I am a minimalist when it comes to personal care products. All of mine fits in a ziplock baggy when I travel. My husband says I am low maintenance and he likes that. 🙂
A recipe that I use for green tomatoes is from Jami at AnOregonCottage blog. It is called Roast Tomatillo or Green Tomato Salsa. Yum!
Peggy says
I’m in my late fifties so I’ve been through all of the hype on the latest “miracle” products. I use very few products. I guess the older I get I just figure it doesn’t matter too much anymore. When I buy a new mascara, the old one goes in my purse in case I might need a touch up. So I have two.
Tammy says
I’m pretty minimalist when it comes to makeup and toiletries. Without counting I’m sure it would be right around the number you brought with you.
Once I watched a beauty blogger/vlogger do a “5-minute” makeup routine and she used THREE different types of mascara all as part of her routine. I never use mascara (I hate the way it feels!) so I’m not sure how they would all differ so much that one would need three different types.
Pam says
I took a two-week trip to Japan with a hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, deodrant, my one prescription, and some baby powder. Didn’t wear make up then, and just washed my face with water and facecloth, no need for moisturizer. These days, being employed again, I am wearing minimal makeup; foundation, eyeliner, and some blush. I own one tube of Almay hypoallergenic mascara (other stuff makes my eyes burn!) but I use it maybe once every month or two. My skin care routine is pretty simple – clean and moisturize. I have far less makeup now at 50 than I did in my 20s! I am blessed with a great complexion so that eliminates a lot of products right there.
Nancy says
I don’t wear mascara – or any makeup – so that is easy – none. As far a toothpaste goes – each person in the family has their own tube. I started that when I went through chemo, and was pretty nervous about getting other people’s germs. I mean, the toothbrush has been in your mouth, and you put the toothpaste on the brush – therefore germs could be transferred. Maybe I am a little too picky, but I never once had issues with getting ill while going through chemo, and now the habit is there. shampoo – I just use a 2 in one so no conditioner, floss. deodorant, comb and brush. I would be hard pressed with coming up with 14 items. I do carry glasses cleaner and a cloth so there are two more,. Anyway, I am with you – I use very little.
Heidi says
I have a very simple routine with just a few products. I do however, have several unopened of each product I use. I buy multiples when they are on sale. If I find a product I really like I will also order several because I hate it when a product I love is “new and improved”. I hate running out of something and having to make a trip to the store and having to pay full price if it isn’t on sale. That doesn’t stop me from using every drop before I open a new one.
Pam Kaufman says
I very seldom use makeup and only have one mascara, two shades of eye shadow and one bottle of foundation. I use one bottle of shampoo, one bottle of body wash, one bar of soap, one bottle of lotion and one tube of toothpaste. That’s it. I use them til there is absolutely nothing left in them. I will buy a couple of each and store them in the bathroom but I never have many.
Practical Parsimony says
As I have gotten older, I have had to wear makeup just to look alive. So, foundation with a sponge, blush, lip gloss, brown and blue eyeliner, lipstick, nail polish. When I break the cap on lipstick or lose it, I leave that lipstick in the bathroom, by my chair in den or in console to use, but not in my purse to make a mess. Yes, I do use up the tube before I throw it away. I have a toothbrush and one tube of toothpaste open. However, I have dozens of toothbrushes and toothpastes gotten free to put in my children’s Christmas gifts or to donate. I use one bottle of shampoo, Dove bar soap to bath and to shave my legs. I do have multiples of thinks not opened and gotten on sale. I suppose that is ten things. I have a pick and a teasing comb.
What I use everyday–pick, lipstick. The rest is for a special occasion and rarely used when traveling.
I use only brown eyeliner. The blue eyeliner goes in out corner of eye and on bottom lashes to open up eyes and make whites off eye whiter.
If I have a shampoo I don’t like, it goes in the pump for liquid soap–no waste.
Fifitr says
While I buy the few products I do use in bulk or when on sale, it’s a very short list. I really don’t like the way makeup feels on my skin so I might travel with a lipstick if I’m going somewhere fancy and that’s it. Other items in my travel bag would be medicated talc (for underarms if hot and any blisters/rubbed areas while walking around), toothpaste and shampoo, and maybe a spray on, oil free sunscreen. Hotels and friends have soap so no need for that. I’m a very keen minimal packer and often go away for a few days with nothing but my handbag!
Deborah says
I’m more of a minimalist too. I buy trial size bottles or the travel kits to take on trips. Let’s see, tooth paste, tooth brush, bath soap, powder, blush, lipstick, and perfume. Oh, shampoo and conditioner. These are put into 4 ounce bottles when possible. Thats a total of 9.
Jtwink says
This topic made me chuckle. I’ve retired so I don’t need makeup or so many hair products now. But my best friend used to be my Avon lady, and even though she passed away, I still have enough makeup, lotions, hand creams and face creams to last till the end of my days. A major purge might help me but then I think, what if I throw all this away or donate it and later can’t afford to buy more when I need it? I’ve done that so many times with household items, cooking tools, etc. – I wasn’t using it so I gave it away, and three or four years later I’m scavenging in the thrift stores for another one. 🙂
Nishu says
I use three products only. Moisturising soap,hydrating shampoo and toothpaste. No deo, no makeup, no hair care products. I feel clean and light. It’s great.