Some of you may know that I am originally from Germany, but am living in the UK. This means whenever I want to see my family, I will fly over with only hand luggage.
I wanted to share with you all how much easier this is using zero waste alternatives, by reducing the amount of liquids, as well as avoiding plastic containers like the ones we are encouraged to buy in so many stores aimed at travellers.
The only liquids I travel with are my make up remover and the tea tree water. Everything else is in solid form which makes it easier to pack for luggage control.
Not included in this image is my Mascara and foundation which would also go into the ziplock bag. But thats it. Only 4 items.
Before going on the journey to reduce my waste impact, I would always massively struggle with how to fit my essentials into only one ziplock bag. Not anymore 🙌🏻
Swapping to solid bars
CONDITIONER
I have started to use soap bars insead of liquid in general. But this is particularly handy when travelling. I use a conditioner bar from Lush which is great for blonde hair. My hair tips still have a bit of dyed blonde, so this helps against a warm yellow tone in my hair, which I hate.
SHAMPOO
Not in the image pictured above (I only had a small piece left and had to buy a new one) is this shampoo bar from lush. I use this one whenever I am travelling instead of my medical shampoo. As I suffer from severe eczema on my scalp I have to use a special medical shampoo which is only available in plastic bottles and liquid form. So when I travel I use the alternative from lush which is helpful for people like me, but just doesn't do the trick for me long term. But if I only go away for a few days/ weeks I substitute for this shampoo bar.
So in general If you don't have any special medical requirements I can only recommend a solid shampoo bar. I love them and would so wish to be able to make a permanent swap to them. Please do email me if you have found a solution if you have the same problem as me.
FACE CLEANSER
I use my handmade coffee and charcoal soap to remove make up and to clean my face + body. The ingredients are nourishing and gently exfoliating. So this way I don't have to carry my exfoliating face scrub with me as well, and don't miss out too much on my skin care routine.
STORAGE
I carry my soaps in small containers from Elephant box. They are a UK company, and the quality is outstanding. I used to have the small tins from lush, but they got greasy and didnt last very long. This is definitely not the case with those boxes and they are so worth the investment as they will last me a lifetime.
I also carry a soap pouch with me. I can then just hang my soap to dry in the pouch and also use it as a washcloth at the same time. It is truly a little wonder product.
ORAL HYGIENE
Toothbrush
It is no secret by now that I am a huge fan of bamboo toothbrushes. Pretty things make me happy and this is the reason why I enjoy using my bamboo toothbrush so much. And the mega bonus is that it will biodegrade when I am done with it. Such an easy swap that saves a huge amount of waste.
Toothbrush Case
There is also a bamboo alternative for plastic toothbrush cases. Which again is also so so much nicer to look at.
Floss
All floss available in supermarkets is made from plastic and incased in plastic. This alternative from georganics is vegan, refillable and comes in a small glass case.
Denttabs
Now I usually use my homemade toothpowder. But my husband doesnt like it so in our household we also have denttabs. When it comes to travelling I switch to those, as I can pack the exact amount needed in a very little case. My black tub is a sample tub from lush that I just keep reusing. Those dent tabs are a great alternative to toothpaste as they also contain fluoride (I guess everyone needs to decide for themselves whether this is good or not) but come without plastic packaging. They have a strong minty flavour and foam up a little in your mouth.
OTHER ESSENTIALS
Deodorant
I use a lush product here again. I buy a solid bar and pulverise it in a mortar as I have found it easier to apply it this way. I only take a little glass tub with me as a little goes a very long way with this. I also love the smell and have found this one works for me personally.
Make up remover
To remove my eye make up I use my own make up remover in the travel size of 50ml with some reusable make up pads. I only take 3-4 pads with me and wash them with soap under the tab every time I use them. Afterwards I place them on the radiator where they dry pretty quickly. So no need to worry about how to wash them when travelling. This method works absolutely fine.
Cotton buds
I use the bemboo and cotton buds from hydrophil. I wrap a few in a small handkerchief or put them in a side pocket of my toilet bag.
Handbutter
Now to be honest, I dont actually take this one with me. But I wanted to include it because I know some suffer from very dry hands and can't travel without handcream. This handbutter can only be taken to countries that aren't too hot as the natural ingredients might melt in hot temperatures.
Tea tree water= distilled water + tea tree essential oil