I think it's safe to say that navigating the security check at airports has gotten to be about on par with getting your teeth professionally cleaned. It's inconvenient, at times invasive, and they're both done by a professional. To further salt the wound, the three ounce rule for liquids and gels that requires you to stuff all your favorite beauty products into a little sandwich baggie is the absolute worst. True, you can skip this whole ordeal by checking in your bags, but this Bird has had her luggage sent on separate vacations one too many times, so even if I'm going to Tahiti for a month, by hook or by crook, the packing will be creative and I will get everything into a reasonable carryon-sized bag.
While I wasn't in Tahiti for a month, I did spend about a week and a half living out of a suitcase recently, and while I was able to borrow simple toiletries like toothpaste and shampoo when staying with family, for the rest of the trip, I used these little workarounds to keep my hair and skincare from going to hell from using hotel soap. I'm a big fan of Lush products -- not only do they use quality ingredients that feel really good on your skin and hair, but you can get solid bars or tins of their {1} Ultrabalm lotion and their {2} Godiva shampoo/conditioner bar, a solid multitasker that saves you from hauling two haircare bottles. My other skincare favorite is Neutrogena -- their oil-free sunblock is my product of choice, but for travel, I love their {3} Healthy Defense Oil-Free Sunblock Stick, available in SPF 30. The liquid has better coverage, but the stick's size is handbag-friendly and makes for an easy swipe on your skin. I've become more of a perfume user and I'm so glad the old style of solid perfumes are coming back. Pacifica has some of my favorite scents -- floral, natural and vacation-perfect. My go-to is their {4} Tahitian Gardenia -- a more heady scent, but just a light touch is enough. There's some items that you just can't get in solid form, so for those, I make sure to stay on the catalog mailing list for DHC Skincare. I use their Velvet Skin Coat, and with every order you place, {5} you can choose up to four free samples of their products, and with every catalog, they always send a few samples stuck to the pages. They're small one or two-use items, but I hang onto the ones for things like eye cream or face masks -- it's the perfect size that fits in the sandwich baggie without taking up extra space for packaging. So, the next time you have to travel, save up those sample sizes and go solid for some hair and skincare to save you from having to deal with a lost bag!
Jaunty Fine Print: photographs from product sites
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With the exception of the shampoo/conditioner bar, all the rest of these "solids" would be considered liquids or gels, and would need to go in your 3-1-1 bag. They're great products, but they're not solids in the TSA sense of the word.
ReplyDeleteTrue, the little sample sizes are still liquid, but it's still easier to stuff little samples in a sandwich bag than a whole bottle of something. Another thing I do is if I'm going to be somewhere for a long period of time, I'll mail some of my stuff ahead of me, as USPS is cheaper than paying for a checked bag!
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