I Flew 46 Times Last Year, and These Are the Toiletries I Packed in My Carry-on
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This first appeared on theStrategist U.K., our recently launched, Brit-specific shopping-recommendation site. Since thesetravel toiletriesare also available to buy here, we are publishing it for our readers on this side of the pond.
As a travel editor and general holiday enthusiast, I visited over 23 different places last year, catching over 40 flights. After the umpteenth time, when waiting for my bag to appear from the hold meant that work meetings had to be pushed back, I decided it was time to commit to carry-on only. The main issue I came up against was the airport liquids regulations. There’s a number of rules to navigate. First of all, the clear plastic “liquids” bag all your liquids go in must have a regulation size of 20 x 20 cm. It must also be able to be closed (no overstuffing; believe me, I’ve tried this tactic and failed), and contrary to what many believe, you are only allowed one bag. See also: nothing in the bag over 3.4oz. You can push this — I’ve definitely squeaked through with 4oz face creams in there, but anything over 5oz is going to be pulled. Plus, a “liquid” in airportspeak is anything that “conforms” to the container it’s held in, so loosercreamsand pastes are going to need to go in, too.
This isn’t a forever problem.Heathrow will be relaxing its liquids rules in 2020when it introduces new 3-D scanners, and it’s been ruled that all other U.K. airports will have to do the same [this is, unfortunately, not the case here in the States — though TSA is now allowing someCBD oilsthrough security]. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee on how long it will take international airports to get onboard (pun intended) with the pricey new scanners, so it’ll still be worth planning for restrictions on your return leg even if it’s liquids-a-go-go in the U.K.
Measuring the plastic bag — I hung on to one of the free ones they hand out at airports and reuse it — helped work out the optimal combo of travel-size items I can fit in there, but even with every inch filled, I found it extremely difficult to travel for an extended time with an entirely liquid-reliant grooming routine. When all yourtoiletriesare liquid or creams, you end up either compromising on what you bring, i.e., using terrible hotel shampoo so you can bring your regularmoisturizerin its bulky packaging, or resigning yourself to itty-bitty amounts of everything that run out within a week.
Plus, with the rise of airlines no longer including a checked bag as standard on long-haul flights, the instances where I can pack full-size liquid toiletries in hold luggage without paying for the privilege are getting fewer and fewer. The solution is switching to solids, like a well-traveled toddler. I’ve listed the solid beauty alternatives I’ve now started traveling with below. All are as good as their liquid counterparts.
Instead of toothpaste
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Denttabs Toothpaste Tablets with Fluoride
I was highly suspicious of toothpaste tabs until I tried these ones fromDenttabs. They taste minty, have fluoride, and are surprisingly easy to use — just crunch one in your mouth to make a paste. Don’t get the one- or two-month supply as they come in metal containers, which security scanners don’t like. Instead, I get a big refill pouch and fill up a small jar to take on my travels.
Instead of roll-on deodorant
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Solid deodorant is the trickiest thing to get through airport security, as it frequently reads on the scanners as a liquid. When I traveled with Mitchum’s sticks, my suitcase got pulled about 65 per cent of the time, while a square of Lush’s Aromaco (which I love) in a jar has a 100 percent fail rate. Flagging it with security staff pre-scanner can help with this, but only if the staff actively show it to the person operating the scanner to say it’s a solid (which doesn’t happen often). Most of the time — and especially when security is heaving — pointing out the stick will just get it tossed into a separate tray, which still gets pulled into the queue for inspection.
The only solid deodorant I’ve tried that gets through seamlessly every single time is thedeodorant stick from Agent Nateur. It’s natural, but actually pretty effective — I wouldn’t work out in it, but it’s gotten me through full days schlepping round cities in full summer heat. FYI, the Holi Rose scent is $5 more expensive than the original version but worth it.
Instead of travel wash
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You can get dedicated laundry-soap bars (and evenlaundry-soap sheets) to wash your clothes on holidays no problem, butDr. Bronner’s Magic Soapworks just as well and you can wash yourself with it, too. If you want something specifically targeted toward stains, thesestain wipesare great, but the Dr. Bronner’s bar is pretty good, too. I spilled a Pret breakfast pot — the bean-and-egg one, of course — all down my white T-shirt running to catch a flight a little while ago, and a targeted scrub in the airplane bathroom with the bar got everything out.
Instead of perfume
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There are so many beautiful solid-perfume options (Diptyque! Le Labo! Tony Moly’s Pocket Bunnies!), but on holiday, like in my day-to-day life, I want to have access to more than one. That means (1) shelling out for more than one solid fragrance and (2) having more things rattling around your suitcase. The newperfume palettefrom Jo Malone that lets you fill it with more than one fragrance is not only the perfect reasonably priced solution to this but also a pretty cheap way of trying out a new Jo Malone scent. I love Mimosa & Cardamom as my daytime scent and then Pomegranate Noir as asexy nighttimescent.
Instead of a face mask
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There’s no greater pleasure than bathing in a fancy bath in a fancy hotel bathroom. So much nicer than gazing at the dirty grout framing my bath back home. And what’s a bath without a face mask? Sheet masks are fine going through security sans baggie (my carry-on is practically lined with them), and Tony Moly’s are my absolute favorite. Get them in a pack rather than separately; it’s much cheaper ($24 for ten versus $3 for one).
Instead of shampoo
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I am ridiculously fussy about my hair, but the Lush shampoo bars are a revelation. I can’t see any difference in results between them and my usual Pureology shampoo. TheJason and the Argan Oil baris my go-to as it also makes my whole suitcase smell amazing. I’d recommend pairing it with asoap pouch, as the bar breaks into bits as it gets smaller.
Instead of face wash
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I am obsessed with Milk Makeup, who does just about everything you could want in solid stick form. As well as not needing to go in your plastic bag, they have really good leak-free packaging. If you’re only picking one, go for the Matcha Cleanser, which is great for soothing travel-induced redness and breakouts, but honestly everything from thepuffiness-busting cooling water stickto the hydratingoil serumare fab on-the-go skin care.
Instead of your regular skin-care routine
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Milk Makeup’s sticks are excellent, but if you don’t like the idea of traveling with lots of different bits, theFrances Prescott Tri-Balmis a good pick for streamlining your liquid-free routine. It seems expensive at $60, but it’s actually a cleanser, exfoliator, and moisturizer in one — as a dry-skin girl, I can confirm I miraculously don’t need moisturizer after using this.
Instead of sun cream
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Idon’t really trustany of those “travel-friendly” powder sunscreens, and if you’re going away for longer than a weekend in the sun, you should definitely be using more than a mini-size bottle. Just buy some Nivea in duty-free! The only thing I do pack is thisfactor 50 stick sun creamfrom Elizabeth Arden as it’s really convenient for quick top-ups when you’re out and about and as a face sunscreen if you’re staying covered up. Though it’s a sun “cream,” don’t worry, it doesn’t count as a liquid, as the stick doesn’t “conform” to any container it’s put in, i.e., it holds its shape when the stick is rolled up.
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