Packing: A Take on Toiletries

I’m hanging with Mom in Honolulu. And while usually she’s an expert packer in her own right (if a little on the mucho side), she’s been lamenting this trip about a “crucial” items that she forgot at home.

So here’s a packing tip from Sam: Lay out everything you need by how you use it. She finds this tip especially helpful when packing toiletries.

Here’s what Sam packed for this 14 day trip to Hawaii:

· Mouth: Toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash (medicinal), mouthwash (odor-fighting), chap stick. I definitely think the 2 types of mouthwash are over-kill.

· Hair: 2 brushes, shampoo, conditioner, hair quash (for improved thickness), hair oil (for improved shine), Infusion (stay-in conditioner), hair spray. This is A LOT of stuff for your hair.

· Skin: Day lotion (30 spf), night cream, eye cream for day, eye cream for night, sunscreen (at least 30 spf), body lotion, eye-make remover, cleansing wash, perfume, deodorant. Also, a lot of stuff, but skin care is very important, so I’ll let it slide.

· Cosmetics: Foundation, concealer, eye brightener, mascara, eye liner, eye shadow, eyebrow pencil, cheek tint, lip stain, lip gloss. Whoa – We’re spending most of the time on the beach!

· Nutrition: Probiotics, vitamin B complex, CoQ10 (for a healthy heart), vitamin E, Fish / Krill oil, vitamin D3, calcium (with magnesium and vitamin D), vitamin E3 Alive (a green algae). Holy Moly! Sam looks good though, so there’s got to be something to this. She also wanted me to note that these are all “health supplements” and not medications.

· Medicine: BioFreeze (for sore muscles), sinus rinse, Advil, sub-lingual allergy drops. Not too bad, although I’m not sure what “sub-lingual drops” are?

· Misc.: Mirror, hairdryer, cotton balls, Q-tips, hand sanitizer, 2 eye drops ( one for purse, one for hotel room), nose drops. Hmmmm…two eye drops? Also the hand sanitizer may not be necessary, we are still in the U.S. after all.

So the one thing that Sam forgot was another type of hair serum (for improved body). I’m thinking the hair oil and hair quash will cover her.

In fact, she only forgot 1 thing out of this massive list, so really I don’t think that’s too bad actually. I think she can retain her “expert” packer status. (Again, with the caveat that she packs way too much.)

Although I tend to pack very little. There’s probably a happy medium somewhere between the 2 of us.

p.s. Sam is trying to shove all these vitamins down me too – send help!

This entry was posted on Monday, December 20th, 2010 and is filed under What to Pack.