Packing Tips - Downsizing Toiletries
Got your suitcase all set, but your toiletry bag is still overflowing? Downsizing toiletries is one of the best ways to save space and lighten up your luggage.
Where to Start
Start simple: lay out your daily products and think about what’s essential for this trip. The goal is to only pack what you’ll actually use.
Smart Container Choices
Choose containers that work for you! You don’t need to rely solely on hard plastic or “travel-size” bottles. If you only need a bit of shampoo, a small bottle or solid shampoo bar can be perfect. Reusable, refillable containers are also great for things like lotions and creams—look for stackable pots that save space and keep products tidy. Fill each container about 2/3 full to prevent leaks, then pop them into a ziplock bag for extra security.
Travel-Friendly Options
Solid toiletries can make a huge difference! Shampoo bars, solid sunscreens, and toothpaste tabs allow you to breeze through TSA rules without worrying about liquids.
Choosing a toiletry bag with multiple compartments helps keep things organized and off crowded countertops. If you’re carrying liquids, make sure to have a quart-sized bag accessible for security screening—or, if you can, pack it all in your checked luggage.
Makeup Minimalism
Think “capsule makeup” for light travel. Stick to essentials like mascara, eyeliner, and a lip color, and pick multi-use products if possible. Decant any liquid makeup like foundation into small pots. Products in stick form (like foundation sticks) save room and don’t need to go in your liquids bag. And if you're heading somewhere hot, it might be best to skip makeup altogether, as it can melt and feel heavy in warm weather.
Essentials Packing List
Here’s a list of my must-haves:
Toothbrush & holder: Ideally with a cover or suction feature to keep it clean
Lip balm with SPF
Comb, tweezers, and nail clipper
Mineral-based sunscreen
Laundry sheets: Portable and eco-friendly
Specialty face moisturizer/cleanser
Reusable makeup remover pads
Face cloth: Pack with your fluids
Contact lenses, case, and solution
Glasses
Small bottle of nail polish (for touch-ups)
Buy It There
Consider picking up bulky or easily available items once you arrive. You can skip bringing these:
Soap
Shampoo
Toothpaste
Mouthwash
Hair brush
Body scrub
Nail polish remover
Razor
Talcum powder
Moisturizer
Toner
Cotton buds
Leave the Non-Essentials at Home
If you’re headed somewhere warm, it’s best to go light on makeup; heat can cause it to melt and feel uncomfortable. And if you’re in a hot, buggy area, skip the perfumes and scented lotions, as they tend to attract mosquitoes.
With these packing tips, your toiletry bag will be perfectly trimmed down, organized, and ready for your next adventure!
Reader Tips:
Virginia: I keep mine in small containers, & for the ones that don't have a screw on lids I put sticky tape over the lids that flip open to prevent leaking out. I have a plastic vanity bag that zips up & I place the sticky tape I take off on the side of the vanity bag so it stays there until it's time to go home and put tape back on. Plus I place certain things facing the right way up knowing which way I'll be packing the bag so it sits with zip side up wen suitcase it being wheeled around.
Erin: Have them shipped from Amazon to your hotel/lodging. Larger bottles, comforts of home, use them up and then throw them away! No mess and no weight while traveling.
Sharon: If you’re going to be away longer than a week, buy where you land. Less than a week it’s those mini refillable bottles for me. I never take shower gel or soap i just use local. I often get coconut oil from the supermarket in Asia and put a few drops of essential oil in it for body butter. Facial moisturizers are hit and miss in hot sweaty weather for me - moisturizing sunscreen for daytime is all I use. I do take a night cream with me that I know my skin likes.
Lou Lou: I make my own face cream which also can be used as a body cream/make up remover cream too - (that cuts down on jars) A little goes a long way - so no need for a huge jar - I then have my own reusable cotton face pads (I wash them out each night and reuse) Shampoo & cream rinse go into squishy silicone tubes - toothpaste is put in a small jar - I keep my make up simple - mascara - lipstick - age spot cover up.
Gail: I always travel with only a carry on suitcase and a backpack. ALL my toiletries (liquids) must fit into that 1L bag you're allowed. Here's what I put into that bag; travel size toothpaste (I can always buy another one), a small jar of face serum and a small jar of face cream. I use the serum in the mornings, and the cream at night. I also take small containers of my 4 favourite healing balms for any skin issues. These are inside a multiple compartment supplement container (from the drugstore) which screws together into a tower. (When I get to my destination I store this in the fridge so the balms stay quite solid). I have two small containers of peppermint and lavender essential oil, and a tiny dropper bottle of Rescue Remedy. Make up is an eyebrow pencil, mascara, a tiny pot of blush and two lip pencils and one lipstick. I always bring a tiny lip balm and a small deodorant. All this fits into that 1L plastic bag allowed by the airline. Then I always take bar shampoo and conditioner and other necessities like my hairbrush, nail file, hair bands etc in a separate bag in my suitcase. Depending on how long I'm travelling I will buy body lotion when I arrive to use during my stay. I have travelled for anything from one weekend to six weeks and even four months just with these supplies. I've realized, as has already been said, we really do not need that much. I've also learned that if I EVER get a sample container for any kind of cream or product, I keep it and wash it out so I can use for a travel product in the future. This has been invaluable because we really never need THAT much of anything when we travel.
Denise: Cut the neck off a balloon and stretch one over the bottles that might leak. I have a foundation that leaked once and ruined everything.
