My Natural Travel Kit (Homemade Deodorant + Shampoo)

This is happening!
I’m just 5 weeks away from our big adventure! My partner and I have been planning for over a year to get to make our trip around the world happen. Lots of thinking, planning, talking and shopping. However, I’m really planning on heading overseas with my backpack light and healthy. No extra luggage to drag me down, neither lots of toxic laden beauty products.

I spent quite a while looking for good options to travel with the least possible products and with items that are versatile and natural. So, after a lot of research and tests I’ve finally come up with my complete travel pack. Some of items on my pack are not homemade, but I wanted to make sure I could make most of them with ingredients I know I’ll be able to get along the way.

I believe that the more we can avoid to put chemicals in our bodies, the better. We are so used to being pushed to purchase items that we don’t necessarily need in order to keep our bodies ‘healthy’.  Our skin is specially the most affected organ by the modern industry. An average woman will put hundreds of different chemicals onto the skin every day without even realising that most of these products are full of neurotoxins and other additives that are quickly absorbed through it. So when you buy your beauty products, make sure that what you use on your body is not doing more harm than good. Learn more about the ingredients and additives used in the cosmetic industry. If possible, look for certified organic ingredients and products that are gentle to your skin.

After a lot of research, I managed to pack my toiletry bag with a (relatively) few items. And two of them proved to be indispensable:

1. Coconut oil
2. Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap

Those two are the best plus they are incredibly versatile. Therefore, they made it to my travel kit at the top of my list! I’ll show you how you can use them for pretty much everything and are the perfect travel companion. I’m telling you guys, this post is a winner!

Since last year, I’ve been relentlessly trying to find new ways of washing my hair naturally. Until then, I’ve been using an organic shampoo, which is indeed really great for my hair, but when travelling, I don’t really feel like carrying a whole 400ml bottle of shampoo around. So I wanted to find an option that would give me good results but also wouldn’t let me down when it comes to health and environment. I found that the Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap to be my redemption!

Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap has been getting a lot of good rap these days as it is becoming more and more popular. But it’s story comes from a long time ago. I won’t lay it all down to you right now (you can read more here) but what’s important to know about this amazing soap is its simplicity and versatility. The family that started producing the Castile soap, kept the same simple recipe for more than 150 years. Now this amazing product is finally getting the hype it deserves. Made only with natural and organic ingredients, it is a great alternative to chemical laden soaps and washers. Plus, the real deal is: you can use it many, many ways!

For my trip, Dr. Bronner’s soap will have 3 functions: as body wash, as shampoo and as cloth washing liquid. I found that the shampoo made with Castile soap creates a lot more lather than other no-poo methods. To me, this is a winner. As I have long locks, having no lather to wash my hair is pretty damn hard. But with this recipe, washing my hair is an easy task. As for the body wash, just a little does the trick. Check how to make them:

I also decided it was time to ditch the bottled deodorant and start making your own. I found numerous recipe for homemade natural deodorants and most of them have the same base, so I gave it a try. And I’m loving it! Simple, easy to make and with great results, this deodorant only contains 4 ingredients you can find in your pantry. Not only this deodorant will last a long time, it will also give you smooth underarms and it won’t let you down. Try the recipe below:

Furthermore, to make it to my Travel Kit, the items chosen had to prove that they are worth their space. After a long, hard look on things I decided what to take with me. As I also wear very little make up, it wasn’t so difficult to figure out what to take with me. Other items like sunscreen and repellent I bought at my local health shop as I didn’t think it would be worth to make on the way. So here’s what I’m taking:

1. Coconut Oil: used as body butter, hair oil and to make deodorant.
2. Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap: used for shampoo, body wash and washing liquid.
3. Peppermint Oil: used in deodorant and shampoo. Also good for relieving headaches.
4. Tea Tree Oil: used as antibacterial and anti-fungal. Great as a repellant and on deodorant too.
5. Flora Remedia Body Oil: used as perfume and for relaxation.
   
   
6. Sunkissed Lip Balm: used as blush, eye shadow and lip balm.
   
   
7. Lush Mascara
8. Kajal Eye Pencil
9. Natural Lip Balm: used as lip balm and for dry skin.
10. Natural Sunscreen (organic, store bought)*
11. Natural Repellant (organic, store bought)*
12. Moon/Diva Cup*
    *not pictured

What do you think of my travel kit? Would add or take anything off of it? And what are your favourite travel toiletries? I’d love to hear from you!

Peace & Love,

Larissa x

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