Hygiene on a bicycle tour. Things I carry in my toiletry bag

Hygiene on a bicycle tour is an issue many beginners are concerned about. How to stay fresh and clean with a light and small toiletry bag that doesn’t add extra too much extra weight to your luggage?

The good thing is that it all seems more complicated from the comforts of your home than it actually is when you are already on a tour. Before my first bicycle tour, I worried quite a lot about how often I will be able to shower, how will I deal with my period and other stuff like this.

Hygiene on a bicycle tour – how often do you shower?

For many people, the fact that they wouldn’t be able to shower every day is what stops them from going bike touring. If you travel to places with good infrastructure, you don’t need to worry about hygiene during your bicycle tour. In most western countries, you’ll find plenty of official campsites with all the amenities or other kinds of accommodation. But on a more adventurous trip with wild camping, it’s a luxury to have a shower.

To be honest, you don’t need to shower every day to be “hygienic” and “clean”. When I wild camp, I wash myself up in a stream on a lake (if available). I don’t use any soap for that but if you necessarily need one, make sure to use biodegradable soap to not pollute the water (for example Sea To Summit Wilderness Wash, which you can use both as a body wash and to clean your dishes).

If there is no water source available, I use wet wipes. This is not the most eco-friendly solution, as you produce extra waste but it’s a good way to feel somewhat refreshed before going to bed.

When it comes to washing my hair, on a tour I usually do it less frequently than at home. I usually postpone it until I stay in a place with a shower. When my hair gets a bit greasy, I braid it.

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What do I have in my bicycle touring toiletry bag?

For me, it is crucial that my toiletries are light and, as much as possible, good for the environment. I try to find products I can use for more than one purpose, to save weight.

Here is the list of toiletries on a bike tour:

Soap

I never carry a shower gel on a bike, as it’s simply too heavy. A soap bar in a light soap case is a much better option – it is not only lighter but also cheaper and you can buy it everywhere.

Shampoo powder (or shampoo bar)

A traditional shampoo consists of about 80 % of water. That’s why when I travel by bike, I always use shampoo bars or powder shampoo.

Pros of shampoo bars: light and widely available (in most European countries, you can find them in most beauty stores or big supermarkets). Cons? It’s not that easy to find a good one. Many of them make my hair look greasy, don’t foam well, and I simply don’t feel like they do the job. Here are a few that I liked:

• Nature Box Avocado Shampoo Bar – I think I bought it in Carrefour and I saw it in many shops in different European countries
• 4 szpaki delicate shampoo bar – my hair and scalp really liked this one. It doesn’t leave a greasy film and is made of organic ingredients. Recently 4 szpaki added a new product: a universal soap bar for hair and body. I haven’t tested it yet, so I don’t know how well it actually works for the hair, but if you want to save some weight, this might be a good idea.

I definitely don’t recommend Love Bar shampoo from Rossmann – my hair after washing looked even worse than before.

Recently, I found a powder shampoo in a Rossmann store in Poland and was very keen to try it out. Don’t mistake it for a dry shampoo that you just put on your head to refresh your hair when you don’t have time to wash it. Powder shampoo is a powder that creates foam when you mix it with water. For me, it works much better than most shampoo bars. It is also super light and quite efficient. It is packed in a light can with a dispenser, weighs 60 g and lasts me for about a month.

A tiny bottle of argan oil

I don’t take hair conditioner for a bike tour, but after a few weeks of being exposed to the sun and squeezed under the helmet, my hair gets tangled, dry and damaged. Regularly applied argan oil prevents the damage, and I only need a small bottle, even for a longer trip.

Hairbrush and hairbands

Toothpaste (or toothpaste tablets)

I usually carry a normal toothpaste (or a travel-size tube if I go on a short tour) but another bicycle tourist recently recommended me toothpaste tablets and I am looking forward to trying them out! They are not only lighter but also more eco-friendly (the toothpaste tubes are mostly non-recyclable). I decided to check out the Smyle tablets and will update this article after I test them out.

Toothbrush

I carry a simple bamboo toothbrush – small and more eco-friendly than a plastic toothbrush,

Dental floss

Deodorant

I use a cream deodorant ordered from 4 Szpaki. Unfortunately, it comes in a glass jar (which is good for the environment but too heavy to carry on the bike). So I just take a small can or plastic box and put enough deodorant there, depending on how long the trip will be. It is super efficient. A small box usually lasts me even for a month-long journey.

Check out also this travel-size deodorant from Humble Brands.

SOS cream

The SOS cream is great for when my skin gets super dry or if I have any skin problems. It is also pretty good as hand creme. I put a small amount of it in a tiny box from the lip balm so that I don’t carry too much.

Cotton ear buds

I pack the amount needed for the length of my trip in a zip-lock bag.

Nail clipper

Tweezers

Both for plucking my eyebrows and in case I need to pluck a tick or a splinter.

Razor

Wet wipes

Menstrual cup

Discovering the menstrual cup was a game-changer for me and made touring during my period much less problematic. You don’t need to change it as often as pads or tampons, and you don’t produce any waste. Usually, I only empty it every 12 hours (except for the 1st day of my period, when the bleeding is a bit heavier). The tricky part is that you have to wash it before every change and boil it before every period to sterilise it. So if you are touring in areas where access to water is a problem, things might get tricky. Anyway, your period without access to clean water will be a hassle, no matter what sanitary product you use. When emptying the cup in the wild, it’s best to dig a small hole and then cover the blood with soil.
If you are not convinced about the menstrual cup and prefer to stick to tampons or pads, have a plastic bag where you will put used pads or tampons and dispose of them at the nearest trash bin. In my opinion, tampons or caps are a better option for a bicycle tour as the sanitary pad, when spending the whole day in the saddle, might give you chafe.

Other items I carry (not in my toiletry bag)

Toilet paper

Antibac spray

I always have a small bottle of anti-bac spray handy – it is great to disinfect my hands and clean my glasses.

Lightweight microfibre towel

Takes much less space and weighs much less than a traditional towel and dries ultra-fast.

Lip balm

Sunscreen

I use sunscreen with SPF50 and usually, it is in my snack bag, so I don’t forget to apply it every two hours.

Best toiletry bag for travel and bicycle touring

For me, it’s important my toiletry bag is light, not too bulky and has a hook so you can hang it in a shower. I am currently using a no-brand bag I got as a gift but here are some I would buy if I needed a new one:

• Stoic Travel Bag – affordable, with inside pockets, integrated mirror and a hook
• Ospray Washbag – if you are looking for an ultralight option
• Eagle Creek Pack-It-Slim – very convenient foldable bag with plenty of small pockets to better organise your stuff.