These Simple Toiletry Hacks Will Make Your Airport Life Easier

It’s hard not to treat toiletries like an after-thought when you’re traveling. Most of us arrive at the airport with a checked bag filled with toothpaste and beauty essentials that are too big to pass through the TSA. Then, after chugging a soda in-flight and snacking on some Haribo gummies, we quickly realize there’s absolutely no way for us to brush our teeth during the layover. Or comb our hair. Or moisturize that rough patch of skin that somehow always appears in the frigid airplane air conditioning.

The far superior place for toiletries is in a carry-on, but that comes with a whole wealth of rules. Don’t let them trip you up. These toiletry travel hacks will keep you feeling fresh and help you organize your bathroom routine on-the-go. You’ll certainly be thankful if you ever find yourself sleeping in the airport because of a major delay.

Use a Binder Clip on Your Razor

Toiletry bags are tiny and most travelers absolutely test the limits of how much they can hold. The last thing you want is to be nicked by a razor while reaching in your overstuffed bag for some hand sanitizer. To prevent this, cover the tip of your razor with a binder clip. Problem solved!

Buy Your Own Travel-Sized Containers

Hotels typically offer their own travel-sized shampoo, conditioner and body wash so it’s not really necessary to take your own—but don’t you want to take your own? Is there anything worse than risking it with hotel shampoo to emerge from the shower with flat, stringy hair and a healthy dose of jet lag? What about the painful realization that the air in Hong Kong isn’t agreeing with your skin, but you don’t have your acne-fighting face wash because the container was too big for a carry-on? Don’t even give that a chance to happen.

Most drug stores, dollar stores and supermarkets sell empty travel-size containers. Definitely fill a few of these and pop them into your carry-on rather than lugging around full-sized containers in a checked bag. You’ll be thrilled when you can pop off a red-eye and wash your face in the airport bathroom with something that isn’t hand soap.

Use Plastic Wrap or Tape to Secure Bottles

One of the most annoying things on the planet—which might even be worse than sitting around twiddling your thumbs during a flight delay—is opening up your checked bag to discover that your shampoo, lotion, or messy liquid du jour has exploded all over your bag and seeped into your neatly folded vacation-wear.

To avoid any messy surprises, place a sheet of plastic wrap beneath the cap of each bottle, then screw the cap back on. Even if the bottle is leaky, the plastic wrap should keep things inside the container.

Use a Cotton Ball to Protect Your Compacts

Pressed powder makeup, like the kind you’ll see in most blushes and eyeshadow palettes, is notoriously fragile. To prevent it from cracking en route, pad the compact with a cotton ball.

Use a Clothespin as a Toothbrush Holder

No one—absolutely no one—wants their toothbrush touching the grimy side of a public restroom sink. Even a hotel sink is kind of dicey. Instead, use a clothespin to prop up your toothbrush so you can freshen up without accidentally consuming the 452 different types of bacteria that live in each square inch of any given bathroom countertop.

Try the Dried Toothpaste Trick

This is a tried and true trick for campers, backpackers and frequent travelers alike. If you forgot to buy a travel-sized toothpaste (or simply don’t feel like taking a trip to the store when you’ve got a perfectly good, regular-sized bottle of toothpaste), you can dry single-serving dots of toothpaste on a sheet of aluminum foil. Only make the amount of dots you need for a trip. It takes about three days for the toothpaste to dry out and gel toothpaste won’t work.

To use the toothpaste, simply unwrap the tiny, folded bit of foil, pop it into your mouth, and chew until it becomes the consistency of regular toothpaste again. Then, brush as normal.

Store Your Hair Clips in a Tic Tac Case

Anyone who’s ever used a bobby pin knows they’re basically single-use items. They’re impossible to keep track of, let alone on a long journey. If you’re the kind of person who wants to fix their hair after a long flight, try storing your bobby pins in a Tic Tac case in your carry-on. It’ll save you from having to dig to the bottom of your backpack or purse, and you’ll never lose another bobby pin again.

Glasses Cases Are a Perfect Fit for Makeup Brushes

Throwing your makeup brushes into your carryon can definitely mess up the bristles, especially if that carryon is jam-packed. Instead, use a glasses case to take your favorite brushes on-the-go.

Don’t Forget the Ziploc Bags

TSA does typically provide plastic bags for your liquids when you’re going through security, but why wait in line and have to rearrange your luggage? Taking off your shoes and belt is annoying enough. Instead, bring your own Ziploc bag and put your liquids in that. Place it at the top of your carry-on, so you can pull it out in one fell swoop.

Ziploc also comes in handy if you need to keep your phone dry during your travels, want to stow snacks, or are simply worried about a tube of toothpaste exploding in your bag.

Always Bring a Little Dry Shampoo

Most of us don’t really want to be that person washing our hair in an airport bathroom. Dry shampoo is the quickest, easiest way to freshen up your look instantly en route. If you want to avoid aerosols (you’re only allowed a limited quantity on planes), opt for a powder variety.

Add a Dryer Sheet to Your Luggage

It’s hard to stay smelling fresh when you’re mixing your dirty laundry with your clean clothes in the same suitcase. Even if there’s a barrier, by the end of your trip, it’s a safe bet that pretty much everything will smell like sweaty socks. To avoid this, throw some dryer sheets in your suitcase along with your clothes.

 

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