Complete Packing List of Travel Toiletries
It’s taken me years to feel like I’ve mastered a well-stocked toiletry bag. I plan carefully to ensure I have everything I need to look and feel my best on a trip, from my favorite skincare and makeup to essential medicines and first aid items. Here’s a packing list of travel toiletries you may find handy for your next trip.
If you travel often, you can buy seconds of all of your favorite items and keep your toiletry bag packed and ready to throw into your suitcase. I’m not that organized… but that concept has always appealed to me 😀
A reader asked a few weeks ago how I bring all my hair and skin products since I only travel with carry-on luggage. The trick is using travel-sized items because the TSA’s rules on liquids just limit the volume in each bottle, not how many tiny bottles, so I bring small containers.
Essential Travel Toiletries for Women
Shower Toiletries
- It’s easy to bring your favorite shampoo, conditioner, and body wash with you by transferring them into these TSA-approved containers.
- A mini razor (or you can bring your regular-sized one!)
- Shaving cream
Laundry Essentials
- To keep my clothes neat and tidy while in the airport, on the airplane, or exploring a new city, I make sure that I keep a mini lint roller or my favorite travel gleener and Tide To Go on me.
- Wash clothes on the go no matter your amenities – sink, bathtub, or washer – using these Sink Suds packets. They have been a life-saver a couple of times to quickly wash and hang dry items. Tide also makes a version that you can use as well!
- Prevent wardrobe malfunctions by placing one of these mini tins of fashion tape in your toiletry bag. I go nowhere without these little miracle workers and even keep a tin in my car.
- Portable Clothes Steamer
Skincare, Hair, and Nail Toiletries
- Hairdryer: Most hotels supply them, but to be safe, you can pack a mini and put it in a bag like this.
- Curling Iron or Flat Iron: Make sure if you are traveling internationally that you have one that’s dual voltage.
- Hairspray: I shared in this post all about how I take care of my thinning hair and the products that I use.
- Lotion
- Face Wash
- Moisturizer
- Lip Balm: While you can usually pick this up when you’re traveling, it’s always when you need it the most that you don’t have it.
- Serums, toners, etc., that you use
- Manicure Set
- Tweezers
- If my nail polish chips while I’m on a trip, I use these wipes to remove the polish!
Makeup Products
This is going to vary from woman to woman, depending on how complex your routine is. My routine is the same whether home or away…it’s just a habit, so I always pack the same things. These are my current favorites you’ll find in my travel makeup bag:
- Foundation- I love this Oxygenetix and have been using it for years…I wear “opal”
- Concealer – I just ordered this Illia concealer to try after I had to replace my eye makeup
- Blush- this Merit blush goes on beautifully…I use “cheeky”
- Lipstick- I bring several lipsticks and always include one of the Jane Iredale lip stains
- Eyebrow Pencil- I always use Anastasia…this brow definer in taupe is my current fav
- Eyeshadow – I rebought this Naked 2 Basics palette after my recent ocular rosacea eye issue because it’s perfect for my coloring
- Mascara- loving this Ilia mascara
- Makeup Brush travel kit, I love how soft these are
Hygiene and Medicine Essentials
- Personal First Aid Kit: I love that this portable 10-piece first aid kit comes in a small pack. Throw one in your car, your purse, your suitcase. You never know when you will need one.
- Blister Bandaids: While your standard bandaids come in the pack above, I would suggest buying these blister bandaids, just in case. They make a world of difference with the extra cushion.
- Underarm Deodorant Wipes: These can be a lifesaver to have in your purse and refresh with after a long flight.
- Toothbrush and toothbrush protector
- Hand Sanitizer Spray or my favorite Wipes
- Disinfectant Spray
- Bug Spray or wipes…I use these natural Deet-free wipes
- Sunscreen: You can read this post with all of my favorite sunscreens here.
- Daily Medicines
- Tums
- Tylenol, Ibuprofen, etc: In case of a headache, toothache, or sore back, you will be glad you have a pain reliever with you.
- Antihistamines: Especially if you suffer from seasonal or food allergies.
- I always bring anti-nausea and anti-diarrheal medicines because nothing is worse than battling an upset stomach on an airplane or a long car ride.
- Poo-Pourri Spray: You may not need this, but I guarantee it will get used if you leave it in the bathroom.
Well-Designed Toiletry Bags
This bag looks ingenious. Hanging toiletry bags are just so convenient and keep the bathroom countertop clear while you’re getting ready. This one has room for all of your essentials.
The two side compartments are perfect for storing items you need to grab quickly, like hand sanitizer, pain medicine, band-aids, and other things you may need to grab to use while you’re still en route to your destination, whether it’s at the airport or on the road. I like to place those items in small clear bags like these.
More Travel Toiletries for Women:
What are some of your “must take” items when you travel?
Great post, Jennifer. After losing my luggage in Egypt last year, I have changed my packing to carry-on. It’s hard, but with planning, it is possible. The clear bags you linked from Amazon are wonderful. I put makeup in one and toiletries in the other. A life saver for a recent two week trip to Spain was the Gonex compression bags that I purchased from Amazon. I wore my hiking shoes and one Gonex bag had all of my hiking clothes. Two more Gonex bags held the “nice” clothes. It’s hard to do carry-on for a multi-adventure trip). With careful packing, I was able to get everything into a rolling carryon and a large backpack. Used a black Travelon bag as my handbag.
Thank you for this very timely (for me) post. As I am packing for a month-long journey next week to Japan for a tour and then on to Hawaii for a cruise, I quickly ordered the sink soap, mini-razors, and manicure kit. I had no idea that razors came in these tiny sizes. What a great find! And the sink soap packets will replace a small container of powdered soap that I usually carry on longer trips such as this one, will take up less space and I won’t have to be worried that the top will come off and spill the contents all over my suitcase. The manicure set also replaces several larger tools I customarily take. All fantastic finds. Your blog continues to be a gold mine of information. Thank you bunches!
Wonderful and thorough post! I’m sure I’ll be referring back to it many times.
When I saw the toiletry bag, it reminded me of hanging garment bags, and from time to time you ask what you can help with.
I need to store away a number of winter coats and jackets and I don’t have lots of extra space for them. Any suggestion would be welcome. I don’t know if that would be of general interest, but just an idea.
I hang mine in garment bags in our guest room closet.
Thank you!
As a firm believer that you should never carry on unless you can lift it into and out of the overhead bin yourself, alas, I’m now relegated to checking my bag.
Jennifer, do you have a printable available for this list?
I’m sorry I don’t but that’s a great idea!
Jennifer – It was spooky when I opened your email today. We are flying to Texas for our grandson’s 7th birthday soon, and for the 1st time I am trying to go carry on bag only, and this morning had begun researching and planning how to get the toiletries I need ready. Voila! You had a post about this very thing. You are a treasure, and I thank you for all the time and effort you put into helping others.
Have a fabulous trip!!
Great list of travel essentials. Liked the manicure set but the scissors will need to be removed and placed in your checked baggage as TSA will confiscate scissors when your carry-on items are screened. Learned this the hard way; wanted to cry while I watched my favorite small pair of Henckels scissors confiscated and thrown in the trash.
I carry scissors all of the time-knitting and embroidery. Have TSA rules changed ?(again)
I bring tiny scissors all the time in my carry-on. I think it depends on who is doing the screening.
A big shout out for Compeed, which you have pictured at the bottom of the post, saved many a vacation for me. They are gel pads that will stick to your skin. I had a blister on the sole of my foot in Italy and these saved the day! The pads, if carefully applied, will stay on for several days. I always have them when I travel and my medicine cupboard at home. First discovered them in Italy, they are available in many European countries.
Like some other readers, I am very curious about how much all the things on your list would weigh.
Unless I’m traveling for a formal event I go personal size only. We always stay places with laundry facilities. I buy health and beauty aids at a dollar store at my destination. I can go a week or two without my “gear”. I’m very low maintenance.
I use single dose shampoo and conditioner discs that I love. I bought them for traveling, but now use them regularly. They are called Gemz at shopgemz.com. I cut them in half, as a whole one is too much for my hair (Jennifer’s length and thick).
They sound brilliant!
Jennifer,do you take an adapter for the clothes steamer,for countries that don’t have 120V outlets. Thanks for all the great travel info,I have already ordered from some of the links! I have a daughter that lives in Brussels, Belgium,so when we go to visit her,these items will come in handy!
I do not, but I haven’t taken mine overseas. I think it’s a very good idea to bring one when traveling internationally.