On Trail Hygiene for Women
Before I left for the trail for the first time in 2018 I had never been backpacking before. I thought when I was out there that I would probably want to feel as clean as possible (false) and would have some type of hygiene routine. I at least thought I might wipe myself down with a baby wipe every night (this happened a handful of times in reality). As I sat down to write this post though, I realized I didn't have much of a routine. My main advice for anyone trying to figure out what kind of hygiene products they're going to want to have on trail is: keep it as simple as possible. You're prob going to feel like doing absolutely nothing at the end of the day that doesn't involve eating or sleeping.
(Top to bottom): conditioner, mini razor, hairbrush, sunscreen, crest whitestrip, menstrual cup, pee rag, hand sani, microfiber towel for face, extra hair scrunchies, small Vaseline (winter only), chapstick, toothbrush/paste, baby wipes *missing trowel because I lost it*
Daily Routine
Morning
wake up, eat 1st breakfast and brush teeth (spit in vestibule bc lazy)
use small microfiber towel, wet with water and wipe face
put some sunscreen on if going to be in exposed section
brush hair with mini hair brush and pull back in french braid to avoid tangles
chapstick
During the Day
*during summer months* quick wash (water only) of whatever pair of underwear I'm not wearing (I only carry 2 pairs) & hang on back of pack to dry
any type of creek, river, lake deep enough to submerge in: swim
Evening at Camp
brush teeth after dinner
wipe face with towel & water again
let hair out of braid to let sweaty hair dry
maybe use a baby wipe on the most nasty parts of me if I wasn't lazy (most of the time I was lazy)
chapstick
Pee/Poop/Menstruation
pee rag
baby wipes
trowel
hand sanitizer
menstrual cup
There are a few considerations I make on whether I am team tampon or team menstrual cup for a backpacking trip. In 2018 I mostly didn't have a period, but when I did I would use a menstrual cup and loved it. You have to change it less often (especially if you have a light period), there's less waste to carry out and you always have it with you in your backpack so you don't have to plan ahead by buying tampons in town.
However, in 2020 on my winter SOBO I quickly learned that it was absolutely too much bother to use when it's cold/snowing/sleeting/freezing in general. You are supposed to bury your menstrual blood as you do poop, and having to dig a hole to poop in the winter is bad enough, let alone dig a hole every time you have to empty the cup. The ground is frozen and just too damn hard. Not only that, but having to rinse the cup with freezing cold water (therefore getting your fingers wet) is honestly the worst when you already can't feel your fingers. Lastly, when there's a negative wind chill outside, I do absolutely everything I can from the inside of my sleeping bag before I have to crawl out of it and face the day (this includes changing my tampon) *gross? maybe... I don't care though*. It is absolutely, 100% impossible to change a menstrual cup while laying inside a sleeping bag, but I have mastered the art of changing a tampon while still tucked warmly inside my zero degree.
Town Routine
Shower
shave armpits if I felt like it
Floss
every month or so use a Crest whitestrip
sometimes would pick up a deep conditioner packet from dollar store to use for hair
I always carried a small conditioner with me no matter what. Because of my long hair, if I didn't have conditioner there wasn't much point in me showering- it would just be one tangled dreadlock. I learned most cheap hotels and a lot of hostels don't view conditioner with the same life saving importance I do and instead supply you with "conditioning shampoo" so I would just buy one in town at the dollar store and stick it in my toiletry bag to carry with me to the next town as well.
Cold Weather Considerations
Days upon days of ruthless wind, snow and cold weather really takes a toll on your skin, especially your face. On our SOBO, from November to the end of the trail in March, I can't tell you how many nights I'd lay down in the tent to go to sleep and feel my face almost throb from repeated wind burn & sunburn from the sun reflecting back from the snow. Although impossible to prevent completely, I soon developed a pretty solid routine that would keep my face as least painful & weathered as possible.
sunscreen every single morning & once more midday (even if the sun isn't out, doesn't matter- just do it or else)
if it's going to be a particularly windy, blustery day, I would put a thin layer of Vaseline on my face to keep it somewhat protected and moisturized and reapply as needed
a buff is so helpful on windy days to pull up over your nose and keep the majority of your face covered from the harsh cold
Chapstick with SPF to protect your lips
Final Thoughts
Before the trail I thought I might want to carry face wipes to clean my face every night. I tried it for awhile one stretch but most face wipes make me break out because of the alcohol in them and I found my skin was actually pretty healthy with using only strictly water to wash it.
I also thought I might struggle with thigh or really any kind of chafe because from what I'd read, a lot of people do. There are various suggestions out there for this issue such as Vaseline, A&D, men's deodorant, Body Glide, but I've never had to use any of them because I thankfully never chafed.
A consideration for summer months: try to let your body dry out as much as possible. A lot of times for me this meant sleeping completely naked to allow everything to air out.
I tried to at least rinse out my underwear and pee rag every couple days (in the summer anyway, in the winter I just do not care and don't feel as gross). I carried two pairs which allowed me to wear them once (then turn inside out and wear again), then switch to the new pair- so I would have 4 days of clean underwear, then rinse a pair and dry to start over.
Brutal honesty :)