AIBU to worry about personal hygiene whilst trekking?

[DonttouchthatLarry]

Posting here as busier than the travel board.

Have booked a trekking holiday which will have very basic washing facilities (ie a bowl of hot water every morning) and need to know your tips and tricks for staying vaguely clean please!

I'll take baby wipes and merino clothing to try to limit the smell (as due to weight limits will have to wear the same clothes several times). I'm most worried about my hair which looks dreadful after 2 days of not being washed - I've got hats and buff type headband things but it also looks horrible after taking those off! Does dry shampoo actually work?

Most worrying is the thought of having a period while away - they've become very irregular recently so no way of predicting dates and I had to come off the pill for medical reasons.

Any ideas to stop me smelling and looking like one of the luggage yaks? How do you manage on these kinds of holidays?

I stuck my head under a cold tap outdoors while doing the Inca trail and actually washed it. It was minging greasy and no one else’s seemed to be!
Dry shampoo does work for appearances though, but it still feels a bit yuck.
Baby wipes are fine for making you not smelly I found.

I trecked in Nepal many years ago, and I don’t remember it being an issue at all. I guess I’ll just washed in the bowl of water and all was well.
I remember washing my hair outside with some cold, some hot bowls, it worked ok.
It’s a bit like camping though in that it’s just so gorgeous to be outside and in amazing scenery that the small stuff just fades into the background.
Hope you have a great time.

You’ll be fine - lush shampoo bar in a tin and cold water is fine. You can use the shampoo bar as a general shampoo/body wash/soap/travel wash to minimise weight. They last forever and are brilliant. Merino is fab and really doesn’t Smell.

Dry shampoo does work but i’d Go for a hat personally.
Also take sudocreme or a decent barrier cream for your skin

Dry shampoo works really well on some hair, not so much on others.

TBH, you probably won't notice it while you are trekking as everyone will be in the same situation. It's when you get back to civilisation that you realise that you look like a yak Hopefully you will have a quick escape to a hotel with a working shower soon after you return

You’ll be fine. Everyone else will be in the same position for a start so you won’t stand out by being less clean. Just face wipe morning and night, baby wipe body morning and night, deodorise. For hair I normally just put it in a plait and don’t touch it. Takes longer to get greasy and can cover with hat and buff as needed. Dry shampoo makes it look better for that day but doesn’t feel nice.

Also anti bac hand gel for before eating, after loo and just for general “clean” feeling.

The scenery will probably be so beautiful that you won’t be thinking about what you look like!

No-one smells outdoors

Take oil of Olay wipes. They are dry but if you add them to water they become soapy and actually make you feel clean. I use them at festivals and always feel nice and fresh and not at all "wet wipe smell"
Also, experiment with scalp plaits/buns/ponytails rather than faffing with dry shampoo

If you're away for a while and worried about your hair, have you considered a pixie cut? It's a bold step just for cleanliness but it might suit you as well as cutting out a huge amount of fuss.

Again, not sure how long you're away but when I was worried about being able to manage my period kayaking my GP prescribed me Norethisterone to delay my period for a bit. Don't know if you could take that seeing as you've had to come off the pill but worth looking into? Otherwise, maybe menstrual cups?

Have a great time!

Ooh Veterinari great idea - just had a look at the shampoo bars, and as it's solid no airport worries. Also glad to hear merino really works.

Biscuit I can actually cope with cold water for hair washing (my hairdresser always laughs at how cool I like the water and complain that she's scalding me!) so will just have to try to stick my head under a tap from time to time.

I imagine I'll spend most days in a hat and then put a headband on in the evening - not looking forward to my holiday photos showing greasy or hat hair .

Ohyesiam - thanks, it's Nepal we're going to. I'm sure it won't matter once I'm there - as they say 'don't sweat the small stuff' or should that be 'the sweaty smalls'?

Olennaswimple that shower will be sooo welcome I'm sure!

How long are you trekking for? Where are you going? I’ve done a few treks and never noticed anyone smelling bad.
Wet wipes are good for armpits, face and ‘down below’. Just take clean socks and undies, deodorant and toothpaste .I’m quite precious about my hair but really after the first day I didn’t care. I took dry shampoo but don’t think I used it in the end. Just had a headband or bandana. It’s surprising how no one cares, there’s been some very glamourous people at the start of the trek and everyone’s the same at the end. Tell you what the first shower when you return is amazing! Have fun!

Looks like dry shampoo is a no-no then .

I'll give the Olay wipes a trial run notanaturalmum - you hit the nail on the head with the 'wet wipes' smell, when I've used them before I've never felt/smelt clean.

Not going to chop my hair off so think it'll be hats all the way with the odd cold wash .

Skinnydecafflatte - we're going to Everest base camp for the marathon so 16 nights trekking and 3 glorious hotel nights .

I'm not exactly a 'hair and make up' kind of person anyway so anyone who knows me would think 'why is she worried, she doesn't normally make an effort?' . Still don't want the world to see my greasy head though .

I have done several of these holidays. You will be fine. Dry shampoo will make your hair look ok, though it doesn't feel great. Baby wipes and deodorant are all you need. Don't forget everyone else will be just as smelly as you.
Relax and enjoy it

@notanaturalmum - just had to come back to say the Olay wipes are brilliant! Feel properly clean after using them, and no horrid smell - thanks for the recommendation, DH and I will be taking a pack each .