Note
This blog post may come across as sexist to some. This is not my intention. (If you know me personally, you know that I am a fierce fighter against sexism). With this blogpost I want to help other women with their insecurities. I know I had a lot of questions regarding female hygiene before we moved into our van full time! As a woman, I have very different hygiene needs than my boyfriend Lex. I am here to help other women out!
Before we moved into our van, I was insecure about the hygiene aspect of van life. Especially how to keep myself clean, how to deal with a period on the road, how to shower and how to wash my hair. Since I have gained quite some experience, I want to share my tips and experiences. In this blog post, I might share too much in-depth information for some. If you don’t feel like it, don’t read… But if you want to know all the ins, to gain some extra confidence, read my tips!
Menstruation
Having your period on the road does not have to look much different on the road compared to in a brick house. You can take care of your body in exactly the same way you would in a standard home during your period. Whatever feminine hygiene products you use (pads, tampons, menstrual cup, …) it is doable in a camper.
I have been using a menstrual cup for over 5 years. I will never go back. Because of this product, I am not adding extra waste to the world. You can hold the menstrual cup (depending on the amount of blood loss) for up to 12 hours. Because of this I only have to empty my cup 2x a day. Emptying the cup can be done in the sink or in our composting toilet. I add the blood to the poop section in our composting toilet. I then rinse the cup under the tap.
You could also empty the cup in public restrooms. When we traveled around in our Kangoo minicamper I used public toilets. During that trip, though, I always had to look for a restroom with a sink in the stall. That wasn’t always easy. You can also just empty the cup in the toilet bowl, clean it with some toilet paper and put it back in. This is what most cup manufacturers give as advice. I do not find this convenient though. Pulling up and fastening your pants with bloody fingers is not very practical. I am happy with our sink in the camper. I can just do my thing without any hassle.
As I said, you can continue to use your normal menstrual products in the van. The used pads or tampons can be kept in a separate trash bag so that can be disposed of more regularly.
How to shower on the road
In our van we have an (almost) fully equiped house. The only thing we don’t have is a full bathroom. Particularly a shower. We do have a fantastic working toilet!
The different ways in which we shower and where we shower on the road I have compiled in two separate blog posts.
Body hair
Note. Having body hair has nothing to do with hygiene. Why are women with armpit hair seen as dirty and unhygienic? Men generally have armpit hair too, right? So why aren’t they dirty? Bullshit, in my opinion. Honestly, I don’t know why I called the title of this blog ‘Female Hygiene’. If you have a tip for a more appropriate title, please write it in the comments!
Body hair. This isn’t a priority for me, but it’s nice to keep it up a little. You do whatever suits you. A few years ago I had an electric shaver. I loved it! Unfortunately it broke when I dropped it. For two years I used one of those ‘old fashioned’ razors. That works fine too, if you have a shower. But I can’t dry shave with such a razor. So it was time to look for a good electric shaver.
A year ago I bought an electric shaver and epilator in one. It is so convenient! I can shave dry which is handy if you don’t always have a shower available. In addition, I can also epilate my legs. I only have to change the head. This way I don’t have to bring my separate epilator. That saves space in our tiny van!
Last Words
In the van, you sometimes have to get creative to keep yourself clean. In the beginning, I thought this would be harder than it really is. My menstrual routine is the same as in a brick house. Shaving and epilating has even gotten better again on the road. My shaving-and-epilating-device-in-one is very convenient and I don’t need a shower all the time now to shave my armpits. My shower routine has changed though. I dont immerge myself quite as often under a hot jet of water to rinse off. Still, I am not and do not feel dirty in this lifestyle. And that’s the most important thing.
