Having A Fashionable Life!: Camping for the Fashionista

Being out in the wilderness presents itself with many challenges for the fashionista. The concept of the 'elements' rings a different tone to the fashion conscious. Sure I was concerned about bears and cougars but I was also concerned about packing lightly for hikes and keeping my hair and skin fresh and beautiful.

But camping in a campground with limited water sources brings about even more challenges. This is the situation that I found myself in for two days. In the sprint up until Labor Day, I am certain that many other fashionistas will find themselves in the same situation. Here are some tips to accomplish a few goals;

1. Stay clean day to day.

2. Come out of the camping trip with hair and skin minus damage.

To do this, I targeted a few areas. There are some realizations when camping that you are not going to be a goddess. I could accept this and move on.

Target one - Hair

My water supply!

Products to pack - Dry Shampoo - I picked up a can of Psssssst. Other great dry shampoo options include; Batiste Dry Shampoo and Frederick Fekkai Au Naturel. I wasn't sure that any water would be available for hair washing since this campground was in the mountains and sometimes it's difficult to do traditional plumbing. But if there was I also packed a backup of conditioning shampoo. We were lucky when we arrived to find a pump from which to draw cold water. But it was nice to refresh with the dry shampoo.

Target two - Body

Products to pack - No Rinse Cleansing and Deodorizing Wipes - I found a version of these at Target in the dollar bins with cute wrappers so I had been storing them in every bag or vehicle that we own just so that I would feel fresh on the road. I wouldn't necessarily say that these are a substitute for a shower (very little is!) but it helps you live with yourself for a few days. And they are light and easy to pack on a hike!

Perfume rollerball - I have several at my disposal so I always have one on hand. It may seem like a strange thing to take camping but there was an odd use to it. I originally thought (like the French during the Age of Kings) that I would cover up my body scent with a bit of perfume (they didn't use it in bits though. HA!). In the end, it covered up the unpleasant scents such as the campers next door!

Makeup wipes - again with the wipes but these were great for oil removal after we'd been hiking in the morning. I used some from Sephora but these look wonderful from Korres - Pomegranate Cleansing and Oil Control Wipes.

Sunscreen - Don't forget a great sunscreen. Since we were hiking, lightweight packaging was in order. I didn't want to be carrying around bottles of everything. My favorite product of the season are Tocca's Sunscreen Wipes. I carry these everywhere. My daughter carries them everywhere. We stash them in our purses and vehicles. They smell like the ever popular Stella fragrance by Tocca and pack a powerful wallop with 30+ sunscreen. Each towelette goes quite a ways. I always use these on both myself and son. Between the two of us, we can get through one wipe. The sunscreen melts into your skin and doesn't leave you feeling greasy.

Target Three - Pest Control - No sense in coming back from a camp out covered in bug bites! We used to ways to control the pests. Both were nose and child friendly. When my son did get a bite on the back of the leg, I grabbed my Benadryl Itch pen - the coolest invention ever - this easy packable pen gets right to the spot of the irritation with a dose of Benadryl.

But to even go back farther, we escaped bug bites by spraying with Cutter Skinsations which does contain DEET in small doses. I also purchased a DEET free version but I can't remember the brand and we didn't use it because the bug quotient was high. We were lucky though because we spent the night in the lovely camp cabin that you see here.

Camping can be a great family experience! When presented with foreknowledge that I was going to be without a shower or sink, I was able to prepare with some handy and innovative products. With careful planning, camping can be a beautiful experience without the stereotypical issues that go along with roughing it.