10 Must-Do Beauty Hacks for Camping

10 Must-Do beauty hacks for camping that every female must do!

I grew up camping with my family and then transitioned in to camping with friends in college and then with our own family. In fact, so many of my best childhood memories involve camping. Heck, even my teenage years and adult years…it was a camping trip that brought Clayton and I back together when I was 19. So yeah, I love camping! But I’ve got to be honest, I’m not a beauty guru by any means, but, I’m also not a fan of not being able to shower or feeling like a group of wild gorillas would rather have me as their mother than my own kids. So over the years, I’ve come up with my own tricks of the trade for beauty hacks while camping. These hacks are tried and true and legit and not just another Pinterest list from someone who has never spent one single night camping! lol

1. Shower immediately before leaving your house!

If you’re tent camping and prefer more rugged style camping like my family, you have no guarantee of a shower! We have stayed at many State Parks, National Parks, etc that did not have showers. We’ve also camped at places that charge money for a shower, like $1 for 4 minutes! Unless you’re pro at taking fast showers, your daily shower costs can be add up quickly! So sometimes your showers are more spread out than you would like…so always shower right before getting in your car to leave! Rather than hopping in after you’ve spent all day loading up your car and possibly breaking a sweat cleaning up your house to make it look like you weren’t robbed before you come home! –> yes, I’m completely speaking from experience! Every time we head on road trip or back to Chicago to see family, I always get in the car with a wet head!

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2. Paint your nails a dark color

I know this may sound odd, but seriously I can’t stress this enough. When you’re spending time in the great outdoors it is inevitable for your hands to stay well manicured. So in an effort to not feel disgusting, I always paint my nails a dark shade (usually a gray/brown) right before hitting the road and it helps hide how dirty under my nails may look – yes, this is like a band-aid type trick but seriously, dirt has never hurt anyone, it just grosses them out! So do yourself a favor and paint your nails a dark color.

3. Wear larger stud earrings

Wearing pretty earrings that are simple but make a statement is a great way to make it look like you are still put together while out navigating through the woods. Just don’t wear dangly earrings that could end up getting snagged!

4. Learn how to braid

Braids, particularly French braids are the best way to make your hair look super cute yet not require a lot of maintenance! I know this may sound weird, but I love checking out other hikers or campers when we are traveling. I always notice that the women, who don’t look like total newbies out there, usually have their hair in braids…and they look so fashionable! Here’s my version of a cross over (totally not sure if that’s what it’s called) French braid while on a trip to Atlanta.

5. Wear tinted chapstick 

I am addicted to chapstick, seriously. I’m not a fan of makeup, but if there has been one thing I’ve always felt made the biggest difference, it’s lipstick! However, I highly encourage you to leave the makeup at home and just get out there and not worry about your looks, but if you can’t stand to bare it all, grab a tube of tinted chapstick and kill two birds with one stone! I mean look at the difference! Left photo = bare face right photo = tinted chapstick, nothing else.

6. Silicone wedding ring

I never take my wedding rings off, like ever. However, I often times lift weights while working out and I felt like the weights were rubbing on my wedding bands and I didn’t want to damage them. So I ordered this silicone wedding band that works great working out and for camping! Rather than leaving your real wedding bands at home and feeling like you have naked hands, use one of these while out enjoying nature! not everyone gets as lucky as my hubby who lost his wedding band in the lake near our house on Mother’s day one year and then 4 months later have it wash up on shore.

7. Dry Shampoo

Remember tip #1? If you’re not near a shower then dry shampoo will come to your rescue! Heck, I use this more than just for camping. I have super straight and fine but thick hair so I am always running my hands through it redo my ponytail and more. So it gets greasy fast and dry shampoo helps make it look fresh and clean! I prefer an aerosol type dry shampoo, Not Your Mother’s Dry Shampoo, but my hubby (who is going through a long hair phase) prefers a powder type of dry shampoo, Aveda Shampure Dry Shampoo. These are the ones we use and take with on our trips!–> I told you I was low maintenance…my hubby uses the expensive, salon stuff! haha On the plus side, these are both small containers so they are great for packing!

8. Scented deodorant

Ditch your perfume or body spray! I personally am not a fan of scents but I know many people are. You do need to be careful when wearing fragrances out in nature because 1. it attracts bugs (mosquitos love smells!) 2. bears and other large game animals are also attracted to beauty products and if you’re like me, you’d rather play it safe and just smell gross than attract a pesky raccoon that breaks into your tent in the wee hours of the night. So if you have to have a fragrance, have it be in your deodorant, and ensure that it’s a natural scent and not artificial. The Schmidt’s Lavender + Sage is mine and it has a natural lavender fragrance. The one on the right is what my hubby swears by and absolutely loves, Shaklee Antiperspirant Cream.

9. Accessorize with headbands, hats, sunglasses and cardigans

I’m really a plain and simple kind of girl, but I do own 2 hats. They are almost identical and the only reason I have two is because one was lost in moving boxes for several years. But, I always take my Kangol army fit hat with while on vacation to help hide my hair if I can’t snag a shower! (I’m really making it seem like we never shower when we camp!…which we do, I promise!) I also wear sunglasses on my head to cover up greasy hair! *this top left photo is from 2011 at Mabry Mill and gives me all of the feels. Both big doggies are now in Heaven and we have an third kid who is older than these two cute babies in the photo! – thanks for letting me get all sappy with you!

10. Baby wipes

Aside from everything else on this list, this is most likely my number 1. I never leave the house without a package of baby wipes and I sure as heck would never go camping without them! You can use them for washing your hands and body, washing off your tinted chapstick ;-), cleaning off stains on your clothes and more!

Other tips include:

1. battery operated shaver if you just can’t live without shaving
2. mint gum in place of brushing your teeth – haha gross I know, but it’s true
3. wear tinted sunscreen to give you an extra boost of glow

So there you have it! Those are my tried and true beauty hacks for camping. I’d love to hear what your hacks are. Leave me a note in the comments telling me what you do!

Now that you’re ready to go camping, make sure you have everything you need! Here are my top hiking essentials for women!

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