The information that everybody loves to talk about! Woohoo! How to stay clean and presentable when you RV full-time and water conservation is always a concern?

The hygiene question is one that most people who are considering the full-time nomad lifestyle noodle in their minds at some point. Many of us in “Sticks-n-Bricks” are used to daily showers and all the paraphernalia that goes with it. The idea of going weeks or even months without an actual shower seems, well, gross.

While we do have a shower, and a nice big one, we use it much more for storage than its intended purpose.

The first part is the acknowledgment that we very nearly NEVER stay at a campground with water, sewer or electric hookups. In our year of full-time RV living we have occasionally stayed places where we could plug in. Great. Thanks. Gives us a break from having to monitor our electricity use on cloudy days. Only on the rarest of occasions have we had “unlimited water” when long, hot showers are a viable option. Usually it’s in places where we are close to water and know we are moving and can fill up the next day. It also gives us a chance to sort of flush out our fresh water tank.

But here’s something you may not have thought of…My skin and hair are in better condition than at any time in my life and I almost never use soap or deodorant. I think I had a shower a couple weeks ago.

But what about body odor, you ask? Well, that’s just it. When we are using soap and chemicals all the time, we are actually stripping the healthy bacteria and flora from our skin biome which allows the not so nice (aka smelly) stuff to grow. Since I stopped using soap generally, my skin is in balance and body odor is not an issue.

It takes a couple weeks for our skin to make the adjustment and find its balance point, however, once that happens, our skin is really good at taking care of itself. So how do we stay clean and fresh, you ask?

Every evening I do a water-only all over scrub with warm water and a terry wash rag. I stay clean, and, even better, my skin doesn’t dry out or itch like it does when I use soap or shampoo, and I don’t have to add lotion to restore moisture (except when we’re in very dry climates). When I do use soap, it’s usually hand-made in small batches, with natural ingredients like olive oil and goats milk, and we often get it directly from the person who made it. Honestly, I prefer to avoid soap and shampoo at this point because I can tell it sends my skin out of balance, and my skin and hair always feel better about three days after using soap. Of course, we also keep sensitive skin baby wipes around for quick cleanups.

My biggest issue is exfoliating. There are times when knees, elbows and feet just need a good scrub. Or maybe I want to give myself an exfoliating facial. Easy. Have you ever washed your skin with oil? Mechanics know that like dissolves like, if you want to get oily grime off a tool, soak it in oil and it will wipe right off. Same with your skin. You have natural oils on your skin and you can cleanse and moisturize using oil.

I cook with Avocado oil because it has a high smoke point and it’s a healthy fat. I also use it as a cleanser moisturizer. I use baking soda for dozens of things, including exfoliating. Put a little oil (olive, avocado or sweet almond) in the palm of your hand, add baking soda, mix to make a soft paste and massage it into your skin (be careful around your eyes). For calluses I apply oil first to soften the skin, then add the paste. Wipe the baking soda off with a damp wash rag and pat dry. The oil residue remains, leaving skin soft and nourished.

If I’m just washing my face, I use Micellar water and an exfoliating cotton pad. Micellar water attracts dirt and is great at removing makeup and grime, without stripping the skin of its natural moisture. Normal cotton pads work, but I discovered these exfoliating pads that are rough on one side, smooth on the other. Just a little squirt and a quick scrub-a-dub and my face (and other parts) are clean. Micellar water is available at most drug stores.

I’ve tried spray dry shampoo and have heard good reviews. I’m still undecided about it. Generally dry shampoo is designed for oily hair and it basically dries the oils out so you don’t have to wash it as often or just to get rid of that oily feel. I don’t have oily hair to begin with, so that’s not an issue. I’ll have to use it more often to really get a sense if it’s worth it. What I normally do is keep my hair short (I like it kind of spikey) and just scrub my head with a wet wash rag. Or I’ll wet my hair, give it a good finger massage, maybe work in a dime of avocado oil, and rinse with less than a quart of water. I get a nice scalp massage and my head feels clean.

A big challenge of RV life is minimalist living. Having only the essentials and being careful with your use of space. But I still want to look good. One of my downsizing exercises was going through years’ worth of makeup and reducing my collection down to only what I thought I would use. About that same time I discovered BOOM products and fell in love.

This is my splurge, and it’s a bit on the pricey side, but it has replaced everything I used before in the make-up department. I started with the three sticks called Boomstick Trio. It includes a moisturizing stick, a color, and a shimmer highlighter. The color works for eyes, cheeks, lips, and wherever you want a little blush. I use the shimmer for eyeshadow, highlighter and lips. And the moisturizer stick is so good that I have several just so I always have one handy. I recently added the Boom Silk, which is the moisturizer stick just in a creamier form. In a word, Luscious. I should probably just do an infomercial because I love this stuff so much. The most common compliments I get are, “You look radiant” and “You look like you’ve gotten some sun.” Check it out at www.boombycindyjoseph.com (and no, I don’t get paid for this).

While I do miss a good long soak in a bathtub, my skin has made the adjustment beautifully, I’m not wasting money on shampoos and conditioners and all the other stuff that we associate with hygiene that really isn’t good for our skin, and honestly, at 56, I think I look pretty good.

JoDana