My Top 10 Sustainable Travel Toiletries For Cyclists

1. Dr. Bronners’s Pure-Castile Bar

• Price: £5.69 £4.55 20% off Plastic-Free July
• From: shop.drbronner.co.uk

This soap is a ‘do it all’ one. Wash your clothes, dishes, hair, face, body… everything! I’ve ended up with my least favourite scent, but they have many different ones, including unscented.

2. Friendly Soap Hair & Body Mini Bar

• Price: 99p at my local healthcare shop. Box of 24 x 20g bars £12.95
• From: Most eco-friendly shops, or get a box of 24 from friendlysoap.co.uk

Daisy for scale! For the weight-conscious cyclist, this is the soap. Made with coconut oil, castor oil, olive oil, lavender and geranium essential oil. These are sold as ‘Guest Bars’, so the size makes them perfect for travelling.

3. Wild Refillable Deodorant

• Price: £10 case, £6 refill
• From: wearewild.com

Wild deodorant sucked me in with the colourful, easy to use website that regularly has special offers on. That was over a year ago, and I’ve not gone a day without using this, making sure to take it with me on holidays and van trips. It’s really good deodorant, it lasts, and I don’t have to buy any plastic. I’ve noticed the refills popping up in shops now too, which will save on ordering via post. My frugal tip: When the stick needs replacing, there’s enough left on the end to get you through an overnighter, or to top up your pits after a wild swim! It’s pictured above, poking out of the Wild refill.

4. Wild Mini Deodorant

• Price: £12 for 3
• From: wearewild.com

This little deodorant stick is for when I need to pack super minimal – like a bike-packing trip. It’s cardboard packaging so you have to be careful not to get it wet.

5. Ethique Solid Shampoo Bar

• Price: £12.00
• From: ethique.co.uk

Ethique shampoos are the ones for men and women that really care about their hair, in the sense that you can choose a hair type. I’ve gifted these to people, and used them myself for a while, and I truly believe they are better than any bottled shampoo. The flavours are great, and the sustainability doesn’t just extend to the packaging. Ethique plant one tree per order, the ingredients are cruelty free and vegan, palm oil free, ethically and fairly sourced, they pay staff a living wage, donate 2% of sales to charity and are 100% plastic-free.

6. Pure Ella Steriliser

• Price: £12.99
• From: amazon.co.uk

Menstrual cups are known for being an eco friendly solution, as they are reusable. For that reason, they also save you a fortune in the long run! As a cyclist with a host of menstrual issues, the benefit to me is that I can rely on my cup to see me through the day. I like endurance racing, I like going up and over big mountains, and I don’t let my period dictate the days I can do all this.

We rarely have the luxury of a toilet stall with a sink in it, and often don’t have a toilet at all, bike riding and bikepacking. So this compact and super light tub is great for riders on the go. Either put some water in it before you go to the loo, or use it to store your cup if you don’t have the means to clean it.

7. Modibodi Sensual Hi-Waist Pants

• Price: £28.00 Maxi 24 hours (£20.50 for light/medium days)
• From: modibodi.co.uk

Hannah got me onto these following her review. They are sold for using on very heavy periods, frequent bladder leaks, overnight – or up to 24 hours wear, so they are excellent for a bike ride or overnight trip. Camping without a loo nearby, and you don’t like using a menstrual cup? Try these.

8. Lavera Shea Butter Moisturiser

• Price: ~£7.95
• From: Online or local healthcare shops. Amazon if you’re desperate.

I’ve had this tin for over a year, and again, it’s an item I use almost daily. The moisturiser is so thick that a little goes a long way. I use it as after-sun, it’s great for dry skin in winter, and the tin is a neat, flat size so I can throw it in a bag without taking up too much space or worrying about a tube of cream exploding. I didn’t find this when specifically shopping for an eco-friendly moisturiser, and the price initially put me off but this tin has lasted a really long time.

9. Balmy Fox Hand & Body Bar

• Price: £12.75
• From: balmyfox.co.uk

Another option for keeping skin hydrated is this Balmy Fox balm bar. I actually find this one best for repairing skin – so gravel rash, hand calluses, chaffing and so on. The hinged tin clicks shut so again, you don’t need to worry about it loose in your bag.

10. Smidge Insect Repellent

• Price: £8.99
• From: smidgeup.com

Smidge insect repellent needs no introduction or explanation. It’s sweat-proof and lasts for up to 8 hours. Avon Skin So Soft is the other choice, but I’ve found it interrupts the effectiveness of my sunblock, so I stopped using it.