#6 - A Different Look At Toiletries
I’ve always felt constrained by my toiletries.
I started wearing glasses around two years old, which tethered me to some type of bathroom/toiletry routine.
While the quintessential young boy would be running around like banshee, needing constant reminders to bathe and brush teeth, I had my little toiletry kit with me.
What began as a toothbrush expanded to a glasses/rec specs/repair kit pack.
Then when I got sealants on my teeth, I had mouthwash and floss to pair with it.
Eventually I started wearing contacts and had the overnight solution, lens pack, and backups to go with it.
And when puberty hit, I had face cleaning pads, Accutane (prescription medicine for acne), moisturizer, and special bath soap.
Of course, my long raggedy hair needed fancy shampoo, conditioner, and combs.
Don’t forget the strong deodorant and body spray to mute any scent of humanity.
I’d shower twice a day too, so body wash was required. Bars of soap weren’t cool.
When my facial hair started growing, I needed a razor for that. And shaving cream. And after shave.
Then came the “old people” toiletries…
Special toothpaste for my receding gums.
Special shampoo and scalp medication for my receding hairline.
Special ADHD pills for my receding attention.
Though I couldn’t put words to it at the time, all of this stuff functioned as an anchor, keeping me bound to my bathroom routine.
I’d hear stories about how people would just “crash on the couch” or sleep outside and wonder how they did it without their toiletries…
It seems silly, but it’s something I’m just now unpacking as an adult.
We’ve been taught that toiletries - the liquids, creams, and pastes that sits on the bathroom counter - are essential for life.
And yet, for most all of human history, these bathroom tchotchkes weren’t an option.
Somehow, we coped.
While I’m not suggesting that there aren’t advances made that suit our modern sensibilities and softness, it does seem a bit strange.
No other animal covers their body in chemicals to look pretty, and yet beauty abounds.
Also, this whole toiletry reliance thing is very convenient for the massive health product industry that takes up a few rows in any grocery store…
Of course, I write this from my lived experience as a man, I don’t know what it’s like to be a woman or wear makeup - though I assume the experience is similar.
I’ve longed for the confidence of feeling prepped with a just toothbrush and a toothpick in my bag.
Trusting that my body is low maintenance, highly adaptable, and reliable. That I’ll be OK because I’m tough, resourceful, and competent.
To feel the freedom of not being bound to a small suitcase of self-care stuff.
I’m working my way back down now to that goal now though…
A toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and a bar of soap.
I’m aiming to ditch the glasses/contact stuff (a different topic, but nonetheless an exciting proposition as I train to restore my eyesight.)
And something about it feels good.
As though measuring my reclaimed health on an inverse graph of mandatory toiletries.
I can grab tallow from the fridge if my skin is dry, but trusting that a solid diet, good connection to the ground, clean water, and good sleep will keep me healthy is freeing.
(Of course, I’ll keep deodorant and the other stuff around for the convenience, but seeing these things as options instead of mandates is liberating.)
I don’t know what’s right for you, but personally, every toiletry I let go of feels like a little win.
P.S. Leave a comment below - I’d love to hear your thoughts!