Toiletries seem to multiply. You go into the store. see some new yummy-smelling product or cure-all, perhaps a specialized cream or conditioner. Soon enough you have a plethora of delicious chemicals for a myriad of special purposes: one thing for your feet, another for your legs, two things for your hands, three for your face, and a million hair-styling products… oh my! And even though these things will eventually run out, it’s hard to resist the temptation of new soaps and other bathroom goodies.

Yet I have resisted the temptations of the toiletries. I’ve very consciously paired down my bathroom stuff to the bare necessities — this move is especially inspired by frequent travel. When you get by with so little for so long, you realize how extraneous many of those everyday products actually are. At this point my collection consists of the following things (which fit handily into a small bag):

• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Floss
• Shampoo
• Comb
• Soap
• Lotion
• Sunscreen
• Lip Balm
• Nail Clippers
• Diva Cup

You will note with astonishment the lack of deodorant. This was not an original idea: several people I know confessed to not wearing deodorant in the past few months. These not being smelly people, I decided to experiment for myself. So far, so good… I actually feel less smelly, and even a little less sweaty. However, if I do smell, please let me know — it’s a continuing experiment, you see.

Conditioner is also not on the list. I’ve found my long and slightly frizzy hair to be perfectly manageable if I wash it with normal shampoo, wring it out, and then comb it gently from the bottom up.

I also don’t have a razor, as I don’t shave my legs. However, I do want to try out body sugaring at some point to get rid of my underarm hair. One of my friends suggested tweezing, but it’s too time-consuming to do regularly.

Of course, as much as this minimalism pleases me, I almost wish the soap would run out faster — I already have my eyes on some luscious-looking bars from Trader Joe’s!