Mar 1, 20213 min read

Splish splash, how I take a bath

Updated: May 27, 2021

I’m not shy about the fact that I don’t shower often.

Traveling internationally to some wonderfully remote, living-simply, loving-purely locations 🌏 has given me enlightened perspective on the 'needs' of life. And unlimited, hot showers (both morning and night??) are not on that list.

I have spent quite awhile training my body and hair to not need washed often. They really adjust, people! The less you wash it, the less oily your hair gets, the less smelly your body gets. Trust me! 💛

But when she is needing a little cleanse, here are my options on the road . . .

Baby wipes

I use these daily on my pits & bits. Does the trick! Then a couple swipes of deodorant. Ranger’s not complaining!

I also use this hair powder to keep my locks dry and fresh-looking for dayyyyys!

Planet Fitness

A $20/month membership gets you access to all their clubs and shower facilities. Good to workout and wash up! (not during Covid days)

Family & friends’ homes

Thank you to those who’ve opened their shower doors to me. 🙏 Strangers have offered their homes, though I have not taken advantage of this option, for safety’s sake. But… might someday!

Van shower options

I have three methods of washing up in the van:

1. Solar shower bag

Put it outside in the sun for 3-4 hours and she makes a surprisingly luxuriously-warm rinse

2. DIY weed-sprayer shower

I got this idea from the incredible Alexandria Tejas (who's lived in all sorts of vehicles over the years - check out her youtube!) and I must say: it works like a charm. To collect the sun’s heat, I painted mine black – it just takes a few hours to warm up. I will say the pumping effort isn’t ‘ideal’, but when your girl needs a shower, she’ll work for it!

3. Faucet shower

I chose to put my kitchen faucet in a location where I can swivel it outside and rinse off from my 30 gallon fresh water tank. However! I do not currently have a water heater, so this would only be on real hot summer days because my water is . . . not warm. At all.

Outdoor van shower setup

I have showered nudey-fruity outside the van a few times (in remote locations, obvi). It is incredibly freeing to be naked in the wild!

I also have a shower curtain that strings between the back doors on magnetic hooks if I need privacy (warning: in cases of severe wind, attach curtain to the doors at the bottom too 😳).

And no, I’ve not had any issues with water getting in the van - just be careful-ish where you spray.

Here’s the equipment I use:

> > Shower curtain – $15 at Target

> > Bamboo mat – $25 on Amazon

Magnetic hooks – $14 on Amazon (super strong and handy for many things!)

Indoor van shower

Now in situations where I want REAL privacy and/or warmth, I opt for an indoor shower. There are several hooks around my livingroom/kitchen area that I can hang a curtain from (I’ve attached two together to make a full, leak-proof circle), and I’ve purchased a collapsible kiddie pool (I believe it’s actually marketed as a pet bath) to collect the drippage.

Locating this right under my ceiling van is perfect, 'cause it sucks the humidity straight out of the shower.

I made a quick video of this process on my Insta reels here.