How to keep fresh when camping

As the UK warms up enough for fair-weather campers, caring about how you look (and smell) under canvas is usually eclipsed by the enchantments of nature — the dewy grass at dawn, or the haunting hoot of an owl. It doesn’t matter if you stagger out of a tent with sleeping bag hair and polyester-induced puffiness (let’s call it “field face”) at a low-key campsite with family.

But different types of camping call for varying levels of effort. How do you lean into the great outdoors and find your grooming groove? I asked Meike Burgess, from travel company Wilderness Scotland, about how she freshens up with minimal environmental impact when camping in remote areas.

She suggests using only water to wash with, or “for longer trips, carrying refillable travel bottles with your biodegradable and vegan soaps and shampoos. If you are using a natural water source such as a stream, it’s best to take your wash water away from it and wash from a bucket, then dispose of the grey water at least 30-60 metres away from the water source. Avoid cleaning yourself in the water directly”.

For a proper camping trip, I’d take some Wilderness Wash (£4, seatosummit.co.uk), which works for cleaning hair, body, clothes and dishes, and leave-in conditioner such as Oway’s No-Rinse Moist Conditioner to reduce the amount of water needed (€35, oway.com). For my face, a Konjac sponge takes off dirt pretty well without cleanser (Botanics Natural Cleansing Konjac Sponge, £5, boots.com). And I’d pack Nécessaire’s aluminium- and baking soda-free eucalyptus deodorant (£18, spacenk.com), which is how I imagine Lukas Matsson’s Scandi retreat in Succession might smell.

Sunscreen is a must but ideally don’t apply a thick layer before swimming in a babbling brook or pond as it can seep into the water. I like Alba Botanica’s Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30, which has a biodegradable formula (£12, hollandandbarrett.co.uk) and Supergoop Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50, (£20, cultbeauty.co.uk). One way of reducing build-up is to focus more on covering up with clothes rather than constantly reapplying product.

But is it actually necessary, from a safety perspective, to stay squeaky clean? James Hamblin, author of Clean: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Doing Less, says that “it depends on population density and what you are exposed to, but showering is primarily socially oriented behaviour. The hands are the most important area for disease prevention and hygiene, or if you swam in a polluted waterway then it would become important to wash, otherwise I can’t see a reason that you would have to when camping in the wilderness”.

He continues, “I camped in Yellowstone and didn’t shower for a week because I didn’t see the need. Part of the enjoyment of camping is breaking from your usual routine, being able to wake up and go, and focus on enjoying nature, rather than worrying about how you look or smell.”

I’m very much here for wilderness mode, but what about a more sociable, even sophisticated Instagram-happy camping trip involving yurts or some competitive cooking of foraged ingredients on a hipster Snow Peak camping stove? A friend reports that her kids’ class camping trip “made me feel I should up my game. Lots of stylish parents wafting around in maxi dresses, and one who set up an elaborate self-care station that involved boiling water over her Trangia stove and soaking face flannels to make hot compresses”.

Many UK camping sites have showers, but they can sometimes be more drip than monsoon, or freezing, like the solar-power showers at one I stayed at. And backstage-at-fashion-week levels of grooming hardly seem in the rustic spirit. So it’s a prime opportunity to streamline down to a few clean, eco-aware essentials (while allowing more luxury than just Wilderness Wash). Especially as past camping staples are now taboo: wet wipes create unnecessary waste, and some aerosol dry shampoos have been recalled due to high levels of benzene.

Natural multipurpose products feel appropriate, such as a shampoo bar that doubles as shower gel (Faith In Nature Coconut & Shea Butter shampoo bar, £4, boots.com). Sbtract’s travel sized solid moisturiser and cleanser in a compostable matchbox style container (£22, sbtrct.co.uk) are also great.

As for make-up, you don’t want to be contouring your face by torchlight. My desert island products would include The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick by buzzy new brand Merit, which serves as foundation and concealer (£40, meritbeauty.com). For some colour, a lip and cheek stick such as Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick (£44, liberty.co.uk). Victoria Beckham’s Future Lash mascara (£29, victorianbeckhambeauty.com) rinses away with water, so no need to take eye make-up remover.

And what if you are a more glamorous camper, who gets separation anxiety when away from the blow dry bar near the office? For fine hair I like Christophe Robin’s Instant Volumising Leave-in Mist with Rose Water, (£30, christopherobin.co.uk) or Hersheson Zhoosh foam (£14, hershesons.com) massaged into the roots to invigorate between washes.

For heavier hair, London hairdresser Errol Douglas recommends vanishing oil by Living Proof (£35, livingproof.co.uk), “which stops frizz, especially if there is humidity”. For loose curls categorised as 2C, he suggests “something lighter”, such as a leave-in conditioner, and for tightly curled 4C hair, try a heavier mask like Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask, (£26, lookfantastic.com) “but don’t apply too much. One trick is to put your hair up for a bit then let it down for bounce”.

Or fall back on a light fragrance, giant sunglasses and a massive straw hat to stop anyone coming too close. You’ll be outstanding in your field.

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