With COVID restrictions winding down and the weather warming up, many of us are eager to start traveling again. But on top of the new travel regulations, there are other rules to keep in mind as we all get ready for our next great adventures.

Take packing, for example. Can you take a bar of soap on a plane? A bottle of shampoo? Another of conditioner? And what about your favorite face wash? While you can bring most of your beauty products with you when you travel, there are limits.

Certain substances can’t go in your carry-on. And the biggest restriction comes down to the ounce size you’re allowed to bring. Over a certain size, it’ll have to go in your suitcase, which poses additional problems.

What if you’re only going for a weekend away, so you’re not bringing a suitcase, only a carry-on? Or what if you pack those pesky bottles in your luggage and they leak everywhere? We’ve got the solution to these problems and others.

But before we get to that, let’s talk a bit more about the rules around traveling with traditional beauty products.

Can You Bring Liquid Soap on a Plane?

 

The short answer is yes, you can bring liquid soap on a plane. But the longer answer is that there are very specific rules about liquids you can bring on a plane, and the enforcers of those rules are incredibly strict.

They will make you throw away your toiletries before you get on the plane if they don’t meet the standard. And that standard is 3.4 ounces or less if you plan to pack your toiletries in your carry-on for your flight.

This rule applies to your body wash soap, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, hair gel, mouth wash, hand sanitizer, and other liquids you might want to bring with you. But part of the problem with packing all these liquids, beyond the ounce limits, is the way they have to be contained.

When you pack liquid toiletries in your carry-on, each 3.4 ounce or smaller bottle has to fit in the same clear, plastic, resealable quart-sized bag. While the same size limits don’t apply to stick deodorants, they’ll have to fit in the same bag to pass screening.

These limitations make it hard to take everything you need with you on your journey unless you get creative. If you’re bringing bigger luggage, you could pack these items in your suitcase. Toiletries packed in suitcases aren’t subjected to the same restrictions.

But then you run the risk of them spilling and ruining your clothes or suitcase, adding too much weight in your limited space, or wasting the rest of your full-size bottles when they don’t fit for the return trip home. Our suggestion? Beauty bars!

Can You Take a Bar of Soap on a Plane?

 

So, can you take a bar of soap on a plane? With all the can’ts in the sections above, it’s time we talk about a can. While you can’t bring liquid beauty products over a certain ounce size, you can bring convenient beauty bars that take up less space and have fewer restrictions.

Soap bars take the hassle out of keeping up with self-care while traveling. Plus, they eliminate the risk of spilled liquids ruining the other items in your luggage. They’re lighter, take up less space, and eliminate the stockpile of tiny containers that you can’t recycle at the end of your trip.

What Toiletries Can You Take on a Plane?  

 

The key to safe, efficient, and eco-friendly travel packing is choosing organic bars when you can. But which toiletries can you take on a plane? You can bring bars of soap for the face and body, shampoo bars, and conditioner bars that cover all your bases.  

You could also bring these items in their traditional forms, but again, this can be problematic. With traditional products, there are more limitations, fewer ounces allowed, the potential for spills and wreckage, and unnecessary plastics to contend with.

In addition to facial soap bars, body soap bars, shampoo, and conditioner bars, here are some other toiletries and zero waste skin care you can bring on the plane for your next vacation:

• Organic shaving soap bar
• Organic reusable cotton rounds (perfect for applying moisturizer, face wash, or makeup and removing makeup or nail polish)
• Deodorant cream
• Everything balm moisturizer
• Zero-waste lip balm
• Wooden hairbrush
• Bamboo floss
• Zero waste laundry detergent

These toiletries should have most of your bases covered. If you’re looking for other eco-friendly products to boost your travel plans or home, we recommend browsing our zero-waste bath and beauty lineup and eco-friendly home and kitchen products.

What is Not Allowed in Your Carry-On?

“Can you take a bar of soap on a plane” is one of the most common questions about packing for travel. And now that we know the rules that answer this question, another question comes to mind: what is not allowed in your carry-on?

Any liquids over 3.4 ounces are automatically out of the question. But what else is an automatic deal-breaker before you board an airplane? Here are some of the most frequently asked examples of what’s not allowed:

• Alcoholic beverages over 3.4 ounces in a carry-on or over 5 liters in checked bags
• Alcoholic beverages over 140-proof
• Bear spray
• Box cutters, knives, and other sharp objects in carry-on bags (if properly secured, they can go in checked bags)
• Bug spray above 3.4 ounces in a carry-on
• Cooking spray
• E-cigarettes and vaping devices in checked bags (only allowed in carry-on luggage)
• Firecrackers and fireworks
• Flammable liquids, gels, or aerosol paints
• Party poppers
• Pepper spray in carry-on bags
• Sparklers

For a full list of what is and isn’t allowed in your carry-on or suitcase, you can visit the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website’s What Can I Bring page. Their policy states that the final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed.

Still, it’s always better to do your due diligence ahead of time rather than facing delays or tossed toiletries at the airport before your flight leaves. If you have specific items that you’re unsure of, there is a search bar on the page we linked to above.

Just type your item into the search bar, and you’ll have your answer in seconds.

How Many Bars of Soap Can You Bring on a Plane?

 

Since a bar of soap is a solid rather than a liquid, TSA puts no restrictions on bringing them through airport security. You can bring a bar soap of any size or as many bars as you wish. And that’s true for both your carry-on bag and your checked luggage.

Your bar of soap doesn’t need to go in a quart-sized sealable bag, like the liquid toiletries we mentioned earlier, either. But we do recommend keeping your beauty bars separate from your clothes, so your outfits don’t end up collecting any scents or residues. You can also invest in a bamboo soap dish, to extend the life of your bar soap.

Since there are no restrictions on beauty bars, we recommend stocking up before your next trip. Our shampoo, conditioner, facial soap, organic body soap, shaving lotion bars, natural dry shampoo, and zero-waste deodorant are an eco-friendly, space-saving, mess-free luxury!

How to Pack Your Bar Soap in Your Carry-On Bag

 

Because there’s no chance of them spilling, packing beauty bars is easier and safer than packing bottles. Simply pop your beauty bars into a reusable bag, Ziploc container, or one of our soap saver bags.

You could also leave the bars loose in your bag, but we don’t recommend that unless it’s necessary. They could get dirty bouncing around in your suitcase. They could also rub off some of their scents on your clothes, although that might not be a bad thing!

Still, the best way to store beauty bars is in a soap saver bag. Our soap saver bags are excellent for both compact storage and light exfoliation when your soap bar is tucked safely inside. They’re zero-waste, plastic-free, compostable, vegan, and 100% plant-based. Learn more about soap saver bags here and natural loofah.

How to Use Soap Saver Bags

Facial and organic body wash soap bars are great because you can use them in a few different ways and never worry about them spilling into your luggage or polluting the environment. Wet the bar and rub it directly on your skin if you’re in a hurry.

Or rub between your hands and rub the lather over your skin. These are the two fastest ways to use soap bars on your body or face. But we recommend an option that both cleanses and acts as a form of self-care.

We mentioned in the section above that soap saver bags are great for storage and exfoliation. If you’ve ever used a bar of soap in the shower before, you know that they can start to quickly break apart, sometimes even after just a few uses.

Soap saver bags keep all those bits in the same place, preventing waste and saving you money. It’s as simple as storing your soap in the soap saver bag, wetting the bag in the shower, and rubbing it on your skin after it’s wet.

You can rub it between your hands and transfer the lather to your skin or rub the bag directly on your skin to experience its exfoliating benefits. Gentle exfoliation, like the kind provided by the soap saver bag, can almost feel like a massage.

How to Use Shampoo and Conditioner Bars

 

If your soap saver bag is storing a shampoo or conditioner bar instead of soap, just pop the bar out before using it. Thankfully, shampoo and conditioner bars are just as easy to use as traditional shampoos and conditioners. And they don’t come in those wasteful plastic bottles.

Gently massaging a shampoo bar into wet hair produces a rich, cleansing foam. You can create this lather by rubbing the bar directly into your hair or rubbing it between your hands before transferring the foamy goodness to your scalp and strands.

After you’ve worked up the lather and coated your hair, rinse it thoroughly with water and follow up with a conditioner bar. Then, leave both bars out to air dry, so they’ll be ready for you next time. Our shampoo and conditioner bars come in a variety of incredible scents.

We’ll talk about those and the facial and body soap scents next.

Beauty Bar Scent Options

Beauty bars are travel-friendly, eco-friendly, spill-free, and easy to use. Another benefit is that they come in many different scent options, so there’s something for everyone! Our shampoo and conditioner bars, for example, come in a wide range of scents.

For light, fun fragrances, choose from options like honeydew, lilac, lavender, summer breeze, cocolime colada, or citrus fresh. For a more masculine scent, choose Moroccan oil or forest mist. And for unisex use, try one of those, fresh mint, or unscented.

And our zero-waste soap bar for the organic body wash comes in:

• Lavender
• Patchouli
• Peppermint
• Tangerine lavender
• Lemongrass
• Grapefruit calendula
• Spearmint sage

Our organic, zero-waste soap bar for the face comes in charcoal tea tree, shea oatmeal, and orange bergamot. No matter the season, skin type, or travel destination, there’s a beauty bar out there for everyone!

Traveling with Beauty Bars & Beauty Essentials at Home

We’ve talked about the benefits of beauty soap bars, how to pack and store them, and how to use them. We’ve talked about exfoliation, scents, and carry-on rules. Now, what’s left to do but try them for yourself?

With our bundle and save beauty bar option, the more products you buy, the more you save! When you choose three bars, you save 5%. Four bars will give you a 10% discount, five bars a 15% discount, and six will take off 20%.

Our facial soap bars are soft, luxurious, and natural. Formulated to gently cleanse all skin types, including sensitive skin, you can’t go wrong with any of the options we offer.

And the same goes for the body wash bars. Our organic body wash are fantastic, unisex beauty bars that offer an invigorating, refreshing, and waste-free shower for all skin types and preferences. Whether you’re taking them on a trip or enhancing your shower game at home, these bars will give you what you’re looking for!