…because even in the wilderness, a few items are key.

I am not a beauty product junkie, but as I get older, I sure can appreciate a few key items when I had into the back country for a few days. While I was on a 5-night camping/river trip and temps were too cold to totally clean off in the river, I was glad that I had dry shampoo and more.

Keep reading below to view my favorite beauty items to pack for a river camping trip.

1. Dry Shampoo

Ladies, what did we do before dry shampoo was a thing? After a day on the river and a night in my tent wearing a beanie to help keep me warm…dry shampoo is like coffee, but for my hair. Or like finding the Griswald family Christmas tree.

I’ve been happy with this travel size dry shampoo (especially the small container) on recent trips, but have also been known to make my own.

2. Hand Salve

Man, Mother Nature sure knows how to dry out your hands. And for whatever reason, rafting amplifies this far more than my normal camping activities. So I am always sure to pack hand salve with me.

3. Nail Brushes

In keeping with the hand theme, these are priceless for a camping trip or on a river trip. I saw my girlfriend opening up a pack of 10 of these. I was laughing at her abundance of cheap nail brushes until she told me they were for our upcoming river trip. And then I thought she was a genius, and she happily gave me one. She got her nail scrub brushes off of Amazon.

4. Facial Wipes

Nothing let’s you know just how dirty you are as when you look at a facial wipe after a day playing in the great outdoors. Holy dirt! This past summer I was really happy with Avalon Organics Intense Defense Detoxifying Towelettes. I have sensitive skin that breaks out easily, and these seemed to do nothing but clean away campfire grime.

5. Moisturizer with SPF

This past year I discovered the Hot and Flashy blog, and have been testing out some of her recommendations since they are reasonably priced. I am happy with this Australian Gold Botanical Sunscreen SPF 50 Tinted Face Mineral Lotion. It’s not super duper moisturizing for a trip like this, but when I am trying to pare down what I bring, I’d rather have this SPF 50 and less moisture than more moisture and lower SPF. Make sense?

6. Lip Moisturizer with SPF

I grab what I can find around on home, be it in my purse, medicine cabinet, or linen closet. Usually, with enough digging, I can find some lip moisturizer with SPF. I am particularly fond of an old Neutrogena one I have lying around, but I don’t like buying anything new from them because they do animal testing.

(I haven’t researched any other brands that I’ve listed in this post, but I will probably start, find out that some of these companies are mean to bunnies, and then update this post.)

What are your go-to beauty items for a family river trip or family camping trip?