10 Tips for Living in a Van as a Female

When we first moved into our van there were a few things that I had to figure out in order to be completely comfortable. This post is dedicated to how living in a van is for me as a female. There are a few things that I have that make life a lot easier when we don’t have access to unlimited water and electricity. Here are 10 tips for living in a van as a female!

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Mirror to Get Ready

We don’t have a large or full length mirror in the van. In our layout we didn’t just have a place to put a big mirror although it would be nice to have one every now and then. I use this small foldable mirror to get ready. It has velcro to attach to a car visor. We actually have one in the front on the visor as well and it works really well there too!

I put the velcro through one of our cabinet latches and then close the cabinet to hold the mirror in place. That makes it eye level so I can see my face and hair. It makes it perfect for getting ready in the van! Then when I’m done it folds up and goes in our toiletry cabinet. It’s nice to have it to wash my face or do my hair but also nice that it can be easily tucked away and is small to store.

Dry Shampoo and Headbands to Hide Dirty Hair

One of the things you have to get used to while living in a van is not necessarily showering every day. That doesn’t mean that we never shower though! On those in between shower days dry shampoo and headbands are my go to in order to hide dirty hair.

I use dry shampoo on the hair closest to my face that I find gets the dirtiest. Each morning I use a little more and really rub it in. I prefer this dark one so I don’t get white streaks in my hair.
This pack of headbands comes in a million different colors! If my hair is especially dirty or I slept on it weird I’ll wear a headband to make it last a little bit longer!

Face Wash Routine That Doesn’t Use a Lot of Water

When we first moved into the van I dreaded washing my face in the morning and at night. I was trying to be so conscious of water while washing my face and it was hard to actually rinse off all of the cleanser from my face. Then I found this cleaning balm and it’s so much easier now! It’s a cleansing balm so you put it on your face dry, rub it in and then wipe it off with a wet wash cloth. I’m able to wash my face twice a day and use so much less water than I was and it washes my face really well!

I just use a washcloth to wipe it off my face and then rinse the washcloth when I’m done. We have small hooks to hang our washcloths to dry after using them.

I always bring my washcloth in with me when we shower to give it a really good rinse. Then every time we do laundry we toss them in with our clothes!

Containers to Organize Clothes

There is nothing more annoying than when you open the cabinet and 10 different clothing items fall out of the cabinet hitting you in the face. I have found that when my clothing isn’t organized it’s a nightmare. Everything is constantly falling out and I have to take out a bunch of things in order to find the one item I’m actually looking for.

So now I have these containers to organize all my clothes! The largest one has sweaters and rompers. The medium sized one has bottoms such as pants, shorts, and skirts. The smallest container has socks, bras, and underwear. Then I have one packing cube for all my tops. This makes it so easy to find exactly what I’m looking for. I know if I want leggings and a tank top I need to get the leggings from the medium container and a tank top from the packing cube.

Use Hair Dryers at the Gym to Reduce Electricity

We shower primarily at Planet Fitness where they have hair dryers available for use in the women’s locker rooms. Campground bathrooms also sometimes have access to hair dryers as well. If you like to blow dry your hair (or just want to treat yourself) try to use hair dryers at the gym or other public facility to reduce the amount of electricity you are using in your van!

Plus when you’re drying your hair most people get hot so being in a larger space like a locker room gives you more space to cool down. You definitely don’t want a hot hair dryer heating up your van on a warm day!

Easy to Grab Bag of Shower Items

If you’re showering in public facilities (such as at the gym, truck stops, or campground restrooms) you want an easy to grab bag of all of your shower items. It will get annoying if you have to spend 20 minutes packing up all your shower stuff before each shower.

Inside this toiletry bag I have a shampoo bar, conditioner, face wash, razor, soap, moisturizer and hair product. Basically the items I use in the shower and the two things I use after showering. Once I’m inside the gym locker room I put the items I need in the shower into this hanging shower caddy.

One thing we’ve noticed is that not all the showers have a shelf or place to put your stuff. So we both use a carabiner to loop this hanging shower caddy around the shower curtain rod. Then we always have a place for our stuff without having to put it on the questionable floor.

Downsize Shoes to the Essentials

I know for some people this is going to be really hard! Bigger, more clunky items like shoes are just kind of hard to store in a van. So we knew we were going to need to be intentional about the pairs we brought in the van. I have hiking shoes, everyday sneakers (these are the most comfortable I’ve ever had), Birkenstock sandals, and then slip on sandals that I wear around the van and as my shower shoes. Dave has hiking shoes (the same ones just the mens version), trailrunners, Teva sandals, and a pair of slip on shower shoes.

I have a pair of heels and he has a pair of dress shoes that we debated bringing but honestly we’re not that fancy and have yet to find ourselves in a place where we need nicer shoes.

Containers for Toiletries and Makeup

Toiletries that I need everyday in the van like face wash or makeup need to be more accessible than my shower stuff. So I wanted them stored somewhere that is still easy to reach and use. We have a plastic organizer in our toiletry cabinet. It makes it really nice to leave the things I use most often out so they are super easy to use. For example, the cleansing balm I use every morning and night, dry shampoo, deodorant, and tooth paste are all in the organizer because I use them every day.

I store make up in this toiletry case. I actually used it while we were traveling internationally too and it works really well! It fits everything I need but is still easy to take something out of.

Essentials Container for Purse

This little container came with the toiletry case that I use to store makeup. It came as a set of two and actually is so nice because this one is really small and easy to toss in my purse! I call it an essentials container because it’s a few items that I always want to have no matter where we are. For me I have chapstick, eye drops, tampons, a hair elastic, and an extra set of headphones.

Get Dressed Everyday No Matter What You’re Doing!

I’m sure this is something we have all learned throughout the last year but it seriously makes such a difference! When we first moved into the van it was really easy to realize that it was 5 pm and neither of us had changed that day. It’s especially hard on days when we’re working in the van or just hanging out at a nice campsite.

So I’ve gotten into the habit of getting dressed every morning no matter where we are and what we’re doing that day. Some days I end up changing clothes if our plans change. But it kind of signals the day starting. Even if it’s just putting on a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt it still makes a big difference in how productive I am!