Our Minimalist Bathroom Essentials

I get asked all the time; what products do I use in the bathroom? How do I manage to keep things relatively simple? So I thought it would be helpful to share with you our minimalist bathroom essentials.

It has taken me a while to feel comfortable showcasing any part of my life like this. I’m always saying to myself, “I’ll wait until it’s perfect, then I’ll share it”. This is the trap of the minimalist aesthetic.

I’ve realised in reality, that day may never come! So, I’m embracing the now and sharing what our bathroom looks like today.

I also want to mention two things before we get into it. We’re currently living with my parents before we move overseas.

So I’m using this as a shared space for now. I’ve displayed how minimalist bathroom essentials how we would have if the bathroom were ours. All of our products and supplies are included.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that we’re not affiliated or sponsored by any of these brands. I was thinking of turning all the brand names away so that it would seem less obvious what they are, but I think it’s important to share with you exactly what we use and avoid questions of that kind in the comments below.

Update: I’ve since created a post specifically sharing my favourite vegan beauty brands.

Principles of our minimalist bathroom

We use only organic and natural products in the bathroom. Everything is also, of course, vegan and cruelty-free. We aim to use products that come in glass packaging where possible, biodegradable (like the earbuds, toothbrushes), and to buy products to refill in bulk.

It’s not perfect, but this is where it’s at now. There are many ingredients that we avoid in our skincare, so not much makes it to our bathroom.

Anyways, without further ado, let’s get into it!

Our minimalist bathroom tour starts with our vanity.

What’s on our minimalist bathroom vanity?

The things that we keep in our vanity are things that we use every day. This includes—from left to right:

• Lip balm*
• Toner
• Cleansing oil (for winter) and cleansing milk (for summer)
• Everyday serum (for summer)
• Thick face cream (for winter)
• Toothpaste*
• Bamboo toothbrushes
• Long teaspoon for tongue scraping
• Floss*
• Handwash*
• Deodorant paste*
• Body lotion*
• Earbuds

There are a few products I use differently depending on the season. It tends to be a dry winter where we currently live, so my skin needs extra moisture.

This is why I use an oil cleanser and a thicker/richer cream in winter/autumn and lighter cleansing milk (no animal products) and serum for summer/spring.

I also like to use a long-handled teaspoon as a tongue scraper instead of spending money on some particular device that would do the same job!

One other thing to note is that I share most of these products between myself and Michael. So for the products that are marked, we share.

I am moving onto what you’d find in the vanity cupboard itself.

What’s in our minimalist bathroom vanity cupboard?

This one is a little messy, sorry! I wanted to show you everything else we use in one spot so you can get an idea of it visually. I normally keep the basket in our bedroom cupboard. From top left to bottom right, the products are:

• Hair straightener
• Hairdryer
• Hairbrush with elastic bands
• Nailpolish remover
• Nailpolish—base coat, top coat and colour nail polish
• Safety razor blade replacements
• Tin with hairpins
• Tweezers
• Nail clippers
• Hair clips for when I straighten my hair
• Nail filer
• Perfume/cologne*
• Makeup bag
• Reusable menstrual pads**
• Hair cap for the shower
• Calendula oil (to prevent scars)
• Arnica oil (for sprains, bruises and muscle pain)
• Colloidal Silver
• Natural anti-bug spray (mosquito repellent)
• Bowtech oil***
• Refills for hand & body wash and shampoo

There’s a bit here, so let’s break it down.

I use a very basic routine for nail polish. I only have the base and top coat because I bought them years ago and am still going through them.

I’m a big advocate for using products up, rather than just discarding.

I paint my nails a couple of times a year for special occasions and my toenails on a more regular basis. I do admit that the top and base coat keep the nail polish on for longer, but once I’ve used them up, I won’t be rebuying them.

The nail polish remover is a good one that I bought a few years ago that has no smell and is made here in Australia by a local small business that is reducing the chemicals that you’d find in conventional products.

* Michael and I share the same perfume. It has a slightly masculine scent, but it’s really lovely. We think it has a unisex scent and both wear it sparingly. If you know how I feel about fragrance, you’ll know that I would have certainly done my research before investing in perfume!

** One thing that I switched three years ago is using reusable menstrual pads instead of disposables. When I paused to think about how much waste I was creating every single month, I quickly looked for alternatives. I love my organic menstrual pads. Made of 100% cotton, I feel confident knowing I’m not using anything with chemicals/fragrances in my intimate area and that I’m not sending anything to landfill. One other product that I’ve also tried using is the menstrual cup, as I know a lot of women rave about them. I personally don’t like using them, but if you’re looking to switch from tampons, then a cup will be your best friend!

*** Bowtech oil is a fantastic Bowen Therapy practitioner oil that I discovered about four years ago when I worked for my mum in her naturopathy clinic. The Bowen therapist that worked there introduced me to it, and I’ve been sharing it with others ever since! It’s one of my go-to products in the bathroom. If I go away somewhere, I always take it with me. It’s my little first-aid oil. If I feel pain in my back (which tends to happen more often than not, unfortunately), I use this oil, and it disappears. I swear it’s like magic! I love this stuff.

The oils I also use as first aids. My mum handmade them, and I have them handy, but you don’t need much, so they have been lasting me a very long time.

The other product that is part of my first aid kit and that also comes with me when I go away is silver colloid (or commonly known as colloidal silver). I’ve been using this stuff for many years and use it for everything from gargling when I have a sore throat to putting on my face when I have admittedly picked at it so that it kills any bacteria (and heals much faster!). There are many other uses for it, but those are a couple of ways that I do.

The refill bottles on the bottom right-hand side of the image are for the shampoo that I use in the shower (coming in another image later), and the hand and body wash. This is refilled for the bottle on the sink and the bottle in the shower.

I get both from local bulk stores and have them as a backup, so I don’t have to go to the store as often. The refill for the hand and body wash is a different brand to the one that is on the bottle, but the shampoo is the same as the one you will see below.

What type of makeup do I keep in my minimalist bathroom?

My makeup bag doesn’t have much in it as I’ve used up products over the years. I didn’t want to rebuy and switch slowly to products that completely align with my ethics.

I don’t tend to wear makeup often so they tend to last a while (probably longer than they should according to their expiry dates). Whoops! Here’s what you’ll find in my makeup bag from left to right:

• Liquid foundation
• Lipstick (I have two but didn’t add the second one in the image, it’s a peachy colour)
• Concealer
• Kabuki brush
• Blush
• Mascara
• Mascara brush/applicator

So this isn’t perfect, but it’s not easy to find organic, vegan and well-performing makeup out there! If you’ve been following what we do for a while, you’ll know that we owned an online store that had stringent guidelines with products. I found the makeup section the hardest, and with good reason!

What I’m aiming for eventually is to have vegan, cruelty-free, organic/natural, titanium dioxide-free, and zero waste or refillable makeup.

I value performance as well, so this might take a lot of trial and error. Who am I kidding, it has taken years of trial and error, and I’m still learning about new brands and products.

I hope to switch as much as possible to the brand that I get my mascara from as I’m very impressed with the performance and ingredients in her range.

As you can see, I keep my makeup routine and range super simple!

What’s in our shower?

Now, onto the last section of the bathroom. And that’s the shower. I’ve already mentioned the shampoo and body wash. But as you’ll see, there isn’t much else to it!

Products from left to right are:

• Shampoo
• Body wash
• Coffee grounds as a body scrub*
• Safety razor**

That’s it! We don’t do anything fancy, and we keep it super simple. Both Michael and I use these products and over the years have simplified them a lot.

I don’t use conditioner in my hair because I don’t need it. I used it for many years, but at some point realised that it was just a waste of money as my hair was fine without it.

* The scrub is something that we started doing a few months ago. I get coffee grounds after our morning brew every 3-4 days and use it as a body scrub in the shower. It works well, and the best part is that it’s free.

** The safety razor is something that I contemplated for years but was nervous trying it out as I was paranoid about cutting myself. In the beginning, I took forever because I was so slow and so careful, but it just takes time and practice. Yes, I still might be quite slow with it, but much more confident than I was at the beginning! Michael and I both use this in the shower.

So that’s it! You’ve had a peek into our bathroom and what we use. I did forget to photograph Michael’s shaving set that he uses for his face and hair. Other than that, it’s all there.

Other minimalist bathroom essentials

A couple of other things that get rotated in our bathroom are:

• Four big towels (two towels each)
• Two hand towels
• Four face towels
• Two bath mats
• Six face washers (for removing makeup before cleansing)*
• A bathrobe

* These are organic cotton reusable baby wipes that I have utilized as makeup removers. I just run them under warm water and wipe away the makeup before cleansing. Then I give them a quick rinse and pop them in the washing basket when they are dry.

I hope you enjoyed seeing what we have in our bathroom. It may not be what you thought you’d see in a minimalist bathroom, but we have paired it down to everything that we use regularly and that we deem essential in our lives. Is there anything that you think we’ve missed anything as essentials? Let me know in the comments below.

Other articles you’ll love:

1. Ingredients To Avoid In Skincare
2. A Minimalists Approach To Creating a Zero Waste Home
3. 25 Vegan Beauty Brands To Support (Organic, Fair-Trade and Sustainable)
4. Minimalist Living: Breaking Down The What, Why & How
5. 100+ Simple Tips To Live a More Sustainable Lifestyle