Introduction: Single Use Travel Size Shower Supplies
Whenever you're traveling, sometimes it can be a little hectic to make sure you have everything you need to stay clean and fresh on the go. On top of that, tight airline restrictions make it hard to find your favorite shower products in a size that can be taken on an airplane for shorter trips where you don't check your baggage. The solution? Single-use Travel size Shower Straws! With this simple creation which will take about 15 minutes to make, you can have your favorite shampoos, body washes, conditioners, and any other shower product in a small enough size to travel with, while still being able to take them on planes or in small luggage, saving you stress and space!
For this project, you will need a few things before you get started.
- Simple Plastic Straws
- Pair of scissors
- A black or other dark color marker
- A lighter
- A Bobbi Pin
- A plastic bag or travel case
- Your favorite product
Most of these items you can find lying around your house. You can use simple cheap plastic straws, or if you need a little more product for single-use, you can find larger sizes at any supermarket or grocery store.
Step 1: Cut Straws
Every Straw can be a bit different. Make sure whatever straws you have decided to use for your single-use shower product are trimmed to the size you want them to be. In the case of this picture, the straws had a bendable corrugated portion, which would make storage not as easy, so I cut them off. You might want to do the same, but in any case, make sure they are an acceptable length for you!
Step 2: Label the Straws
Each straw can contain different shower supplies, and some straws might even contain the same supply for multiple-day trips. In either case, you want to make sure you know which straw contains your shampoo, which one has your body wash, and which one has your conditioner. In this step, make sure to clearly label each straw with what it will contain for ease of use in the future.
Step 3: Place Bobbi Pin on End of Straw
At this point, you want to take your Bobbi pin and place it approximately 1/2 of an inch away from the opening of the straw. Make sure the straw is near the center of the pin so that it is being partially held closed by it.
Step 4: FIRE!!
Now that the pin is secured on the edge of the straw, make sure you close the straw by pushing the Bobbi together so that the hole on the straw is sealed. While holding it together, use a lighter to melt the plastic and have it seal itself together as it melts. Be careful, as the Bobbi pin can get hot, and make sure you hold the pin right to avoid dropping it and starting any fires in your home!
Step 5: Let the Straw Cool
After you have heated the plastic and caused it to create a seal on one end of the straw, make sure it has time to cool off and harden before removing the Bobbi Pin. Failure to follow this step can lead to holes in the seal, or plastic being spread around, creating a mess.
Step 6: Fill Er Up
Once the seal on one end has been cooled, its time to fill up your straw. Take whatever product you labeled that straw for and fill it up. If you're worried about a mess, you might want to do it over a sink or bathtub so that soap or shampoo doesn't go everywhere you don't want it to.
Step 7: Repeat Step 3-5
Once the straw is filled with enough product for use in the future, repeat steps 3 through 5 on the other end to seal up the straw, and make it capable of being transported. As a reminder, make sure you hold the Bobbi pin carefully and allow adequate time for the plastic to cool before removing the Bobbi.
Step 8: Continue to Create Enough Straws
After you have finished your first straw, repeat the process as many times as necessary so that you have all the product you need for whatever trip you are going on. In this picture, you can see that I have a Shampoo, a Body Wash, and a Conditioner straw, each filled with enough product for a single-use. You can make as many as you need to fulfill whatever your needs are as you travel.
Step 9: Put Them All Together
In travell, sometimes things have to be condensed to fit into tight spaces. After you have created all of the straws you need for your trip, put them all together in a plastic bag or travel kit so that you have everything you need to shower with when traveling. Except for a towel, that is.