Do you use the soaps and hair products at hotels?

[disneysteve]

I appreciate that hotels provide soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc. but I wonder how many guests actually use it vs. bringing their own.

We sometimes use the little bar of soap by the sink. Every now and then one of us will use the moisturizer. I actually liked the stuff they had in Vegas recently and I came home with a few bottles of it.

Unless I somehow forgot to pack something though, I never use their bath soap, shampoo, or conditioner. I want my normal products. I like them. They work well. The scents don’t bother me. Our soap is actually unscented. Also most hotels have switched to shower gel instead of bar soap and I don’t like that.

Years ago when we we super frugal I would use the free stuff more because it was free but we’re long past that stage of life. And my wife never did even then or else her hair would have been a mess.

Where do you stand? Pack your own or just use whatever they provide?

 

[Lorenzo]

I find the miniature soap bars fiddly to handle, so I bring a full sized bar.

 

[Taco]

I like to pack as little as possible.

So, if there will be soap / shampoo available, I'll gladly use it.

 

[Dtail]

I bring my own soap (Maja brand) and toilet paper. I use the hotel's conditioner and shampoo.

 

[Aerides]

You'll find differences between men and women, most likely, with women more often in the OP camp of bringing our own hair products. Especially if it's not a hotel I'm already familiar with. I'm also not using anything unknown/new on my face (ie, soap or cleansers), to avoid anything irritating.

Some hotels have really nice partner products (le labo, etc.) that I have bought after. And the soaps/lotions at a St Regis are very nice.

 

[Montecfo]

When solo I often use their products. Otherwise my wife usually packs our stuff.

Not a fan of the shower gels.

 

[Sunset]

I use their soap and shower supplies. Means I don't have to pack as much in carry-on.

Sometimes it's nice to try the different smells or types offered.

We do bring our own travel sized containers in check-in bags, just in case.

 

[tulak]

I bring my own. When I fly, I buy soap/shampoo when I arrive. One of my first stops when arriving is to stop by a store and pick up supplies.

Luckily, what I use is inexpensive and available everywhere. You have to love globalization.

 

[ksr]

I don't travel much, but we do usually stay at the same beach hotel once or twice a year. I know that I like their shampoo & conditioner, so I'm happy to not have to pack my own. I also know they have a built-in hair dryer, so I can leave that home as well.

 

[foxcreek9]

We travel carryon only but bring our own soap and bar hair shampoo, a lot of times the smell of the hotel supply is nauseating

 

[rk911]

We haven't stayed in hotels in years, the last time was for a funeral 8-10 years ago. but when we did we used the hotel soap but brought our own shampoo.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I usually stay in Hilton properties and they use Crabtree and Evelyn soaps, shampoos, and conditioners. That stuff is great! So, yes, I use the stuff provided.

 

[Koolau]

We haven't stayed in hotels in years, the last time was for a funeral 8-10 years ago. but when we did we used the hotel soap but brought our own shampoo.

I thought I was the only one who hadn't stayed in hotels/motels for a long time.

We typically use the hotel soap and shampoo. We bring home the left-overs and use them up.

 

[Aggie1999]

Sure. I'm just a dude though, so as long as I have some form of soap and TP I am good. What is annoying though is when housekeeping forgets to fill the shower soap squirt bottle and it runs out mid-stay.

 

[pacergal]

We use the ones provided.
I do bring my own face moisturizer though. I will use the hotel lotion on my hands

 

[Chuckanut]

Why not use the soap, shampoo, lotions, etc. provided by the hotel. It saves me from hauling around more bottles, tubes and such.

 

[OK EE]

DW has a "hair regiment" and doesn't use bar soap. She brings her own stuff. I don't really care and use the stuff the hotel provides. Bar soap is bar soap IMO. The shampoo might not be exactly what I would choose but my hair doesn't really care.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

I have my own medium-sized bottle of dandruff shampoo that I keep just for travelling. I think it expired back in 2019, but it still looks and feels okay - so I still keep using it.

I will gladly use the little bar soaps provided by the motels - providing they still have them and haven't switched to those three bottles mounted on the shower wall. I keep a couple of those small bars in my travel kit - just in case. I don't like using the stuff in the hotel bottles.

My problem with motels is that most of them got rid of the clock radios. I really liked listening to a local rock station in the room if I could find a decent station. And it was nice having a clock in the room. If there is a clock next to the bed, it's one of those new ones with no radio but a bunch of USB ports that I don't need. And now they're getting rid of the in-room phones as well. I stayed at a motel a week and a half ago and there was a phone in the room... but it was dead. Luckily I didn't need to call the front desk.

 

[marko]

We bring our own bar of soap. DW has "expensive" hair and brings her own shampoo etc but I use whats there.

 

[Seaside FIRE]

I always take my own products. I used to do a lot of business travel and would take the complimentary products home to donate to the local shelters. I dropped off many bags of it over the years.

 

[Jerry1]

I use what’s there but I generally skip or go very light on the shampoo. I don’t have enough hair that it matters, but I find that many shampoos cause my scalp to break out so I stay away or rinse extra long.

 

[Flyfish1]

I really should bring my own soap- the hotel stuff sometimes flares up my eczema. DW brings hundreds of pounds of personal hair care products on every trip - Europe, Asia, Antartica - doesn't matter. It's like in the old movies where the travelers have a large wooden trunk that has to be moved by a team of porters

 

[FD1000]

I like to pack as little as possible.

So, if there will be soap / shampoo available, I'll gladly use it.

No matter how long the vacation, we stick to a carry-on and a backpack or handbag each—so we’ve never had to worry about lost luggage.
That’s part of why I’ll use some of the hotel’s toiletries (my wife usually skips them).
I have been shaving my head for over 20 years; I don't care about shampoo.
Not surprisingly, the nicer the hotel, the better the products.

 

[Gumby]

I am totally agnostic as to cleaning products; I'll use whatever they have. The young wife is persnickety about them, however, so she always brings her own.

 

[MarieIG]

I pack my own stuff but depending upon the product am open to trying something new.

DH doesn't seem to care.