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Toiletries Packing List: TSA-Friendly Checklist for Families 🧴

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The night before a trip, the wash bag is always the last thing we pack and the first thing we regret. Somebody forgot their toothbrush, the sunscreen leaked all over the pajamas, or the shampoo got taken at airport security because it was 5 oz instead of 3.4. After years of travelling as a family, we finally built a toiletries packing list that stops all of that from happening.

This is the exact checklist we use for every trip, from quick weekends away to two-week summer holidays. It covers hair care, skin care and sun protection, dental, body and shower, makeup, shaving, medicine and first aid, feminine care, kids and baby toiletries, plus the little extras that save the day. We also explain the TSA liquids rules in plain English, so you know what can go in your carry-on and what belongs in your checked bag. 🧴

Print it, pin it or keep it open while you pack. Tick off each item and you will land with everything you need and nothing that spilled.

Top 3 Toiletries Packing List Picks

If you only buy three things before your next trip, make it these. Together they solve the biggest toiletry headaches: messy bags, leaking bottles and liquids that do not fit the TSA quart bag.

  • Hanging toiletry bag: hooks onto the back of any bathroom door, so everything stays visible and off tiny hotel counters.
  • Leak-proof toiletry bottle set: TSA-sized silicone bottles you can refill with your favorite shampoo, conditioner and body wash.
  • Solid toiletries: shampoo and conditioner bars do not count as liquids, cannot leak and last for weeks.

Toiletries Packing List: The Complete Checklist

Here is our full toiletries packing list, broken down by category. You will not need every single item on every trip, so treat it as a menu: skim each section, pick what your family actually uses and skip the rest.

💇 Hair Care

Hair products are the bulkiest part of most toiletry bags. Decant what you can into small bottles and lean on multitaskers like dry shampoo and leave-in conditioner.

☀️ Skin Care and Sun

Keep your routine simple and travel-size. Planes, sun and air conditioning all dry out skin, so moisturizer matters more on a trip than at home.

🦷 Dental

This is the category everybody forgets, usually the toothbrush that is still drying next to the sink at home. Pack dental items in a separate small pouch so they are always easy to find.

🚿 Body and Shower

Most hotels provide soap and sometimes shampoo, but vacation rentals and campgrounds often do not. Bring the basics so you are covered either way.

  • Body wash or a bar of soap in a travel soap case
  • Mini deodorant (solid sticks do not count as liquids)
  • Body lotion
  • Hand sanitizer and wet wipes
  • A shower cap, a small loofah or washcloth
  • Flip-flops for shared showers at campsites, gyms and hostels

💄 Makeup

Travel is the perfect excuse to pare your makeup back to a few products you love. Pick one neutral eye look and one lip color that work for day and dinner.

  • A mini makeup kit with your everyday basics
  • Tinted moisturizer or foundation, concealer and powder
  • Mascara, brow gel and one eye palette
  • Blush or bronzer and one lipstick or tinted balm
  • Makeup remover wipes or micellar water
  • A compact mirror for dim hotel bathrooms

🪒 Shaving and Grooming

Small grooming tools disappear easily, so keep them together in one little zip pouch inside your toiletry kit.

💊 Health, First Aid and Medicine

A small first-aid kit has saved more of our holidays than any other item on this list. Buying a thermometer or children’s fever medicine at 11 p.m. in a foreign town is no fun.

🌸 Feminine Care

Even if you are not expecting your period, pack a few supplies. Travel, time zones and stress can throw your cycle off, and familiar brands are not always easy to find abroad.

  • Pads, tampons or liners for a few days
  • A menstrual cup (reusable and takes up almost no space)
  • Period underwear for long flights and overnight trains
  • A small opaque pouch and a few disposal bags
  • Pain relief for cramps

👶 Kids and Baby Toiletries

Kids need their own little kit. We give each child a small pouch, so they can find their own toothbrush and sunscreen (and so the bathroom does not become a battlefield).

✨ Little Extras

These are the small things that do not seem important until you need them. They all fit in a side pocket.

TSA Liquids Rules for Your Toiletries

If you are flying with only a carry-on, the TSA 3-1-1 rule decides how your toiletries get packed. It sounds complicated, but it is actually easy once you know the three numbers.

  • 3: each liquid, gel, cream, paste or aerosol must be in a container of 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less. A big bottle with only a little left in it still does not count.
  • 1: all those containers must fit in one clear, quart-size, resealable bag.
  • 1: one bag per passenger. Every family member, kids included, gets their own quart bag, which is a great trick for bringing extra sunscreen.

A few important exceptions make flying with kids much easier. Medications, baby formula, breast milk and baby food are allowed in reasonable quantities above 3.4 oz. They do not have to go in the quart bag, but you must take them out and tell the officer at screening.

Solid toiletries have no limits at all. Bar soap, shampoo bars, stick deodorant, solid perfume and powder makeup can go anywhere in your bag. Do remember that toothpaste, mascara, lip gloss, gel deodorant and liquid foundation all count as liquids.

Rules can change, so always check the TSA website before you fly, especially if you are connecting through another country with its own rules.

Toiletry Packing List for Carry-On vs. Checked Bags

Splitting your toiletries between bags means you are never stuck without the essentials, even if your suitcase goes on its own little holiday.

Carry-On Toiletries

  • Quart bag with travel-size toothpaste, face wash, moisturizer and sunscreen
  • Toothbrush, solid deodorant and a hairbrush
  • All medication and any baby formula, breast milk or baby food
  • Lip balm, hand sanitizer and wet wipes
  • Contact lenses and glasses

Checked Bag Toiletries

  • Full-size sunscreen, shampoo and body lotion
  • Razor blades, scissors and larger grooming tools
  • Hair dryer or straightener
  • Backup supplies like extra diapers and feminine care
  • Aerosol cans (check the airline limits for size)

We pack the checked bag toiletries in their own packing cube so a leak can never reach the clothes. For more ideas on what to keep with you on the plane, see what’s in my travel bag.

Toiletries Packing List for Women

Women often carry the most toiletries, and also do the packing for everyone else. These are the extras worth adding to the main checklist:

  • A slim makeup bag with your 5 to 6 most-used products
  • Dry shampoo in a mini size to stretch out hair washes
  • A multi-use balm for lips, cuticles and dry patches
  • Solid perfume or a tiny rollerball
  • Hair tools only if you truly use them every day
  • Facial sheet masks for long flights
  • A hanging toiletry bag so you can see everything at a glance

Toiletries Packing List for Kids

Kids need fewer toiletries than you think, but the ones they need really matter. Our rule is simple: if they use it every day at home, it comes along.

  • Their own toothbrush (a fun color so nobody mixes them up)
  • Kid-friendly toothpaste
  • Gentle 2-in-1 shampoo and body wash
  • Sunscreen stick plus a bottle of family sunscreen
  • Detangler spray and a comb
  • Bandages with their favorite characters (they fix everything)
  • Their regular medicine and a small bottle of fever reducer

Traveling with toddlers to the coast? Our beach vacation packing list covers all the sun and swim gear.

Toiletry Packing List by Trip Length

The length of your trip changes how much you pack, but not how much your toiletry bags weigh.

Weekend Trip (2 to 3 Days)

Go carry-on only. Fill a quart bag with mini products and use solids where you can. Hotel shampoo is usually fine for two nights. Our weekend packing list shows the rest of the bag.

One Week

Decant into 3 oz bottles, bring one full-size sunscreen in a checked bag and pack a little laundry kit. One week is when a small first-aid kit starts to really pay off.

Two Weeks or Longer

Do not try to bring two weeks of everything. Pack for one week, then top up at a local pharmacy or supermarket. Bring only your must-have brands, medicine and anything hard to find abroad.

What Not to Pack

Knowing what to leave out makes your wash bag lighter and faster to get through security.

  • Full-size bottles in your carry-on: they will be taken at security.
  • Glass bottles: heavy and fragile. Swap them for plastic or silicone.
  • Every product you own: you will use the same five things you always use.
  • Body wash, shampoo and conditioner at hotels: most hotels provide them, so check before you pack.
  • Large hair tools: many hotels have a hair dryer.
  • Loose razor blades in your carry-on: they are not allowed by TSA.

Smart Toiletry Packing Tips

These are the tricks we use on every family trip to keep toiletries organized and leak-free.

  • Switch to solid bars. Shampoo bars, conditioner bars and solid soap skip the quart bag entirely and cannot leak.
  • Use refillable bottles. A good toiletry bottle set pays for itself after one trip. Fill them only three quarters full, because air pressure changes on a plane can force liquid out.
  • Add plastic wrap under the lid. Unscrew the cap, put a small square of cling film over the opening and screw the cap back on. It is the cheapest leak prevention there is.
  • Tape the pump tops. A strip of tape stops lotion pumps from squeezing out in a packed bag.
  • Keep a pre-packed bag. Store a ready-to-go toiletry kit with doubles of your basics, so packing takes minutes.
  • Pack wet items last. After the morning shower, toothbrush and loofah go into a separate zip bag before checkout.
  • Label everything. Clear bottles look identical, and nobody wants conditioner as body wash.

Want more ideas? Read our packing tips for travel and travel bag organization tips.


Since we travel a lot, we’ve learned this the hard way. We’ve had shampoo bottles burst open inside our travel bags. Everything smelled nice, but it was a real mess! These days, we always put our liquids in a silicon travel container. That way, if something leaks, we don’t have to start our trip looking for somewhere to wash all our clothes.

Save this toiletries packing list to Pinterest so you have it ready the next time you pack for a trip! 📌

Travel toiletries on a marble counter: clear bag of small refillable bottles, toiletry bag with skincare, toothpaste and a soap bar, with text: The Family Toiletries Packing List, Get the List

Toiletries Packing List FAQ

What toiletries should I pack for a trip?

Pack toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, deodorant, moisturizer, sunscreen, a hairbrush, any medication, a small first-aid kit and feminine care products. Add makeup, shaving supplies and kids’ toiletries as needed.

How do I pack toiletries in a carry-on?

Put all liquids, gels and creams in containers of 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less and place them in one clear quart-size bag per person. Solid toiletries, medication and baby formula can travel outside the bag.

How do I stop toiletries from leaking in my suitcase?

Fill bottles only three quarters full, put plastic wrap under the lids, tape pump tops shut and pack all liquids in a zip bag or a leak-proof toiletry pouch.

Do I need to pack shampoo if I am staying at a hotel?

Usually not. Most hotels provide shampoo, conditioner and soap. Bring your own only if you have sensitive skin, curly or color-treated hair, or are staying in a vacation rental.

Ready to Pack Your Toiletry Bag?

With this toiletries packing list, your bag will be organized, TSA-friendly and leak-free before you even leave the house. Pair it with our ultimate vacation packing list, our cruise packing list and these travel bag essentials and you are ready for anything.

Now zip it up, grab the kids and go make some memories. ✈️