Are you planning to walk the Camino de Santiago. You may have trained and prepared, even packed, but you might be wondering can you style your hair on the Camino? Find out here in this short guide.
Are there bathrooms on the Camino de Santiago?
First off, yes there are bathrooms on the Camino de Santiago. You will find bathrooms in all albergues and hotels along the different Camino routes. The standard of bathrooms will vary, especially in albergues.
Many will have a few basic showers and toilets. Others, especially the private albergues and the ones listed on sites like booking.com tend to have better facilities. With many albergues even having quite fancy bathrooms. We visited some of the Portuguese route and some on the North route with excellent bathroom facilities.
What is an albergue? Find out more here.
Can you style your hair on the Camino de Santiago?
Can you stye your hair on the Camino? The answer to this probably depends on a few factors. Firstly, will you find hair dryers – see below on this! Secondly, should you pack hair tools or straighteners – see below! But probably the most important question, is will you want to style your hair on the Camino?
Honestly, when I first walked the Camino, I thought that I would want to dress up in the evening. Style my hair and apply a little makeup. Within a few days I realized that this ideal was far from reality. Whilst I do sometimes still apply a little lip gloss, I’m unlikely to be found styling my hair. There are so many things that I’d prefer to do in the evening, enjoying a few drinks and tapas, chatting to others, or writing in my journal.
As for the mornings, well with early starts and long-days ahead, I’m far more likely to wash my hair and go. Or, just put a hat on and hope for the best!
If you want to, you could style your hair on the Camino, but in my experience the less personal maintenance you have to do on the Camino, the more time you have for fun!
Will you find hair dryers on the Camino de Santiago?
If you stay in private pensions and hotels, you are very likely to find hair dryers in your room or bathroom. However, if you stay in albergues, you cannot expect to find hair dryers. I can think of one or two exceptions, during the three Camino’s that we have walked, when I did find a hair dryer in an albergue.
Should you pack hair straighteners for the Camino de Santiago?
On my first Camino, I genuinely was not sure whether or not to pack straighteners. For context, I have curly hair that turns to frizz in hot environments. Subsequently, the prospect of not traveling with my hair straighteners filled me with dread. After much pondering, I did indeed pack a large pair of straighteners in my backpack. Within a matter of days, I came to regret it. My backpack was too heavy and the straighteners were one of the first things to go!
On balance, I was far too tired to bother with styling my hair on the Camino. Most days, it went up into a top knot and that was it!
If you are considering packing hair straighteners for the Camino, here are a few things that you may want to consider:
- How much do your hair straighteners weigh – will this make your backpack too heavy to carry comfortably?
- You are likely to be very tired at the end of the day – are you likely to want to style your hair on the Camino at the end of a long day?
- Hair dryers are not easy to come by – see above
- Albergues do have plug points, but not many. You may have to prioritize charging your phone above anything else.
- You may feel once you’re on the Camino that you want to style your hair more naturally. Certainly this was true for me.
If on balance you do decide to pack straighteners, I would strongly recommend packing a lightweight travel pair. I now travel with a pair like this (although not on the Camino!)
Should you pack cosmetics for the Camino de Santiago?
The issue of whether to pack cosmetics or beauty products is entirely personal for females walking the Camino. I tend to pack a few cosmetics when I walk, this is important to me, but I know that others would not feel the need to do this and may think it is a silly idea.
You can find my views on whether or not to pack cosmetics on the Camino here.
Walking the Camino de Santiago: A Guide for Women
Emma from Lotus Eaters Travel has written a guide for every woman taking on the adventure of a lifetime and walking the Camino de Santiago for the first time.
This book is full of tips on what to pack, advice on preparing for your journey and important details to help you get the most from the Camino. Whilst it does not include maps, it does include itineraries for the main Camino routes, as well as daily stage guides for the last 100km of the walk. You can find a detailed training plan to help prepare you for the Camino as well as extensive information on what to expect when you walk.
Inside this book you will also find information specifically for women walking the Camino, including a chapter on women’s safety and the answers to frequently asked questions like “what are the toilets like on the Camino?” and “How to deal with bed bugs on the Camino?”
It is split into three sections: Preparing for the Camino (packing, training, budgeting, finding motivation), Walking the Camino (choosing who to walk with, meeting people, accommodation, staying healthy, staying safe) and After the Camino (what to do next.)
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