Frost is not an excuse: Personal hygiene in winter outdoor

Adventure in the winter nature has its unique charm. But how do you maintain personal hygiene during a multi-day trip without access to warm water? Freezing temperatures place special demands on body care – sweat accumulates under layers of clothing and skin dries out. But is hygiene in winter really that important, or do sweat and odor simply hide under all those layers of clothing? In this article, we bring you practical tips on how to maintain cleanliness, health, and comfort in the winter outdoors without burdening nature.

During outdoor activities, it is important to maintain a certain level of comfort; otherwise, you might quickly lose interest. This also applies to personal hygiene. Of course, in the winter wilderness, you can't count on a hot bath every day, nor even on perfect cleanliness and freshness. However, we can assure you that with minimal effort, you don't have to smell unpleasantly to yourself or to those around you even after several days outside in freezing weather. Moreover, insufficient hygiene can lead to health problems.

Even in the winter wilderness, maintaining basic hygiene is important. First and foremost, it is about health.

Specifics of hygiene in winter conditions

When moving in cold weather, you might forget about physiological processes for a moment, but that doesn't mean you can avoid them. Due to layered clothing and extensive movement, your body will continue to sweat, and quite intensely. Although the functional composition and breathability of the materials in your outdoor clothing might be perfect, some condensation will still occur.

Frosty weather simultaneously increases the risk of frostbite and drying of the skin, so self-care is essential. During prolonged outdoor stays, moisturizing creams should be used by men as well – even those who otherwise deeply disdain such things. However, a complicating factor is the limited access to water and hydration, even though life-giving fluids are quite abundant outside in various forms.

TIP: Where to find the coldest weather in the Czech Republic? Find out from the article Where to Find the Biggest Freezes in the Czech Republic?

Why is hygiene important even in winter?

Cold weather does not block impurities or bacteria. Regardless of the weather, your body not only sweats but also sheds dead skin cells and produces oil. Due to these factors, it is necessary to maintain regular hygiene even in the winter. If this is not done, you might experience discomfort, rashes, or, in worse cases, infections.

Risks associated with poor hygiene

Although some of us may have a tendency to neglect hygiene a bit during the winter, it’s important to realize that poor hygiene comes with certain risks. Sweating, friction, and insufficient washing can lead to the development of rashes, chafing, abrasions, or fungal infections.

Inadequate handwashing can lead to certain infections, which can result in nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. This is particularly a serious complication during winter expeditions.

Well, if you do not deliberately hydrate your skin sufficiently, your skin may crack, especially on your hands and feet. Dry skin on the face means higher discomfort in the short term and faster aging of the skin in the long term.

Even on demanding winter expeditions, don't forget to pack your personal hygiene items.

Personal hygiene on winter expeditions

Hand washing

Primarily, you should keep your hands and nails clean. To avoid getting unnecessarily cold, it's a good idea to pack a disinfectant gel for your trip. Alternatively, wet wipes (but definitely do not leave them discarded in the open nature; always pack them back home and throw them into the general waste). It's also advisable to boil water or snow for washing (not just) hands. Keeping your hands clean will also reduce the risk of potential infections.

Snow alone will not help you wash your hands. While it can remove visible dirt, it does not eliminate bacteria as warm water with soap would. If you have the opportunity, you can melt the snow in a mess tin and heat it up. However, when it comes to any soaps, shower gels, or shampoos, it's important to respect nature and only purchase biodegradable products (if possible at the moment).

Cleansing of the face and body

Also, when cleaning your face and body in winter, your options are quite limited. Use dry shampoos and wipes and during longer stays outside, use moisturizing facial creams as well. Prolonged exposure to cold weather dries the skin and accelerates wrinkle formation. Which is something none of us probably wants.

Take care of your feet and hands as well, ensuring prevention of fungal infections and frostbite. Clean your sweaty limbs at least with a wet wipe in the evening after walking. You can wash your hair with dry shampoo.

Brushing teeth

Even when traveling, it is not advisable to forget about oral hygiene. However, it also has its specifics in winter. You can only brush your teeth without running water, as you simply won't have access to it when bivouacking or sleeping in some tourist shelter. So keep this in mind when packing your thermos, bottle, or hydration pack, and add the amount of water used for brushing your teeth to your regular consumption. If there is snow outside, you're in luck, as you can melt it and use it to brush your teeth.

Hygiene of clothing and equipment

The area of hygiene, however, does not only include personal care but also taking care of your clothing and equipment. Due to water condensation, it is necessary to dry the clothing you will need the next day every evening. The best way to achieve this is by lighting a fire. However, keep synthetic materials at a reasonable distance from the fire to prevent them from igniting or getting damaged by the fire. Also, regularly air out your clothing.

From clothing, the most susceptible to getting dirty is not the outer layer (unless it's muddy outside), but the absorbent layer, such as thermal underwear. Smelly thermal underwear is not very representative or healthy. For multi-day activities, we therefore recommend merino wool, which has natural antimicrobial properties and doesn't start to smell as easily as other materials. And socks with active silver content can also come in handy, as its effect is similar.

You should also take care of your sleeping bag, especially because it shouldn't be washed too often. And also so that you can sleep in a clean one the next night. Don't climb into the sleeping bag with your shoes on and when sleeping, keep thermal underwear with long sleeves and legs on to avoid sweating directly into the sleeping bag lining. If possible, pack a sleeping bag liner for your trip, which is much easier to wash and, at the same time, in winter you'll appreciate that it can slightly increase thermal comfort.

TIP: Unsure about choosing a liner for your sleeping bag? We'll help you in one of our earlier articles.

Toilet hygiene

Even in the winter forest, it is sometimes necessary to attend to certain physiological needs. With the minor need, it's simpler, although unbuttoning pants in freezing weather isn't very appealing. But what about the other cases? In winter, it's more challenging to find a place to relieve oneself. If the ground isn't completely frozen, simply dig a hole 15 to 20 cm deep and take care of your needs there.

Whenever possible, try to relieve yourself at a mountain hut or in the latrine of a tourist shelter. In short, use existing facilities and avoid creating unnecessary ones. However, if you are using a self-dug space, then think about where you dispose of the toilet paper. Scraps in various stages of decomposition around hiking trails definitely do not look appealing. The best option is to burn it after use (of course, if it is possible to make a fire in the given environment).

In feminine hygiene, the use of menstrual cups is suitable, as they do not produce waste. For used pads and tampons, the same rules apply as for toilet paper – do not dispose of them in nature! In this case, bring resealable bags with you, into which you can place your used hygiene products and dispose of them in municipal waste at the earliest opportunity.

If possible, bring biodegradable products with you and take all "waste" back to civilization.

What to pack for hygiene on a winter hike

We can quickly summarize what hygienic supplies to pack for a winter hike. Be sure not to forget hand sanitizer gel, which allows you to keep your hands clean even without water. In fact, this item is useful not only in winter and for hikes but practically anywhere. Also, pack wet wipes (those intended for body cleaning, not household surfaces), dry shampoo, and moisturizing cream for hands and face.

Well, we probably don't need to mention spare underwear and socks, because only their regular replacement will help prevent skin problems.

In conclusion

Basic hygiene must be maintained even in winter conditions, even though we may not feel like it in those conditions. It is necessary to ensure that our hygiene practices do not negatively impact the environment if possible. Taking care of feet and hands is essential in winter to prevent frostbite and fungal infections.

For short day trips, basic hygiene supplies (disinfectant gel, wet wipes) will suffice. For weekend hikes, it's a good idea to have more spare clothing, waste hygiene bags, and appropriate skin care products with you. During multi-day expeditions, systematic care for yourself and your clothing/gear is necessary, along with proper waste storage and adapting hygiene habits to the surrounding conditions.

Even when conditions are challenging, basic hygiene is important for your health and comfort. Hygiene practices in nature protect not only individuals but also the ecosystem. The good news is, if you plan well, you can maintain sufficient hygiene in winter without excessively burdening your gear.