I knew that when I came to Thailand that some of the toiletries that I use would not be available to me. There are no LUSH stores in Thailand, unfortunately, and I haven’t even bothered looking for some Dr. Bronner’s soap because I don’t want to disappoint myself. But my family is wonderful and every so often asks what I would like in a care package and I know that I can get the things that I know work for me from them.
However, I have added a few things to my dresser top and bag that are pretty exclusively Thai that I, and Thais, use on a regular basis.
Poy-Sian Inhaler
This is a tiny stick that looks kind of like a tube of lip balm. When you unscrew the lid you place it up to your nose and take a deep breath. Menthol, eucalyptus, camphor, borneol oils are what you smell and it is like a little burst of energy. It also gives me a cooling sensation throughout my sinuses, so when I’m feeling super hot it helps then too. Sometimes you will see Thai people just walking around with these things just dangling out of their nose. I can’t say that I blame them, as it’s often better than the smell of burning trash.
Snake Brand Prickly Heat
When I first arrived in Thailand and Peace Corps told us that dress code for women was skirts and dresses, I thought OK, I’ll wear tights and everything will be fine. (Folks out there with big thighs will understand.) Turns out that people in Thailand just don’t wear tights and as such they were not dress code appropriate. So I was on a hunt to figure out how to deal with my chub rub in this unforgiving heat. By word of mouth I was lead to this miracle mentholated powder. It’s kind of like baby powder, but it has cooling properties and it makes your skin feel super soft. Now, I use it all over my body. Especially on those hot nights, right after a bucket shower, I rub it all over and sit in front of a fan. It almost feels like it could be 80 degrees!
Tiger Balm
This stuff. I don’t even understand it. But I love it. Whenever I get a Thai massage from the lady in the village, this stuff shows up with its distinctive smell. My host yaai puts it on her leg that hurts every night before bed. Got a mosquito bite? Rub a little of this on there and the itching goes away and the welt will soon disappear. Achy muscles? Tiger balm. Sore from standing all day? Tiger balm. Bug bite? Tiger balm. I’m not going to try to understand. I’m just going to appreciate the miracles that it works.
Whitening Products
So this is not one that I intentionally use. (I’m sure that I have inadvertently used some though because it’s put into everything.) Almost all of the lotions, soaps, body washes, face washes and any other skin product have a whitening agent in them. Kind of like how Westerners trip over themselves to get tan, only the exact opposite. Lighter skin is the standard of beauty here and so there are many companies striving for that baht and selling that ideal to the people here. I don’t know how much it actually works or if there are companies that label things as whitening that don’t actually have that ingredient in it. But I do know that Dove’s Real Beauty campaign seems a bit disingenuous when I see that all of their products here are labeled as “whitening” or “brightening.”
Oil Absorbing Sheets
I remember these things from middle school. They were these small blue sheets that you would dab at your face and then when you looked at it, it was clear because of all the sebum it absorbed from your face. As I got older and left middle school, I found a skin care routine that kept my oily skin under control (see the LUSH products I get sent to me). My skin care routine still works for the majority of the time. But there are some days that are just too humid and sticky for my face to keep it all under control and prevent me from feeling like a sticky mess. Good thing they still make and sell those oil absorbing sheets here.
