Van-Lifer Shares Extensive Morning Routine To Shut Down Hygiene Critics

On a mission to disprove a common misconception about her lifestyle choice, a top “vanlifer” has shared her hygiene routine.

Leanne and her partner Billy travel the U.K., regularly sharing insights into life living in a van to TikTok. Fed up with the fact that “when you live in a van people think you don’t shower or wash your hair,” she shared her wash day routine to give insight into how vanlifers stay hygienic.

The video has gone viral, amassing more than 810,000 views and 46,000 likes since being shared to the couple’s joint account, @billyandleanne, on May 8.

Unlike those with showers plumbed in, Leanne has to prepare in advance to ensure she has enough water. She explained: “Whilst I make the morning coffee, I turn on our Webasto water heather. It takes 45 minutes to heat up, so whilst we wait for that it’s time to prep the shower.”

One of the biggest sacrifices when living the van life is storage space, meaning people like Leanne are forced to get creative. She said: “In our van, our shower doubles as a cloak room/towel storage/drying room/bin cupboard, and our toilet as well,” showing the camera just how much she can make fit as she empties the space ahead of her shower.

While you may think that would be enough work for her reward of washing her hair, she told viewers that, “the faff [English slang for “difficult task”] doesn’t end there, it’s time to fill up our water.

Filling a bucket with a hosepipe, her partner brought it back to the van before using a watering car to fill its 100-liter water supply.

After Billy enjoys his shower first, it’s Leanne’s turn to take a wash. She explains the importance of taking time to squeegee down the shower, especially when parked on an uneven surface. The experience may not be the most glamorous, but the couple still keep on top of personal hygiene and self-care.

While some may believe living in a van results in a lack of time spent on personal appearance, hair care is still a priority, with Leanne taking time to use hot tools to style her hair—relying on solar power for the perfect blow-dry, no matter the location.

After applying her makeup, it was time to move on to styling her blonde bob, as she said: “I have an Amika hot brush which I plug into our portable power station. The power station is solar charged, which means the sun is literally blow my hair today.”

Another tip she shared for managing your beauty routines when leading her lifestyle, she recommended, “If you’re a full-time traveler or you live in a van you have to get a bob – it’s life changing.”

With a couple of pumps of a hair oil she was finished, telling viewers: “Look at that! You would never know I live in a van.”

What Do the Comments Say?

Despite her attempt to show you can keep on top of beauty habits as a vanlifer, not everyone was convinced, as one user asked: “why would you want to live in a van when it’s so small and so many inconveniences (no hate just wondering).”

Another was unsure she’d be able to keep her hair in good condition, and wrote: “I would have to shave mine off as it’s greasy everyday with it being so fine.”