There are some items a woman simply can’t leave the house without. And while the contents of our handbags may change ever so slightly with each different stage of our lives, there will always remain those trusty handbag essentials that every girl needs.
Here’s my list of the 10 essential handbag items that I just couldn’t do without:
1. Period Products
There’s nothing worse than getting caught out by a period you weren’t expecting. You could be as regular as clockwork, but from my own personal experience I know how sometimes it likes to take you completely unawares. So, you gotta be prepared!
Keep a small make up bag in your handbag and fill it with all of your essential period products. Tampons, sanitary towels, moon cup, period pants, wipes, whatever your period product of choice is, whack it in there and be safe in the knowledge that you’ll never be caught out again.
2. Fast-Acting Pain Relief
When you’re a girl on the go you can’t afford to be held back by niggly aches and pains. Whether it’s a headache, period pain, or you’ve gone too hard at it at the gym, it’s important to take some control back by ensuring you have some fast-acting pain relief stashed away in that handbag of yours.
Paingone is perfect for when you want something portable and small enough to fit into your handbag without taking up too much valuable space (I mean there are 9 other handbag essentials to fit in there too!) and even better it’s totally drug free. I don’t know about you lot, but I like to keep my paracetamol and ibuprofen intake low and keep things as au naturel as possible.
3. Hand Sanitiser
Covid restrictions may now have eased, but I have a feeling we’re all going to be using hand sanitiser for some time to come. This handbag essential ain’t going nowhere!
More than anything I think covid highlighted just how many germs are out there. I never used to question using a supermarket trolley, or door handles, but when you stop and think about how many people have touched these things, and let’s face it not everyone has the same hygiene standards, well yeah I am all for continuing hand sanitising.
Most public places still supply hand sanitiser for their customers to use, but the quality of hand sanitiser can be very hit and miss. Keep a bottle of your favourite scented hand sanitiser in your bag so that you don’t have to use a product that is too sticky or dries your hands out too much.
4. Hand Cream
Talking of which, what with all this hand sanitising, combined with the cold winter weather, our poor hands are really suffering. The one thing every woman needs in her handbag, particularly at this time of year, is a good quality hand cream.
Choose a hand cream that is suitable for your skin. Natural ingredients are always best and try to also buy products that are organic, ethically sourced and sustainable so that you can help the planet as well as your hands.
5. Reusable Face Mask
The rules for having to legally wear face masks inside public shared spaces have now been scrapped. However, despite this being the case, it is highly likely that many people will continue to wear them for the time being.
Plus, as we all know, these rules and restrictions can change at the drop of a hat, so it’s always best to channel our inner Brownie, and be prepared by having a reusable face mask safely tucked away in our handbags.
6. Lip Balm
Chapped, sore lips are commonplace at this time of year and the only thing you can do to either prevent them from getting in this state, or to help soothe them if they’re too far gone, is by lathering them in lovely lip balm.
Make sure you buy a new lip balm every year, especially if it is a lipstick style one that you apply directly to the lips, as they can harbour all kinds of bacteria. In fact, I like to buy a few of them so that I can keep one in in my handbag, one on my bedside table, and one in various coat pockets. In my opinion a girl can never have too many lip balms!
7. Crystal Water Bottle
Now this one will depend on the size of your handbag, but if you’re a lover of a large tote then this is one handbag essential you definitely can’t live without.
We all know how important it is to stay hydrated, and I’m sure many of you already carry a water bottle around with you in a bid to reach your daily water target. But I want to take it to the next level, which is why I am all over these water bottles that I’ve seen that contain a crystal in the centre of them for extra added health and wellness benefits. Aside from the fact they look all kinds of pretty, the crystal releases its accumulated energy into your water. Thus, when you drink your crystal infused water you also take in the given energies of that crystal.
The choice of crystal is up to you of course. Perhaps you’d like to lower your stress levels in which case go for something like Amethyst or Black Tourmaline. Or maybe you’d like to improve your creativity, in which case opt for Citrine or Aquamarine. There is a crystal for everything, so do a little research and choose the one that feels right for you.
8. Reusable Bag
We’re all so much better at making environmentally friendly choices and have long been using reusable bags for our shopping. So, this handbag item probably won’t come as too much of a surprise. But to take it next level eco warrior it’s all about choosing bags that aren’t just reusable, but that are also either made from recycled materials or that are biodegradable when they reach the end of their lifespan.
Look out for bags made of modern materials, such as plant starch, that are compostable. Or if you prefer a sturdier bag, opt for organic cotton, that can also be washed if it gets dirty, and used time and time again. If you’re a bit handy with a sewing machine you could even have a go at making yourself a reusable bag out of any old clothes you no longer wear.
9. Aromatherapy Pulse Point Oil
We all like to smell nice, right? But what if you could smell nice and feel good both at the same time? See, it’s easy to bung a sample bottle of perfume in your bag, but after the couple of years we’ve all just had I reckon we could do with utilising the power of aromatherapy with a pulse point oil.
You can find them online or in independent specialist stores, I know we’ve got tonnes of shops that sell these in my local hometown. And the idea is you roll them on your pulse points whenever you feel the need. For example, if you’re feeling a little stressed it would be wise to look out for an oil like frankincense of clary sage, which have properties proven to ease stress and anxiety. By applying the oil to your pulse points, either your wrists or neck, it means it gets into your bloodstream quicker as the blow flows closest to the skin at these points. And that means you feel the benefits super, super quickly.
10. Positive Affirmations
Every woman needs their own cheerleader for those feel good self-love vibes. I love reading positive affirmations to help lift my mood and empower me throughout the day, so how about filling your handbag with little words of cheer, to make you smile every time you go rooting around in there.
It goes without saying that your handbag will contain your keys and phone, I mean no one goes anywhere without those handbag essentials do they, but how about accessorizing them with a positive message keyring or an empowering quote phone case. By sending ourselves these little messages every now and again, it helps motivate us and instil a sense of self-worth, which is something we could all benefit more from.
What Would You List As Your Handbag Essentials?
There you have it. My 10 handbag essentials that I reckon every woman should be carrying around with her in 2022. I’m interested to hear what you would add to the list if I haven’t mentioned it above. So please leave me a comment below or share your thoughts on my socials:
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Author Bio
Becky Stafferton is a content creator, full time procrastinator and mum of 2 kids and 1 aggy cockapoo. She tries to promote a realistic, sustainable and positive image of how to lead a healthy life, whilst also maintaining the fact that life ain’t all fluffy clouds and rainbows. When she’s not writing or sitting on her arse scrolling through social media, she can be found running through muddy puddles, making lists of lists, having a good old moan, doing random Google searches and squatting like her life depends on it.