How many days is it til move-in? Have you done all your shopping? You probably procured a long list of essentials (and hopefully consulted Her Campus for some insider tips of what to bring and what not to bring! And checked our list of things no one else will tell you to bring but we know to be super important!) but make time to pack three more things I think are pretty helpful in college.
1. A sleep mask.
What’s that you say? You’ve never worn a sleep mask before in your life and they are just for characters in television shows and movies? OK maybe that was just me making a sly reference to Disney Channel’s original movie, Get a Clue in which Lindsay Lohan (pre-jail/rehab) and Brenda Song both rock a sleep mask. But had someone told me to bring this to college I would have been like ‘I sleep like a rock. But thanks for your help [not].’
Anyway fun story: My very obnoxious roommate from freshman year was an art student and, much to my delight, loved painting late at night. Strangely she just had to shine her light pretty much directly into my eyes. I came home and my friend’s mom heard me complaining. Her solution? Giving me a face mask I laughed off.
I sloooowly began using it when roommate dearest would shine her light. By sophomore year I was using it for naps and nights when my roommate went to sleep after me. Now, I am hooked and a night without a sleep mask is ROUGH.
Spa Sister makes really cute sleep masks I like a lot for a few reasons…
1. The elastic band is very small, so my hair doesn’t get squished and it’s not uncomfortable.
2. It stays on all night. A lot of sleep masks I’ve used end up under my bed or lost in my sheets by morning when the light is brightest β this one didn’t!
3. It’s made of a comfortable satin-y material that doesn’t iritate at all.
You may think dorm life will be a non-stop blast and you can sleep with the light on and take a nap in the blaring sunlight. You might very well be wrong. Consider this minimal investment.
2. A shower cap
Washing your hair=good. I’m in no way advocating the end of clean hair. What I am advocating is getting a nice shower cap β not the kind you get for free at a hotel β for days when you feel sweaty after class, for cold days when you want a hot shower (and if were home, would be craving a bath), and for days when you’re in such a rush that you don’t have time to wash and dry your hair.
This shower cap from Spa Sister is great because it has two layers, a cute design (takes away from the dowdy reputation of shower caps), and is HC Approved tested to keep water away from your locks ).
3. Exfoliating Gloves
College is not the cleanest place on earth, so scrubbing your body will become even more important than it already is. Loofah’s are a little gross and attractive to bacteria unless you can wash them regularly in a dishwasher. Plus, they also take up valuable space in your shower caddy. Exfoliating gloves, like the ones Spa Sister has, are smaller, easier to clean, and because you actually put them on, they won’t fall onto the gross communal shower floor.
So before you and your parents load up the car to move in at the end of the month, pick up these products!
Sleep mask, $6; Shower cap, $12.99 (or 1-layer for $4.99 [I recommend spending a little extra to avoid mid-year replacements…]; Exfoliating gloves, $5.
P.S. β Don’t forget the shower shoes!