Hotel Shampoo and Celebratory Jewelry

Written By Allie Perry July 19, 2024

You know those little shampoos and conditioners you get from hotels? The ones in scents you’d never choose and in sizes that are wildly insufficient if you have really long hair?

After using them on vacation, I always bring the extras home.

I’ll be the first to admit that I love a freebie. Free webinar to learn a new skill? Sign me up. Free sticker in the package with my online order? Hell yeah. Free sample of those new chicken nuggets at the store that I knew I wanted to try (but that I also knew I’d never spend money on trying because although I am willing to try any food once, I am fully aware that I‘m generally too picky to stray from my beloved dinosaur-shaped nuggets)? Don’t mind if I do. 

Grabbing those little private-label bottles isn’t really about scoring free stuff, though. It’s about bringing my vacation home with me and making it last just a little bit longer. It’s about using those shampoos and conditioners once I’m back home dealing with too many phone calls and emails, too much stress and no more sand between my toes, and having their distinct smells float my mind right back to my vacation, no matter how briefly.

Maybe it’s just my brain.  Like a toddler lacking object permanence, if something isn’t right in front of me it ceases to exist. That new notebook I bought with the buttery soft bright blue cover, irresistibly smooth dot grid pages, and lay flat binding? The one I absolutely had to have? I immediately filed it away in my stack of other (equally amazing but likely unused) notebooks, and when I find it in six weeks I’ll either be entirely convinced I never saw it before, or giddy that I found a new treat like some sort of self-hidden Easter egg.

I need reminders.  Visual, tactile bits of ephemera that spark my brain into remembering those simple joys in life. The little flower I’d plucked from my virgin strawberry daiquiri at that crazy, touristy theme bar we closed. The ticket stub from an outdoor concert where the super annoying girl next to us would NOT shut up the whole time and a thunderstorm rolled through and drenched us, but where I also ended up strumming the lead guitarist’s guitar while riding the rail at the front of the stage. Things that have zero intrinsic value, but are totally irreplaceable.

That’s what those shampoos are. Reminders, through scent, of a time or place I’d like to remember.

Jewelry can be your shampoo!

I know that sounds bonkers. Stick with me.

We’re all living in a “treat yourself” culture that encourages us to get ourselves a little treat for our accomplishments. Sometimes it’s the fancy drink at your favorite coffee shop, sometimes it’s two scoops instead of one of that amazing ice cream shop from the dairy farm. And don’t get me wrong, these creamy, frozen cookie dough treats are delightful! But they don’t last. They’re fleeting moments of joy that only momentarily fill the gaping hole created in our daily lives by our consumption-driven society.

I think we can do better.

Skip the instant gratification of the inexpensive treats and instead save those few extra dollars. Stick them in a jar. Put them in that cute little sparkly zippered bag you bought that doesn’t serve any real function. Whatever you do, save them up until you can treat yourself to something meaningful, lasting, and special; something that will serve as a reminder of how awesome you are, or how much you’ve accomplished.

Something like handmade jewelry!

Beat out an annoying, lunch-stealing coworker for that promotion? Treat yourself to a new necklace to wear to work.

Finally finish writing that book you’ve wanted to write since high school but perpetually put off because there were always other more “important” things to do? Time for a new ring that you can gleefully stare at the next time you’re clicking away at your keyboard!

Run your first 5K without passing out or throwing up? I think stud earrings are in order! You can wear them to help you get through that next holiday-themed road race you tackle…I’m sure they’ll go great with the sponsor-emblazoned t-shirt you get with your registration.

Either way, your jewelry collection will not only be an assortment of beautiful items that bring you joy- it will be a physical collection of your successes. An opportunity for you to open your jewelry box, be reminded of how far you’ve come, and be inspired to go even further.

It probably won’t smell as good as hotel shampoo, but hey- nothing’s perfect. 😉 

Ready to choose the celebration of your next accomplishment? Check out the handmade, one-of-a-kind jewelry at allieperrydesigns.com!