How to Select the Right Hygiene Kit for Your Needs

There are LOT of vendors selling hygiene kits.  Feel lost about the number and types of kits out there?  We decided to take a closer look, comparing a selection of kits to understand how much of a difference there really is.   Because the contents of kits can change at a moment’s notice, we cannot guarantee the contents of each kit when you read this, so we decided not to disclose the actual names of the vendors or kits.  Also, note that this analysis was mostly completed by reviewing online descriptions of kits – we have some kit samples, but not all 13.   Our goal for this analysis is to provide you with a view of the breadth and depth of offerings out there – and also provide some suggestions based on what we’ve found.

We selected 5 vendors and 13 hygiene kits ranging from $1.25 to $7.50 per kit (price before shipping).  Generally, these kits are sold in cases and/or have minimum order amounts (for example, 25 or 50 kits).  There were between 8 and 17 items in each kit, and many of these kits were tailored to men, women, or children.  We grouped our findings into 3 categories.

Least Expensive Kits ($1-2/Kit):

• We reviewed 3 hygiene kits in the $1-2 range, each with 8 or 10 items per kit (including the plastic zip bag).
• These kits focused on the basics – shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, comb, and shaving gel/cream – held together by a plastic zip bag. However, the size of these supplies was pretty small (packets or less than an ounce each).
• Below is a breakdown of the contents in these kits:

Medium Priced Kits ($2-4/Kit):

• Five kits in this price range were evaluated. Three of these kits were tailored to a specific audience (men, women, children), and the remaining two were unisex kits.
• There were 8-10 items per kit. As expected, the main difference were the larger size supplies (for example, 2 oz. of shampoo) and the addition of an “amenity” such as a bottle of lotion or a toothbrush cap.
• Below is a breakdown of the contents in these kits:

Most Expensive Kit ($5-8/Kit):

• There were five kits reviewed in this price range, each with 12-17 items per kit. Most of these were tailored to a specific type of individual (child, man, woman).
• The sizes of the supplies were the largest of the 3 groupings – with 4 oz shampoo in the low end of this range to 8 oz shampoo at the high end. The bars of soap ranged from 3.2 oz o 4.75 oz.
• Each of these kits had more amenities, such as a wash cloth, pocket tissue, toothbrush holders, and/or soap boxes. The bags were also higher quality – resealable/nylon bags instead of just a zip lock bag.
• Below is a breakdown of the contents in these kits:

Recommendations

As you can see, there is a wide range of price points and contents for off-the-shelf hygiene kits.  Below are our recommendations for selecting hygiene kits for your clients:

• Not surprisingly, your specific scenario and needs will dictate much of your decision making. Some factors include:
  • Who are the hygiene kits going to? Men, women, and children have different needs – so you will need to pick the kit with the right set of supplies for your segment.  Beyond age and gender, though, there may be additional considerations for your client population.    For example, we worked on an online drive where the kits were going to incarcerated youth – so they needed a kit without razors.
  • How will the hygiene supplies be used by your clients? How long do you want the supplies to last?  The lowest cost hygiene kits provide packets that may only be used once or at most two times.  Target larger sizes the longer you think the supplies will be needed.
  • How will the kits be transported and/or delivered? One organization was shipping kits to the Caribbean – since they were being transported by boat, their kits could include shaving gel but not cream.  Once the kits arrive, there may be additional considerations – like whether the clients will be coming to pick up the supplies, or if volunteers will be walking the streets to deliver.  You may want to consider the weight and bulkiness of the kits in this scenario.
• Budget is another key factor. More comprehensive kits are more expensive – you pay more for the additional items. We capped our analysis at $8 per kit, but there were plenty of kits above $8 with more items.  It’s important to understand what your minimum hygiene requirements in order to identify a set of options, and then compare prices.  However, the lowest price doesn’t always mean the best fit – take a careful look at the sizes of the items to make sure you provide enough of what is needed.
• When looking at a specific kit, the most important factor is the actual list of contents. Most of the kits all had exactly the same brand products – Fresh Scent products were in almost all the kits.  So if the brand of the supplies are the same, verify the sizes of the supplies provided and focus on the non-core items – for example, the quality (thickness) or the washcloth, which amenities are included (lip balm, dental floss or lotion?) and the total number of items provided.
• Don’t see exactly what you’re looking for? Many vendors offer the option to create custom hygiene kits for your specific needs.  These may incur a service charge, or the service may be included with the cost of the items.  But there almost always is a minimum purchase amount to make this option worth the vendor’s time.

Every situation is a little different, so it’s difficult to make specific recommendations that apply to everyone.  Nevertheless, we hope that this review provides you with a basic understanding of what’s available in the marketplace.  For specific questions, or suggestions for your scenario, reach out to us at hello@roonga.com.