No Mini Shampoos in Hotels – Will Louisiana Ban Them Too?

Whether you stay at a casino resort near Shreveport and Bossier City or a cheap place to sleep between Natchitoches and Alexandria as travelers we have all come to count on there being a tiny bottle of shampoo in our hotel rooms when we spend the night. Often the "trial size" shampoos have an accompanying  tiny bottle of conditioner and maybe even some mouthwash or hand lotion.

For a lot of us we'll take these tiny bottles with us or maybe even ask for an extra from housekeeping just so we can have "cleaning supplies" that fall within the guidelines of the Transportation and Security Administrations rules. We are also "cheap" and figure we paid for those items and whether we actually used them or not, they are going to be added to our collection.

I have to admit in my travels through the years I have shampoos of varying "luxury" in a big Ziploc Bag in a drawer in my bathroom. I have shampoo I have pilfered from Disney Resorts, a hotel in Tahiti, a Days Inn in Jackson Mississippi, and countless other hotel and resort stays. I reach into this bag when I forget to purchase shampoo for the shower. Sometimes I forget for weeks at a time.

So, like you I was a bit dismayed to learn that these "freebies" will actually be banned in the state of New York beginning in January of 2025. The New York law that was signed earlier this week bans the mini plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion. and I would imagine mouthwash too from hotels with 50 rooms or more.

The aim of the legislation is to reduce waste and the law applies to containers that are 12 ounces or less. The law was originally supposed to go in to effect in 2023 but lobbyist were able to push that deadline back so hotel operators could "use up" the stock on hand of the small items. Hotel operators who run a location with less than 50 rooms will have until 2026 to comply with the law.

No, this doesn't mean an end to "on hand" body wash, shampoo, lotion, conditioner and other personal items. Hotels that wish to offer them will have to install dispensers that are mounted in the bathroom or shower areas. Many hotels in New York have already opted for the wall mounted dispensers but that begs this question.

Will Louisiana be next to ban the tiny travel size bottles?

As far as we know there is no pending legislation that would make that so. And based on the conversations that we have had with friends and family here along "the bayou" a lot of people don't seem to be motivated to end the practice of the small bottles.

I would think the "trial sizes" would be a great marketing tool for a company that is hoping to gain you as a customer. I know there are a lot of shampoos, soaps, conditioners, and mouthwashes I would have never been exposed to if they had not been made available at the hotel or resort we were staying.

But I also see and understand the concern that comes with an overabundance of tiny plastic bottles filling up landfills around the country and the world. That wouldn't be a good thing either, I wonder if "big shampoo" could come up with a paper container? Those seem to work for milk, juice, and other liquids, not so much for straws though.