It’s no secret that keeping your skin healthy while traveling can be a challenge.
Being in a new place in and of itself is stressful and automatically makes you more susceptible to varying environmental factors (climate, pollution, etc.) that negatively impact your skin. And that’s ignoring the time spent flying at 30,000 feet in a literal tube of recycled, dry air that makes you more susceptible to dehydration, eye bags and acne.
Long story short, your skin suffers big time during travel.
As someone who has struggled with breakouts and dry skin my entire life, paying attention to and taking care of my skin while traveling is extra important for me. I’ve tried a wide range of healthy skin methodologies, and have narrowed down my top tips and products for you to maintain healthy skin while on the road:
Keep moisturized
If you’re going to follow just one tip in this post, let it be this one! It’s so straight-forward. When traveling, make it a priority to moisturize your skin. It will keep it hydrated and therefore, make you less likely to encounter an ugly breakout.
If you want a straight-forward, yet effective moisturizer, try out Clinique’s Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate. It’s under three ounces, so it’s the perfect size to bring onboard with you and to apply a few times throughout the flight. It provides the perfect boost of moisture that your skin so desperately needs while 30,000 feet in the sky.
If you want a moisturizer with an additional benefit, try InstaNatural’s Retinol Moisturizer. Not only does it leave your skin incredibly moisturized, but the Retinol (Vitamin A) works to even your skin tone, prevent acne and fade dark spots. Perfect two-in-one.
Give your skin the R&R it deserves
After a long day of air travel, it’s become a bit of a ritual for me to give my skin the celebrity treatment with an indulgent face mask. Think: hotel room, PJ set, book (or Netflix ;)) and face mask.
Heaven.
My absolute favorite face mask right now is the new peel-off masks from Elvis and Elvin. I love that you “create” the mask yourself by mixing the gel and activator together. I love the insane amount of moisture this mask delivers and the ease (and total lack of pain) of removing the sheet mask after the 15-20 minutes are up.
They come in two colors and formulas – black and white.
If you’re looking for a sheet mask with a lower price point, I love, use and recommend either the Sephora brand sheet masks or the Karuna Skin face masks.
Did you think I was kidding about the PJ set and face mask ritual?
Look alive
Fake it ’till you make it. Even if you don’t feel alive and awake, there are a few products that will make you look the part.
On an ongoing basis, use InstaNatural’s Eye Serum. I have used this product morning and night for months now and have noticed a considerable difference in my frustratingly persistent eye bags and dark circles. Beyond the effectiveness of InstaNatural’s products, you can also feel confident knowing the ingredients are completely natural.
But sometimes during travel, you need to stage a bit more of a serious attack on those bags. For that, I recommend Clinique Pep Start (apply morning and night) and bosce Brightening Hydrogel Eye Masks (use every other day).
Treat acne effectively
Whenever your skin is dry, it overproduces oil, which results in acne. Thus why acne is so much more common to arise when traveling.
Here’s my secret to stopping pimples in their track:
When I land and go to sleep the night after flying, I use a Q-Tip to apply a small dot of Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion directly on the problem spot(s). And not an exaggeration… When I wake up the next morning, 9 times out of 10, the spot will be completely gone or significantly healed.
I don’t know what is in this miracle product, but it sucks out all of those bad oils, heals you overnight and gets you ready for a full day of exploration! A total godsend.
Keep your body healthy
It’s a proven fact that how you treat your body is reflected right on your face.
If you feed your body sugar, carbs and dairy all day, you can be sure that your skin will show it. Same goes if you don’t drink enough water or never work out.
To ensure that your skin is reflecting only goodness, try to get some sort of workout in when you’re traveling. Whether that’s wandering the streets of Europe for hours or actually hitting the gym in your hotel, exercise is a great way to keep healthy.
Trust me, I know it’s hard not to indulge in empanadas in Mexico or pasta in Italy for every meal, but your body and skin will thank you for that mid-day salad with olive oil and vinegar. Try to eat at least one super clean, wholesome meal a day.
Drink a lot of water. Easy. Before any flight, buy a huge bottle of water at the airport and make it your goal to finish the entire bottle before landing. And when you’re at your destination and on the go, always have a full water bottle on you or use this handy re-usable one by Baiji.
I want to hear your tips and tricks! What do you do to keep your skin healthy while traveling?
xo,
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I’ve been more and more conscious about my skin once I hit my mid 20s. I especially became a huge skin care addict when we lived in Korea, I love finding new and different skin products to try, especially ones that are travel friendly! I will for sure be checking out that Clinique serum. WOW those masks were super pricey!
Thanks for the ideas. I’m going to try out a few, as I do notice that my skin feels so dry and fragile after I fly. I try and drink a lot of water and the plane, and limit myself to a glass of wine.
These are such great tips! I’m a BIG fan of Clinique when it comes to dry skin — I’ve used their famous yellow cream since I was little, and I always get the moisture surge samples when they have deals. Living in Korea, I feel like I always have a stock of face masks, so I usually put one on in the plane. I also love Glossier’s rosewater spray for a quick spritz when out. Agree with the workout advice too! I try to at least do something for 10-15 minutes (like a good Youtube workout video) or go on the elliptical or treadmill if the hotel has a gym. Heck even remember to do some squats or a plank before I hop in the shower makes me feel better.
So many great tips here Christina. When I travel I am always so lazy to go to the gym and end up not going :/ but I need to remember to drink lots of water!
I decided to buy Clinique’s Concentrate! I just have a question! Because I’m always very interested in how to use products properly) Can I use a cream after? Thanks.
These are really good tips! Listen to Christina, I take my Clinique’s Moisture Surge everywhere I go. It’s an amazing moisturizer.
Nice blog. Thank you for sharing this blog.