Between the stress of traveling and the dry, recycled air in the plane, my skin’s always a little worse for wear by the end of a long-haul flight. My face is usually tight and dry, yet somehow feels super oily and I almost always break out. To top it all off, I’m tired and my eyes are itchy. Super cute, I know. Over the years, I’ve figured out a travel skincare routine that helps combat what I like to call “plane face.” When I follow this skincare routine, my face feels much better after long flights and I don’t break out as much. If you’ve also been a victim of plane face, hopefully my travel skincare routine helps you find a few fixes for your own skin woes.
Cleanse Your Face Before and After Flights
Before long flights, I cleanse my skin just like I do before I go to bed. I prefer using an exfoliating cleanser before flights, and a gentler cleanser after flights (this is just what my skin responds best to!). I also try to avoid touching my face during flights so that I don’t transfer any nasty plane germs onto my skin. Cleansing your skin pre- and post-flight will remove any gunk that’s built up during your travels and will help your skin reset itself once you’ve landed.
Products I use: St. Ive’s Apricot Scrub (pre-flight), Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser (post-flight)
Don’t Wear Any Makeup
When I board a plane, there’s not a stich of makeup on me, other than some lip balm. Wearing makeup on a plane makes me break out, and it usually bunches up in weird places. Eye makeup in particular irritates my contacts when I’m on planes, so mascara is definitely out of the question. If I need to have my game face on when I land, I’ll pack some concealer and powder in my carry-on and apply it just before we land.
Use Face Oils to Combat Dryness
Rosehip oil has completely changed my face. My skin is sensitive and quite dry normally, and on planes it feels like every ounce of moisture gets sucked out of my face. Rosehip oil is very moisturizing, and I like to apply it on my face and neck before long flights. I typically apply rosehip oil under my regular moisturizer, but if you don’t suffer from dry skin you’d probably be okay using just the oil. Rosehip oil is packed with beta carotene and vitamins C and E, which help fight free radicals. My acne scars also fade quicker when I consistently use rosehip oil, which is a major plus.
You can use any face oil you like before traveling, but I’ve found that keeping my routine super simple works best for me.
Products I use: Aura Cacia Organic Rosehip Oil
Apply Eye Cream Before Boarding
Eye cream sounds super bougie, but it’s SO IMPORTANT to take care of your under eye area. This is a really sensitive part of your face that can dry out easily, so I always make sure to slather on some eye cream before long flights. I use the same eye cream I use before bed and carry it in my carry-on in case I feel like adding more mid-flight (I usually don’t need to, but I like to have it just in case!). Again, I also try not to touch my face on flights, which includes rubbing my eyes.
Products I use: Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye Cream
Drink Lots of Water
This isn’t specifically skincare related, but I chug a lot of water on planes. I always fill a reusable water bottle before boarding and try and get through a few bottles during the flight. Yes, I pee a lot on flights, but I’ve noticed that my skin is less puffy when I drink lots of water and I don’t feel as tired if I stay hydrated.
I know it seems like there are a lot of steps to my travel skincare routine, but when I actually cleanse my face, apply my various moisturizers, etc in the airport bathroom it takes me a grand total of five minutes to do it all. I’m pretty low-maintenance when it comes to makeup and skincare, and I prefer to invest in a few key items rather than mess around with lots of eye masks, serums, and things like that.
Tell me: What’s one thing you do to prep for a long flight?
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