Lets face it, we all love that feeling of jetting off to a hot new travel destination. But exciting air travel generally wreaks havoc with our skin. When it comes to dry air, the desert is nothing compared to the typical airplane cabin. With average humidity on a plane tanking to less than 20% (World Health Organization), is it any wonder that coming back from some winter sun leaves us with dry, dehydrated and lifeless skin?
Here are three tips to keep your skin supple whilst jetting off around the world:
1. Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate!
It’s boring, but its TRUE – hydration is key!! 60% of our body mass is made up of water and our skin cells literally cannot survive without it. In fact, water is used in almost every chemical reaction in our body. Water cannot be stored and has to be constantly replenished, so it is kind of a big deal to hydrate for our bodies to function! Add in the fact that the artificial atmosphere on planes suck the water from our bodies, means that without adequate hydration, your skin (depending on its type) has a recipe for disastrously dry, flaky or oily skin. Either way, its bad news!
In order for us to stay balanced, we need to be regularly sipping water on a flight. Unfortunately, swigging 1 mini cup of water with your meal just won’t cut it! According to Aerospace Medical Association you should be drinking 250ml of water every hour you’re in the air to prevent dehydration. That’s a glass of water an hour, so get prepared to take a LARGE bottle of water on board with you, and once its gone, ask the hostess to fill it up for you. We do this on EVERY flight – trust us, the crew are more than happy to oblige!
2. Stick to your routine
In general, try to keep your skincare routine the same as possible when travelling. We get it, it’s so much easier to go to the pharmacy and buy those cute travel sized products. We are drawn to these little colorful beauties, laid out in handy buckets; products that we never use on a daily basis, have no idea how our skin will react to and are FULL of questionable ingredients!
Decanting your go to clean beauty products into travel size containers is the way forward. It means you have your essentials on hand in the plane, products that you know work for your skin and that don’t contain all those nasties! It’s best to decant only what you need for the flight or trip, as products can spoil out of their containers. Some people even use contact lenses cases if you want just a small portion for quick access on your flight!
3. Keep it simple on board
Make up. Give the make up a rest on the flight (or take off your make up when you board). If you are prone to break outs, then it will be even more important. As water is zapped from your skin by the dry air, your skin will compensate by producing more oil. The combination of recycled air (possible bacteria); oily skin and layers of make up provides the perfect environment for clogged pores and some annoying pimples when you land.
Bedtime routine. Consider getting on the flight as though you are heading to bed (yes we also fully endorse pj’s on a flight too!). Get on the plane with clean, washed and WELL moisturized skin.
Essentials. Lastly, ALWAYS have your moisturizer (oil or lotion based) and lip balm on hand. These are our no.1 essentials for air travel and should be the minimum you have to hand on your flight. Top up both up when you feel the need (we recommend every couple of hours) and your skin will thank you!
Lucy and Sabrina xx
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