One thing about hopping on a plane and heading to your long-awaited destination is that it can sometimes be hard to maintain healthy skin while traveling. With the dry, recycled air on the plane, weather change, new environment, food, stress, and other factors, it can cause your skin to have different reactions. And most of the time, it’s not always good. (And if you’re wondering, I have a blog post that also covers the question: Is An In-Flight Skincare Routine Really Necessary?) Vacation is supposed to be fun and relaxing, so you definitely don’t want to return home with breakouts and other adverse skin reactions or have to deal with it while on your trip.
Most times when I travel between Toronto and Miami in what seems like every other month or so, the climate is so different between the 2 that my skin gets oilier and breaks out a little more in Miami while in Toronto, my skin seems to be more stable. And when I go back and forth so often in a year, it’s hard to control the adverse effects of traveling between different climates. Then, it also takes time for my skin to recover between both places. The only thing I can do is my best to continue my skincare routine and manage any breakouts that happen while I’m away. Not to say it’s a lost cause, so here are 8 ways to help you maintain healthy skin while traveling and lessen the stress that travel can cause on your skin.
1 – Stay Hydrated
I will repeat this again and again – and it’s also a reminder to myself. Yes you can give your skin all the love in the world with skincare products but one of the most important things is how you take care of your body internally. Read my blog post on 8 Ways To Stay Hydrated For Great Skin While Traveling to make things easier for you because it isn’t always easy to lug around giant bottles of water throughout the day!
Staying hydrated also means moisturizing your skin – whether it’s your face or your body in order to avoid dryness, change in humidity and temperature. Of course it’s imperative to stay hydrated through drinking water, but you can also help your skin by using a good moisturizer or even face oil. Remember to get one that’s good for your skin type!
2 – Always Use Sunscreen
To protect you from the strong UV rays no matter where you are in the world, always use sunscreen to maintain healthy skin while traveling and when you’re at home! This includes the days when it’s cloudy or snowy out – don’t forget that UV rays easily go through clouds and snow reflects UV rays back to you. You can never be too safe from the sun unless it’s night time! Here’s A Guide To Sunscreen Use And Choosing The Safest One For You. Why safest? Because there can be different active ingredients that allows a sunscreen to protect you – and they’re not all good for you. You want to put the best ingredients in and on your body so getting high quality products are important.
3 – Use A Vitamin C Serum For Added Protection
To maintain healthy skin while traveling and protect you from new environmental stressors, you can use a Vitamin C serum for added protection before your sunscreen. Here’s A Guide To Vitamin C Serums And Why You Need It In Your Routine. When you’re traveling, you may encounter less than optimal conditions. Dirt and smog are pollutants that can be a factor when traveling to places like Asia or you can face extreme sun in more tropical places. Vitamin C helps protect your skin as it is a strong antioxidant and assists in repairing and healing damaged skin.
4 – Avoid Touching Your Face
It can be tempting to touch your face at times or pick at a spot, but avoid touching your face especially when traveling to maintain healthy skin! When moving around and going to different places constantly, it’s super easy to build up dirt under your nails as well as come into contact with bacteria that’s invisible to the eyes. Skin is sensitive and you want to avoid contact from additional germs and keep your face as clean as possible. I also find that the more you touch a blemish, the more irritated it gets, and the bigger it grows. Let your face heal on its own or apply a salicylic acid. You can also use a facial scrub a couple times a week during your vacation to give your skin an extra deep cleanse as well. Especially with the pandemic going on, we all know to keep our hands clean before touching anything else! Although it should have been a habit to keep prior to the pandemic, some people haven’t thought twice about it so it’s always a good reminder.
5 – Bring Your Own Pillowcase Or Traveling Blanket
I know a lot of people who like to bring their own pillowcases or bedsheets for their peace of mind when traveling. I myself prefer bringing a large traveling blanket that I can cover myself in as well as go over the hotel pillows. I do this specifically to make sure I have no irritation, especially on my face, and to give my skin a little more protection from unknown environments. For someone who travels so much, for some reason I have a fear of hotel beds and am always worried about how clean they are. I know bringing my own traveling fleece blanket has brought much more comfort to my sleep as well as my skin. One time in Vegas, my friend woke up what we think was bed bug bites all over her arms and I woke up with nothing on me since I was covered up. To be extra safe and to maintain healthy and clean skin while traveling, it’s a good option to consider especially if you have space in your luggage. This is a similar traveling blanket to the one I have and can double as a pillow or be used as a blanket.
6 – Pack Your Skincare And Makeup Products According To Your Travel Destination’s Climate
Always pack your own skincare and makeup products and take into consideration where you’re traveling to. Depending on the climate, you may want a lighter moisturizer or more matte makeup for more humid destinations to avoid breakouts and lasting power. For colder weather, you may want a heavier moisturizer or a more hydrating primer and foundation to combat dryness. Don’t forget these 7 Best Travel Beauty Hacks To Know Before Your Trip to make packing easier for you too.
7 – Avoid Using Hotel-Provided Toiletries
I would also highly recommend avoiding using hotel toiletries. I even bring my own shampoo and conditioner since they’re salon or professional haircare products. Hotel toiletries are only ever used in emergencies and they are also very generic and don’t always have the best ingredients. Unless you’re at a higher end hotel where they provide brands like Peter Thomas Roth or Bvlgari, I would use my own beauty products. Here’s What’s In My Travel Toiletry Bag if you need some ideas when packing your own!
8 – Stick As Closely As You Can To Your At Home Skincare Routine
Lastly, change as little as possible in your skincare routine and if you can, bring the beauty products you normally use in order to maintain healthy skin while traveling. You don’t want to bring more stress to your skin with adjusting to new products while being in a new environment. By sticking to your at home skincare routine, it provides your skin some stability and continue providing it the nourishment it is used to. Again, depending on the climate you’re traveling to, you can change your products slightly to adjust but I wouldn’t introduce a whole new skincare routine or completely new products since your skin is already going through enough changes when traveling.