When we travel it can be really easy to get out of your skincare routine. And that alone can wreak havoc on your skin. On top of that, there’s also the change in climate, the dry air in airplanes, and change in eating and drinking. When thinking about how to maintain perfect skin when traveling, here are some of my best travel skincare routine tips. Taking care of your skin when you travel can help maintain glowing skin, avoid breakouts and help maintain happy skin.
How To Take Care Of Your Skin When You Travel
Bring Your Usual Products
Now is not really the time to try a new product, or switch up your skincare routine while traveling. Skin can freak out when you change some of your products drastically, so keep it simple and keep it consistent. My travel skincare routine looks pretty much the same as my at-home routine. Cleanse, tone, serums, moisturizers and SPF. I may swap out my current serum for a different one based on the climate, but I stick to the routine regardless!
Tailor To The Climate You’re Visiting
When you pack your usual skincare products, also keep in mind the climate you’re visiting. If you’re currently in the winter months back home using your winter routine which might be way more hydrating but heading to a tropical destination, you’ll want to pack the things you find yourself using when you’re in the summer months. For me, as an oily person, that means my exfoliating toner, and exfoliating face wash. Since the change can be drastic, I still bring my gentle cleanser to rotate in and resort back to if the exfoliating is too much at once.
Always Pack Your Gentle Stuff
A gentle cleanser, gentle moisturizer and so on. Skin can easily go haywire, so having your back-to-basics gentle products (and yes you should really have some of these in your medicine cabinet ready to go) should be packed. This can be as simple as your CeraVe face wash from the drug store. Sometimes simple is best. While I try to mimic my same routine at home, having your most gentle stuff on hand can really help in case your skin starts to freak out.
Leave The Strong Acids And Retinols At Home
I promise it won’t hurt to take a week off of your retinol. And your skin will likely thank you for it. Travel will be hard on your skin and adding in a retinol can make it harder to combat fluctuating skin situations. You know your skin best though, if you feel like you can get away with it (I feel like I usually can if I’m going somewhere with a similar climate) then bring it. But just be cautious and maybe use it every other day instead of nightly.
Pack Your Zit Patches
Zit patches have quickly become a popular beauty and skincare secret! I love these for when a new zit is coming up. It tends to really speed things up, or keep them from becoming a bigger issue. I now always pack a few zit patches to make sure I’m on top of any new breakouts while I’m traveling.
Stay Hydrated
Not only will your skin probably need lots of hydration from the travel and change of weather, but also your body. Drink water so you can hydrate your skin and body from within.
Wear Your SPF
Doesn’t matter where you’re heading, always pack your SPF. And yes, you should be wearing your SPF on travel days. Just because you’re in an airport and on an airplane, doesn’t mean you can skip the SPF. Lots of windows everywhere which means UVA is hitting your skin at some point. When I travel, I also always bring a little SPF in my personal bag for days I’m out and about. I really love my Supergoop! Invincible SPF powder to easily reapply throughout the day easily over my makeup. I also love this product because you can apply it to your part, your shoulders, and your face. It really can save your skin in a pinch from getting burnt.
Bring A Moisturizing Mask Or Cream
Because travel can really dry out your skin, the one thing I would add in maybe at the end of your trip or on your travel day, is a moisturizing mask or cream. Doing a little bit of skincare for travel days like a hydrating moisturizer, and a good lip ointment can help combat that dry airplane air. And yes, some of us do have an airplane skincare routine! I always avoid wearing makeup on the airplane, especially on long haul flights. Instead, I slather on a hydrating serum and moisturizer along with my SPF. And don’t forget to hydrate your lips! Aquaphor and vaseline are great for locking in moisture and creating a good barrier for the skin.
Post Travel Skincare
When I return from a trip, I definitely notice that my skin has taken a beating. This is usually because I’m out in the sun, or I’m out in the elements more. I also tend to wear way more makeup when I’m traveling versus my more minimal routine back home for day to day living. So when I get back from a trip, I definitely have a post-vacation skincare routine. Again, back to basics. If your skin has freaked out a bit from the travel, the food, the makeup, keep your skincare and beauty routine more simple and gentle.
I also like to do a mask depending on what is going on with my skin. If I notice my pores are full of gunk from all the makeup and products, I’ll do a good exfoliating mask like this one or a charcoal one. And if I just spent a week in the sun and got a little bit (okay or a lot of) color, I’ll definitely lean into hydrating ingredients for my post travel skincare routine. A good hydrating moisturizing mask, lots of hydrating serums and moisturizers too will all bring my skin back to life and prevent peeling from being in the sun.
