Jetset Your Way Into Healthy Skin: An In Flight Skincare Guide

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Traveling around the world is great, but long flights that leave you with haggard skin? Eh, not so much. Stepping off a long flight looking flawless, unless you’re an idol, is pretty much an unattainable feat. I mean, not only does it mess with your sleep cycle, but the stale atmosphere in airplanes completely stressed your skin. Through many experiences in the past (thank God I wasn’t around any mirrors), I’ve learned that looking as fresh as a daisy doesn’t require the right BB cream or concealer, but much rather giving your skin the ammunition it needs to defend itself against those pesky long flights.

Due to the contained nature of an airplane, the humidity levels inside can be as low as 10% to 15%. You don’t need to be a scientist to recognize that that’s incredibly dry, but just for reference, that’s about three times drier than the Sahara desert! On an average 10-hour flight, men can lose approximately two liters of water from their body while women can lose around 1.6 liters. That might not seem like too much, but even a 1% decrease in hydration levels can have a affect your physical and mental health significantly. And when in a breeding ground of germs, this might not be very ideal.

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The main answer to this is to stay clean and hydrated. That obviously means internally hydrating yourself twice as much as usual, even if that means tackling your worst nightmare: airplane bathrooms. You also need to take time to give your skin the pampering it needs to prevent it from succumbing to the effects of the air. If you’re an avid beauty lover, or even if you’ve been on social media in the past year, you must have noticed the plethora of beauty experts sharing their in flight care. While that did seem a slight bit excessive to me in the past, epiphany struck, and my foolish ways have since been corrected. Hopefully after reading this, you will too. We’ve compiled a short list of steps you can take to keep your skin clean and hydrated with little to no effort at all.

Step One: Cleansing

If you’re part of the rare breed that aren’t averse to airplane bathrooms, you can go for a gentle cleanser to wash off your makeup and the existing dirt on your face. A cleanser I would highly recommend for that would be the COSrx Good Morning Gentle Face Cleanser. If there was ever a product I’d recommend without any hesitation, it’s this one. Not only does it manage to work its magic as a cleanser perfectly, it does so without stripping your skin of any moisture whatsoever. And as we’ve already established multiple times, retaining moisture is key. However, if you’re a part of the majority of the population, there is another, much simpler, yet effective, way to achieve that.

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The answer to that being: cleansing wipes. The perfect go-to, especially in times like this, are the Skinfood Brown Rice Cleansing Tissues. One thing to avoid, especially when you’re looking to hydrate your skin, are “refreshing” cleansing tissues with a lot of alcohol in them. Not only is that a waste of product, since it just ends up evaporating almost as soon as you use it, it also ends up not getting soaked into your skin and drying it out even further. These oil based cleaning wipes remove even the most stubborn makeup with a gentle swipe on the skin. An added benefit is that the brown rice extract is rich in antioxidants that soak into your skin and leave you feeling smooth and actually refreshed.

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Step Two: Masking

If you’re no stranger to the beauty realms of Instagram, you may have noticed the growing trend of airplane sheet masking. Masks are a really effective way to give your skin targeted care, and they are quite easy to pack along for the flight too! Masks like the Dr. Jart Soothing Hydrating Mask effectively deliver moisture and adhere to your skin really well. I personally do not like to use sheet masks on flights because I find it to be quite a messy affair, and of course that always becomes a point of conversation … which isn’t something I’m looking for on a long flight.

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An alternative to the sheet mask is sleeping masks. When generously lathered on after your moisturizer, I feel that it retains hydration as well as gives your skin different added benefits. A good choice here would be the Innisfree Aloe Revital Sleeping Pack, which also tends to be quite soothing thanks to its main ingredient: aloe vera.

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Step Three: Misting

A product I always carry with me without fail, mists are a great source of bursts of moisture over the course of a day. Proving to be quite flexible, mists can be used before a moisturizer and almost any time you feel like your skin needs a little pick me up in fact. Spraying a hydrating mist after your mask will seal the goodness of the mask into your skin, as well as give your skin an extra surge of moisture. Something like the Whamisa Organic Flowers Damask Rose Petal Mist is a really good option for when your skin feels dehydrated. With its lack of water as an ingredient, it gives the other ingredients like flower extracts a chance to shine. Give your face a little spritz after your mask, and bask in its refreshing feeling.

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Step Four: Moisturizing

Last, but definitely not least, is moisturizing. Regardless of whether you have dry skin or normal skin, your skin can get dehydrated, which means that your protective barrier weakens, leading to all sorts of skin issues. This is exactly what makes moisturizing a crucial step. When you’re in an environment like an airplane, where you are exposed to dry air and germs, I would suggest to keep your moisturizer as minimal as possible. And by that I mean one that is to the point, and not just a scented excuse of a moisturizer. You want something that is slightly heavy, but not to the point where it just smothers your pores and leaves you feeling sticky. In this case I would recommend the COSrx Oil Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion. In its emulsion form, the lotion tends to soak into the skin instead of settling on the surface. Furthermore, the fact that birch sap replaces water in the product is even better since it actually works on hydrating your skin and doesn’t just evaporate as soon as it’s applied. You can always apply a more heavy duty cream on top, but for me, I find that this leaves me feeling moisturized without being too greasy at all.

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You can always add steps of your own to the routine, whatever feels most right for you. But I find that as soon as I get on a flight, I’m ready to eat, watch a movie, and sleep. These few steps are so quick and easy, that it doesn’t take much to go through the routine and leaves me feeling cleaner and more comfortable after. So when you get on that flight to that long beach holiday destination you’ve been counting down until, right before you pop a movie on, take some time to give your skin the love it needs. Not only will this put you in an even more relaxed mood, you’ll step off that plane giving the sun a run for its money with that glow.