6 Tips to Keep Your Skin Protected and Thriving While Travelling

Travelling takes a toll on the skin, especially with the varying climates that it has to deal with alongside exhaustion due to lack of sleep and proper diet. Taking care of your skin should be prioritized despite the packed schedule that you have. It is a no-no to leave your skincare products to save luggage space if you don’t want your skin to be damaged as you enjoy your trip. 

You might also want to consider shifting to organic skincare which is gentler and makes you more conscious about the chemicals you put on your face. After all, you’d like to maintain its fresh and nice look for a long time. Read on to find out some tips on how to keep your skin healthy when you’re pressed for time during your travels. 

Plan and Pack Your Skincare Essentials

Luggage is a common problem for travellers, whether you’re checking-in a suitcase or bringing a carry-on. There are still weight limits on all flights, and bringing a 250mL bottle of moisturizer for a two-week trip isn’t very convenient. You may want to look into investing in a few light and small containers to transfer your skincare essentials in for your travels. I managed to find a number of little bottles with various dispensers and labels at the dollar store, and kept reusable containers that I had from mini skincare samples. This way, I didn’t have to worry about bringing full-sized bottles of skincare products that unnecessarily took up way too much weight and space.

Carefully pick what you truly need to bring, considering their ingredients and impact on your skin based on factors such as the weather. Some of the products you can include are moisturizer, cleanser, sunscreen, eye cream, masks, and an SPF lip balm among other things. 

Also, you can pack period underwear which would be much less of a hassle when you’re on your cycle. This also makes you a more eco-friendly traveller since you would not need to dispose of sanitary pads which take years to decompose. In today’s age, everyone should be more cognizant of their impact on the environment and think of sustainability practices they can stick with especially when they travel to different places. 

Detox and Stay Hydrated

Aside from the necessary skin products, keep your skin hydrated by carrying a water bottle with you that you can simply refill every time you get back to your home base on your travels. You expel way more water when you’re on the move when travelling than you typically do at home, so be conservative with how much water you should have on you when you’re on the go. Eating nutritious food to maintain healthy skin is also a must. You can consider walnuts, sweet potatoes, broccoli, etc. which are all good for the skin. 

You can also consider fixing yourself a healthy smoothie such as an avocado shake since avocados are rich in vitamin E and have compounds that may help protect your skin from sun damage. Another way to detoxify the body is by drinking a glass of lemon water every morning and avoiding any fizzy and sugary drinks. 

Don’t Skip Moisturizing

This is perhaps the most important tip of all because it’s crucial to moisturize the skin to prevent unwanted breakouts. Look for the moisturizer that best fits your skin. When you do have acne during your trip, treat it carefully by applying a small amount of lotion on the spot and letting it heal. Even when in places with humid weather, you may think “I can skip my moisturizer for today,” but the more your face secretes oil, the more it’s telling you it needs a moisturizer.

I found that having a really good chemical exfoliant, such as an AHA or BHA toner – like The Ordinary’s Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toning Solution – is necessary to keep any breakouts at bay. I spritz my toner on nightly before laying my moisturizer on. This also acts as a facial mist which helps address the negative effects of change in climate and other activities on the skin.

Protect Your Eyes

You should not exclude eye serums in your skincare routine. They are great around the eyes and prevent your eyes from appearing all tired and puffy. The skin around the eyes is the thinnest part on your face and requires special attention to avoid signs of aging. Since eyes dry out as well due to lack of rest and outdoor environments, consider bringing eye drops to be prepared for such instances. Using them can calm your irritated eyes and let you experience a soothing effect. 

Wear Sunscreen

It is no secret that long exposures to the sun can accelerate aging aside from damaging your skin. Therefore, you must make sure you have sunscreen with you every time you travel. It prevents your skin from drying out, helps you not to end up having uneven skin tone and reduces your chance of getting premature wrinkles. Of course, there’s the obvious reduction of risk of skin cancer as well that those darn UV rays can cause.

Keep a sunscreen that is at least SPF 30 (preferably SPF 50) for enough protection and make sure it feels light on your skin. Be on the lookout for sunscreens that protect against UVA rays as well – they’ll be marked with “PA++++” with the highest protection. Carry it in your handbag wherever you go because you never know when you’ll need reapplication. My favourite by far – not only for the lack of white cast, smoothness on my skin, and lack of oily residue, but also for the flawless tone it leaves to prime the skin beneath makeup – is the COSRX Aloe Soothing Suncream.

Avoid Putting on Foundation

Considering that you will be moving quite a lot, it would be a mistake to do full-cover foundations daily. Go easy on the makeup as it can damage the glow of your skin over time, especially with the application of powder as well. Putting on sunscreen and moisturizer will be enough especially if you’re always on the go. Eventually, you’ll learn to love your healthy glow without the need for a full face done up, and you’ll feel even more comfortable knowing your face isn’t caking after 12 hours of being in the sun and sticky outdoors. I find that my breakouts occur after having a full face of makeup on all day when travelling for a few days in a row so I’ve started to learn to love my natural glow!

Another tip would be to mist your skin with water to sustain a supple look. It’s also important to have your skin relax by putting on a peel-off mask as it removes toxins and chemicals accumulated during the day. You can do this around 12-20 minutes weekly before going to bed and you’ll certainly see great results.

These tips are easy to follow which is why there are no excuses for letting your skin end up dull and dehydrated. Use as little makeup as possible and stick to the essentials to avoid unnecessary damage. 

An added layer of protection would be bringing cover-ups such as umbrellas and hats to defend the skin from harsh sun rays. Do the said tips and you’re guaranteed to enjoy your travel while looking fresh!