Packing your skincare for travel can be frustrating.
What do you take? What do you leave home?
You know your skin doesn’t like it when you change things up. Whether it’s a long road trip or a flight somewhere new, your skin is likely to react.
In the past, you may have suffered from increased breakouts, dryness, dullness, more visible fine lines and wrinkles, eczema flare-ups, and more.
It can be enough to make you dread that vacation!
We’ve got some tips below that may help the next time you haul out that suitcase.
Skincare Tips for Travel: Why Does My Skin React?
Traveling often creates a lot of changes that your skin has to adapt to. You may be going from one climate to another, for example. If you’re going into a hotter, more humid environment than you’re used to, you may break out more than usual because your skin isn’t used to that extra moisture in the air.
If, on the other hand, you’re going from a humid to a dry climate, you may find that your skin seems to dry up like a prune and that you have to apply moisturizer much more often.
Wherever you end up going, the air is likely to change. If you’re on a plane, you’re exposed to recirculated air, which is very drying to the skin. If you change altitudes—from low to high, for instance—the sunlight may be more intense, and you may be more vulnerable to sunburn. Harsh weather can dry out your skin, particularly if you’re exposed to high winds.
Travel is often stressful, too, and that can easily show up on your skin. Stress causes your body to release hormones that can cause an acne flare-up. It may also make your skin more sensitive than usual, to the point that you notice redness or even rashes.
Finally, your diet is likely to change. Not only when you eat, but what you eat. Indulging in new foods and eating at different times can throw your skin out of its normal routine, causing unexpected breakouts or dryness.
Skincare Tips for Travel: Keep Your Skin Happy On the Road!
Making some easy adjustments to your skincare routine while you’re traveling can help your skin better adapt to the changes.
To Prevent Breakouts
- Always take your own products with you. Don’t use the hotel products. Purchase travel-sized bottles of your favorite products, or put some in travel-sized bottles. CV Skinlabs has a handy travel-sized kit you can use.
- Stick to your regular routine. Cleanse, tone, and moisturize twice a day. You may be more fatigued than usual, but that makes sticking to your routine even more important.
- Use a misting spray. We recommend taking a small bottle of our Rescue + Relief Spray with you, particularly if you’re flying on an airplane. Then mist your skin when it begins to feel dry. Even if you have acne-prone skin, adding a little moisture can help prevent the sebum glands from going into overdrive, and you’ll step off the plane look radiant and refreshed.
- Try to relax. Stress plays a big part in acne. It charges up hormones and can trigger inflammation. Take some noise-canceling headphones with you, or download a meditation app to help you relax. Try spritzing your neck pillow with lavender if it’s relaxing for you.
- Eat carefully. You may want to indulge in some special cuisine while you’re on your trip. Remember that a change in diet may show up on your skin. Don’t completely deprive yourself, but keep any servings of new foods small. Go easy on the sugar and alcohol, and try to make healthy choices most of the time.
- Minimize makeup. Avoid heavy foundations and color products while traveling. Choose instead a tinted moisturizer or moisturizing foundation, then add just a little eyeshadow and mascara for a fresh but airy look. Tip: Makeup artists recommend mixing Calming Moisture with your foundation to help keep skin protected and moisturized for a youthful looking radiance.
- Choose a non-clogging moisturizer. It’s important to keep skin balanced so don’t skip moisturizer! That can cause your skin to overproduce skin oils that cause acne. Our CV Skinlabs Calming Moisture is a great choice. Whatever you use, make sure it’s light and clean so it won’t clog your pores.
To Avoid Dryness
- Take your own products. This always applies!
- Mist your skin regularly. You may need more moisture than usual when traveling, so take your travel-sized Rescue + Relief Spray with you and use it whenever your skin feels tight. It also helps tame redness and irritation.
- Drink water. Take a water bottle with you and sip regularly. Moisturizing from the inside out helps prevent over-dryness in the skin.
- Moderate your alcohol intake. Avoid alcohol on the flight or while vacationing, or at least limit it to small quantities. Alcohol is drying to the skin.
- Eat more water-rich fruits and vegetables. These can help hydrate your skin.
- Exfoliate gently. If your skin is looking dry and dull, exfoliate gently with some mild acids like glycolic, salic, and malic acid. It may be just enough to refresh your look.
- Moisturize moisturize! The good thing about CV Skinlabs moisturizers is that you can apply them as often as you like without worrying about clogging pores. Keeping skin well moisturized, balanced, and calm can help avoid eczema and rosacea breakouts or other irritations. Apply our Calming Moisture on your face as often as needed, and our Body Repair Lotion on the rest of the body after your shower or bath.
- Take a single-use moisturizing mask with you. If you travel to a dry climate and your skin is suffering, try a single-use moisturizing mask. These usually come in foil containers and can help give your skin that extra hydrating boost it needs.
- Don’t forget your lips! Lips can become easily chapped during travel. Take along our Restorative Skin Balm to keep them soft and moisturized. It’s an all-around healer perfect for dry patches, cuts, scrapes, and more. Use on cuticles, rough heels, eyebrows, and anywhere you need a little TLC.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels.
To Limit Sensitivity and Reactions
- Take your own products. Sensitive skin, in particular, needs to stick with products it knows. Any new ingredients can cause a reaction. All CV Skinlabs products were specifically created for sensitive skin issues.
- Practice stress-relief. Try to take a walk on most days to help shed any stress that may have built up in your system. Use meditation apps, calming teas, and aromatherapy scents to help promote deep breathing and calm.
- Avoid any harsh treatments. For sensitive skin, you want to keep everything calm. Avoid retinoids or acids for the most part, and stick with a very basic skincare routine that includes a gentle cleanser, toner, and moisturizer.
- Protect the skin barrier. This means moisturizing regularly with our Calming Moisture. It not only delivers moisture into the deeper layers of the skin but tames inflammation too. Then use sunscreen to be sure your outer barrier stays strong.
- Limit unusual foods in your diet. Take snacks and small meals along with you if you can. The closer you can stick to your regular diet, the calmer your skin will be.
Skincare Tips for Travel: Pack for Emergencies
Here are a few extras you may want to pack in case your skin does react negatively.
- Zit patches: These cover new pimples that may be developing while helping to more quickly get rid of them.
- Beauty masks: Depending on where you’re going and the type of skin you have, choose either a hydrating or oil-absorbing single-use mask. If you have combination skin you may benefit from having both.
- Lavender anti-stress spray: You can put this on your pillow or clothing to help you stay calm throughout the trip.
- Earplugs: They can help reduce stress and encourage rest.
- Facial wipes: They’re not environmentally friendly, but they can work great when you’re traveling. Use them to remove makeup, but always follow with a thorough cleanse.
How do you pack your skincare for travel?
Featured image by Madjid Atmania via Pexels.
