Avoid Dry "Airplane Skin" With The Right Travel Skincare

If you are anything like me, flying on an airplane can make your skin crazy rebellious! Excessive dryness and dehydration, spontaneous breakouts, extra oiliness... it’s certainly not what I bargained for.

Why does travel cause dry skin? 

The inside of an airplane is drier than the Arizona desert. The extremely low humidity of airplane cabins will cause dry skin to become severely dry. It causes oily skin to become excessively oily.

In either case, dehydrated, flaky skin isn’t exactly the best way to start or end a vacation!

Here are my tips for travel skincare when flying on an airplane!

1. Use a Pre-Flight Hydrating Skin Serum

Before your flight, apply a hydrating serum, such as my Firming Peptide Serum, Skin Quencher Gel, or Dew Drops Hydrating Serum.

These serums contain super-hydrating humectants like glycerin, beta glucan and hyaluronic acid. They’re like a big drink of water for your skin. 

2. Apply a Moisturizer to Seal Moisture In

After applying a hydrating serum to your skin, seal in water moisture with - you’ve got it - a moisturizer that’s appropriate for your skin type. 

Moisturizers I recommend are Pure Light Lotion and Hydra-Luxe Cream.

3. Apply Sunscreen & Avoid Sunlight When Possible 

Apply your sunscreen liberally and opt for an aisle seat (as opposed to a window seat). Also, keep the window shade down. The higher you are in altitude, the more damaging the sun’s UV rays are. Airplane windows do not filter out harmful rays, so it’s up to you to protect your skin during flight. 

My top recommendations for effective, non-pore-clogging sunscreen is our Tinted Mineral SPF 40 and Pure Protection Tinted Antioxidant SPF 40

4. Stay Hydrated!

Just as flying dehydrates your skin, it also dehydrates your body. Be sure to drink a bit more than you usually do to keep your skin as hydrated as possible. I always drink a liter of water before boarding (you might need to make a little extra time for visiting the ladies’ room!).

5. Opt Against Face Misting During Flight

Do NOT mist your face with a hydrating mist while in flight! As much as it seems like this would help, it will do the opposite. Dry air attracts water, so the mist on your face will actually cause the air to pull more moisture from your skin. 

After your flight, mist as much as you’d like to restore water moisture balance! For a hydrating toner that treats dry skin, try my Calm Down Toner.

6. Post-Flight Tips for Acne-Prone Skin

If you are acne-prone or oily, you might feel a little more congested after your flight. If this is the case, use my Skin Smoothing Polish after cleansing to buff away the top layer of dead, dry skin. 

Follow with the Sulfur Refining Mask to draw out impurities and provide a deeper pore cleanse. 

If you are feeling a little dry or flaky, you’ll also want to use my Cucumber Cooling Mask to further hydrate your skin. 

Lastly, use your hydrating serum, appropriate moisturizer and sunscreen to restore a natural glow after your (hopefully) relaxing getaway!