Six tips to help your skin survive a long-haul flight

The destination might be exciting, but it’s not that fun sitting through a 7+ hour flight once you're stewing in your seat. You're jetlagged from the time-difference, your skin gets dehydrated from the dry cabin air, and you feel tired and cramped because let's face it - those chairs in Economy aren't designed with your beauty sleep in mind. It's a challenge to somehow look and feel anything but shitty when you disembark but it's not impossible! Here are six tips to help you and your skin survive that long-haul flight!

Take off your makeup

Okay, you will always want to be prepared for anything so you put makeup on – after all, you want to look like the same person in your passport photo! But once you board the plane, give your skin a vacation and remove your makeup! This is an important step because, well, you're less likely to get an irritation with clean, makeup-free skin. Besides, if you know not to sleep with makeup on, why wear it while you're on the plane?

Now, airplane bathrooms are not comfortable spaces (space? what space?) so pack up a small bottle of micellar water and cotton pads, or some cleansing wipes to help you clean up. No one will care if you go bare but if you feel self-conscious, consider waterproofing your brows and using a tinted lip balm instead.

Hydrate at ever opportunity

The air inside an airplane is pressurized and recycled, and humidity is very low. This can dry out your skin pretty badly so you need to pull all the stops to keep yourself hydrated! Drink plenty of water, pat on your moisturizer, bring a hydrating facial mist, and consider putting on a moisturizing sheet mask (seriously!) This will help ensure that your face won’t break out or get extra oily from the dry air, and makes sure to apply lip balm frequently!

Be adventurous with your trip, not your skincare

You’re already on an airplane and flying across the world – your skin doesn't need to be exposed to even more unfamiliar elements. It may be tempting to bring all your samples because they're in such handy sizes but you risk not having reliable products at hand if you get a breakout or a bad reaction from trying something new. Stick to the stuff that you know works and save new beauty purchases for trial when you get back. 

Follow TSA guidelines

When bringing skincare and makeup products in your hand carry, you need to make sure that they conform to standards if you don't want them to get chucked out. Store them in CLEAR containers no larger than 100mL then place the containers in a clear ziplock bag, which also doubles as protection from spillage. The total liquid content of this bag must not exceed 1 liter so bring only what you'll actually need and use during your trip.

Skip the caffeine and alcohol

Long-haul flights can be stressful. Being in an enclosed space for more than half a day, squeezing in seats, experiencing occasional bouts of turbulence, and dealing with annoying co-passengers (crying babies, overly chatty seat mates, etc.) can make you even more tempted to take advantage of the booze and caffeine that the flight attendants offer! Both substances are unfortunately diuretics, though, so it can zap even more of body moisture. Do yourself a favor by skipping these drinks and going for good ol’ H20 instead!

Keep your hands clean

You may think you’re being a paranoid neat freak but you’ll never really know what kind of bacteria lurks in airports and airplanes! Keep alcohol, sanitizer or wet wipes handy so you can regularly sanitize your hands without needing to make a trip to the restroom, and avoid touching your face with your hands.

Got any travel plans for fall? What are your best beauty tips for surviving long flights? Do share in the comments!