While vacations are among the best things in life, the way to get to your destination is mostly an experience that ranges from bleh to awful. I love exploring distant countries, but long-distance flights? They’re something to be endured, not to enjoy. Here’re my tried and true tips to make the experience a little bit less dreadful.

 

Don’t you absolutely hate it to emerge from a plane a dishevelled, grubby mess with your skin feeling both dehydrated and greasy? I found the following three tips really help preventing that. Let me start by saying that I usually board a plane for a long-distance flight with no stitch of makeup on my face. It’s a bit different when I just hop to another European city, but everything over 4hrs – it’s all about the comfort! I’m also pretty low maintenance if it comes to an in-flight beauty routine. I honestly don’t know how everybody else does it, but juggling my reading material, iPhone, cups with water, hand sanitizer and my bag with miscellaneous stuff I totally need AND doing some face masks on top of that?! I simply lack the skills in my cramped economy seat. If you do that, please let me know how you do it! Plus, kudos to you!

 

It’s all about hydration

But you knew that already, right? 😉

FACT: The air inside an airplane is much drier than the one you experience on the ground (only a desert is comparably dry). I found numbers between 10% and 25% of humidity inside a plane (your home has usually around 35%). Newer plane models like the A380 have better humidity levels.

What you should do:

Drink a lot of water. A lot of people don’t because they don’t like to use the toilets on a plane. But that’s what hand sanitizer is for. It also has the beneficial side effect that you move around quite often, which can help to prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis.

Prevent your skin from dehydration with the help of following products: a good, rich handcream of your choice. Lip balm. Saline nasal spray (it prevents your mucuous membranes from drying out. You’ll catch bugs easily if they’re dried out.). For your face, use an occlusive moisturizer and the most hydrating serum underneath. That combination will prevent moisture from evaporating because it’s trapped under a layer of moisturizer. To make most of this effect, use a heavy moisturizer that’s based on silicone, shea butter, lanolin or glycerine.

Products I use:

Skinceuticals B5 Serum or Indeed Labs Hydraluron

Beyer & Söhne Hautcreme+

L’Occitane hand cream

Burts Bees chapstick or Bepanthen Cream

Other products that work:

Good ol’ Nivea Cream, Eucerin Aquaphor, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, Clinique Superdefense SPF20, Avene Crème Nutrive, every serum that includes a heavy amount of hyaluronic acid.

Products I use before I board a plane: Moisturizer (Beyer&Söhne), hydrating serum (Skinceuticals B5) and sunscreen (Skinceuticals UV Defense). Other occlusive moisturizers are Nivea Cream or Eucerin Aquaphor.
Products I use before I board a plane: Moisturizer (Beyer&Söhne), hydrating serum (Skinceuticals B5) and sunscreen (Skinceuticals UV Defense). Other occlusive moisturizers you could use are Nivea Cream or Eucerin Aquaphor.

 

UV radiation

Yes, it’s higher up there. All radiation is. And there’re some studies that say that pilots have a statistically higher risk of getting skin cancer because of the high amount of cosmic radiation. Now, cosmic radiation also includes Gamma- and X-rays (sunscreen doesn’t work against those), not only UV rays that we’re concerned with.

This is quite a complicated topic because even if studies may point out that the radiation risk is actually quite pronounced while you’re on a plane, there’re also steps that aircraft companies take to minimise this. Plane windows are usually made of acrylic glass or polycarbonate that is able to filter UV rays.

Tl, dr: Radiation is higher when you’re on a plane. New generation plane windows for the cabin are good in blocking UV rays.

What I’m doing:

I layer a good thick sunscreen that doubles as an occlusive agent over my hydrating serumb and usual moisturizer. I use Skinceuticals Brightening UV Defense SPF30 or Skinceuticals Ultra Facial Defense SPF50. Don’t use mattifying sunscreen products; those will dry out your skin more quickly.

 

My slightly tacky liquids bag always includes handcream, chapstick, hand sanitizer, saline spray, my medication plus earplugs; powder, a tangle teezer and lipgloss for when I arrive at my destination.
My slightly tacky liquids bag always includes handcream, chapstick, hand sanitizer, saline spray, my medication plus earplugs; powder, a tangle teezer and lipgloss for when I arrive at my destination.

 

Comfort: Stay occupied, warm and calm

I absolutely can’t travel without the necessities mentioned above: handcream, some lip products (I need a nice lipstick or gloss for once we’ve arrived), hand sanitizer, nasal spray, some aspirin, chewing gum, tissues and some lozenges. I usually don’t bring any face products with me in my in-flight bag because I pile on all of my face products before leaving the house anyway. I usually pack some powder and a sample of perfume (also heaven-sent when the smell is something left to be desired) to freshen up when I arrive.

There’s always something to read and some music in my bag as well. But on a plane I always consider earplugs, my sleeping mask, thick socks and an additional scarf as must-haves. I’m nearly always cold when I’m on a plane, and earplugs and mask are extremely important if I want to sleep.

Comfy essentials!
Comfy essentials!

 

What are your travel essentials?