Travel can be rough on your skin. Really, it can be rough on your whole body: sitting still for hours, cramped conditions forcing weird contortions, and more. But for today, let’s focus on your skin.
Despite being often surrounded by moist, fluffy clouds, the air inside an airplane is dry. Like desert dry — humidity levels can be as low as five percent. What does that mean for your skin? It means the air can strip away moisture and leave wrinkles and other imperfections more pronounced.
As crummy and cranky and tired as flying makes me feel… I sure don’t want to look haggard when I get off the plane, too!
Here are some things you can do to stay hydrated (and beautiful) in flight:
- Drink plenty of water! The airline folks may seem kinda stingy with the drinks, but you can purchase bottled water once you’re past security and bring it onto the plane.
- Don’t just drink water on the plane. Drink before you leave the house, drink on the drive, and drink when you disembark. Think of getting up to piddle during the flight as a great way to stretch your legs.
- Skip the makeup when you fly. Let’s face it — it’s going to get smudged and smeared in flight anyway.
- Bring moisturizer along and use it. You’re allowed 3 ounces (or less) of various liquids in your carry-on baggage. Use it as often as you feel you need it — even hourly.
- Bring a face mister. Again, keep an eye on the size. But a 2 ounce mister is a LOT of liquid when it comes in spritzes. You can mix up your own using distilled water and skin soothing essential oils like chamomile, lavender, and tea tree.
- Don’t forget the sunscreen. At higher elevations, the sun is more powerful. If you’ll be keeping your window shade up, keep the sunscreen on your skin. A burn is only going to dry you out more — and make you feel worse.