10 Skin Care Tips I Learned While Vacationing
I know I know, the last thing you wanna be thinking about while you’re on vacation is skin care. But I promise you, it’s something that you need to take into consideration before you leave. Before blogging I never took my skin care seriously, and I really paid for my neglect with each vacation. I had sudden breakouts, excess dryness and wrinkles in places that I care not to share!
I had the opportunity to cruise the Eastern Caribbean (thanks Princess Cruises) where the temperatures are much warmer and filled with humidity. While it was my first time to St. Thomas and St. Maarten, I have traveled to St. Croix in the U.S Virgin Islands in the past and I remember the air not being on my side.
Your travel skin care routine needs to be a little different than your home skin care. Your skin will face a number of challenges while you’re traveling so you’ll have to compensate for a few things. Keeping all that in mind, take good notes because below are some gems you’ll need for your next excursion.
1. Prepare
Think about where you’re going. How long will you be on the plane? Will you be in a dry climate? Will it be hot as blue balls out there? A few days before I left I made sure I prepped my skin by exfoliating and hydrating. You want to remove any dead skin cells, and then apply a hydrating mask (I adore this Boscia multi masking medley). Even if you have oily skin, the effects of traveling can cause your skin to overreact. Exfoliate, and then apply a light moisturizer, such as the Aqua Vita 24H Moisturizing Cream-Gel For Oily/Combination Skin. You should make sure your skin is in good shape before you leave.
2. Pack light
Your skin might be in stress while traveling so leave any potentially irritating products at home—including harsh cleansers, peels, resurfacing treatments, etc. Your Clarisonic and other scrubbing gadgets will not be needed while you are traveling. Pack travel sizes of your favorite cleanser, your regular moisturizer, and a serum that will help you counteract dryness. Add in something to remove toxins (like SheaMoisture Peace Rose Oil Complex Sensitive Skin Mud Mask or Elemis’ Devils Mint Body Scrub), your favorite eye cream, and a hydrating mask.
3. Go barefaced
No vacation is complete without room service.
Whenever I am on vacation I try to apply as little makeup as possible on my travel day. It’s sort of pointless and the makeup will just settle into your pores while you are knocked out on your flight. I throw on a pair of shades and I save all my beat face days for the evenings when I have to meet up with people. If you have to wear makeup carry a little refresher clutch with a cleanser, moisturizer, foundation, and lip color that you can apply in the airplane bathroom before landing.
4. Hydrate on the go
Pack a light mist. This is something that I actually forget this trip. Mario Badescu’s facial spray is like spraying Jesus tears on your face. Plus it helps keep your skin hydrated in dry circumstances, and is usually the difference between arriving fresh-faced or muted and dry. The right mist can also provide your skin with protective antioxidants. If you have a flight that lasts several hours, take along a travel-sized moisturizer and apply every few hours.
5. Protection please
Don’t forget your sunscreen! I actually had someone ask me if Black people needed sunscreen. The answer is YES, YES, YES! Our melanin needs protection too. And even if you’re going to be inside a plane all day, or you are opting out of your beach day, your skin needs the protection of a good sunscreen to help it resist damage from UVA rays.
6. Keep your hands off your face.
This is one of the biggest mistakes we make on a daily basis. We get frustrated and start touching our faces, rubbing our foreheads–this is a HUGE “please stop doing this now”! This is especially a problem during traveling. Missed flights and crying babies can send your stress levels through the roof. But planes are dirty and we come in contact with a lot of germs! So whenever we touch our faces, we’re transmitting those germs onto the skin, where they hang out and have parties and eventually cause problems (like pimples). If you must touch your face, use a tissue or oil blotter as a shield between your hands and your skin.
7. Drink water
Not this water, but you get my point!
This was so hard on my cruise. But for every soda or glass of wine that I indulged in, I made sure I had THREE glasses of water. It’s unrealistic for me to tell you to ditch the soda and wines but be sure to keep your skin hydrated from the inside out.
8. Settle & Wash
Before heading out for your first activity freshen up even if you aren’t changing your clothes. But I am judging you if you aren’t changing your clothes (eww). When you arrive at your destination, make your skin care a priority. Your skin is likely carrying bacteria and other polluting elements on the surface when you arrive. As soon as you can, wash carefully, exfoliate to get rid of all the gunk accumulated from your travels, then apply some of your best moisturizer. And don’t forget the eye cream (Burts Bees Intense Hydration Cream is my jam!).
9. Icey Eyes
By the time you’ve packed for a week, answered emails and set your out of office you may be officially stressed out about what you will return to–thus creating under-eye circles. To prevent them, ask your flight attendant for some crushed ice and a towel. Apply it like an ice pack under your eyes, and then follow-up with your toning mist (eyes closed, duh!). You can repeat this process before bed the first night to wake up looking more refreshed. Don’t forget to apply your eye cream frequently to counteract under-eye dryness and fade fine lines.
10. Eat to hydrate
Dehydration is the most common problem for the skin when traveling, think “water” when choosing your meals. Juicy fruits and veggies, soups, and fresh greens are always a good choice. I made sure to have a salad with each meal. Cucumbers, watermelon, pineapple, celery, radishes, tomatoes, green peppers, strawberries, grapefruit, cantaloupe, oranges, lettuce, zucchinis, and cabbage are all your best friends while you are traveling.
//
Disclosure: While this post is sponsored by Princess Cruises, you beauties know that all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands and companies that make my blog possible!