My International In-Flight Skincare Routine & Beauty Essentials 

My international in-flight skincare routine & beauty essentials to survive a long flight, prevent airplane acne, skin dehydration, & more!

It’s hard to believe that in a few days, I’ll already have been in Indonesia for 2 whole weeks! I feel like it’s flying by! It was definitely my intention to share the next few posts I have coming up a little sooner. I have to admit it’s been a little tricky adjusting my schedule to the time zone. We’re currently 12 hours ahead of East Coast time! But anyways, today I wanted to chat about skincare & specifically how I took extra care of my skin while making the extremely long international flight & day of travel over here to Indonesia!

Why Planes Cause Dryness & Breakouts:

Flying, especially long-haul flights, I’d say anything over 6 hours, really start to dehydrate & dull your skin. The air quality on a plane is extremely dry & the air flow is obviously just re-circling around & around throughout the duration of the flight. I think a good in-flight skincare routine is really important if you want to maintain the progress of your skin! And I personally never want to pass up an opportunity to do just that!

Because “Airplane acne” is definitely a thing!

Bad air, bad food, germs, & there’s even a hormonal piece that comes into play when crossing time zones specifically, which I did quite a few times within my 24 hour day of travel! So when you combine all of the above…it doesn’t end pretty! Especially for someone like me, who already has dry skin, inflammation, & hormonal acne…doing a little skincare routine & showing my skin some extra love during long-haul flights is crucial!

So today, I wanted to share how I stayed refreshed on my long flight over to Indonesia & some of my key beauty tips to assist you on your next long distance flight too!

First up: How to prepare your skin for a long distance flight!

I showered the night before my flight & didn’t wash my hair. I left for the airport in the morning & I knew that I didn’t want to waste a wash if I was going to be traveling for the next 24 hours. If you’ve read my oil training post, you might know that I am very stingy when it comes to washing my hair, I only wash my hair every 7-9 days or so. I knew that I wanted to wash my hair after my travel day.

The morning of my flight, I did a light little yoga workout. I didn’t sweat so I didn’t need to shower, but I did cleanse my face with my Beautycounter Cleansing Milk, which is a really nourishing cleanser that doesn’t strip away moisture, which is crucial before flying since the in-flight air is so dry. After cleansing, I followed with my Intense Moisture Serum on my face & neck, which gave my skin a little boost of vitamins, more hydration, & hyaluronic acid which is amazing for treating dryness…& then my go-to daily moisturizer – the Adaptive Moisture Lotion to lock in that hydration. Eye cream next. Followed with my SOS Acne Spot Treatment that goes on clear & doesn’t dry out my skin to treat the few little blemishes that I did have going into the flight.

I also NEVER fly with any makeup on either. The only thing on my face were the products I mentioned above. As well as, my lip balm to avoid cracked, dry lips!

Next: Long Haul Flight Skincare Essentials

• A good hydrating lip product! I brought along my new Bite Beauty Intensive Lip Mask & my favorite CEL MD Lip Moisturizer (use code PROTECT30 for $$ off!), which helped keep my lips super hydrated throughout the flight.
• Treatment Product – I used Immuncologie’s Oxygen Treatment Creme to help promote a radiant & clear complexion, while also adding in some moisture! I brought this specifically because it’s a clear treatment mask & one I didn’t have to wash off!
• Moisturizer – Adaptive Moisture Lotion, always! It’s so hydrating & I consistently applied this throughout my travel day.
• Face Oil – Beautycounter’s Mini Plumping Facial Oil, which is the perfect size for traveling & really great to help smooth out & plump up your face. I don’t know about you, but my face/skin looks really dull after flying & almost sunken in, so this oil was perfect to help combat that!
• Eye Cream – Eye Rescue Cream…the name says it all! Like the moisturizer, I applied this pretty consistently to prevent my under-eyes from drying out!
• Acne Treatment – SOS Acne Spot Treatment…I seriously love this stuff! I wanted this on hand in case I felt any spots coming up, which I did & this product definitely helped keep them at bay!

Can’t Forget Long Haul Fight Hygiene Essentials Either!

• Hand Wipes – Very necessary, especially with this nasty virus going around! I wiped down everything & consistently kept my hands clean using WaterWipes, which apparently are known as the “World’s Purest Wipes.” I found them at my local grocery store. It was my first time buying & even seeing them! But they will definitely be a repurchase because they were chemical free & contained minimal ingredients!
• Natural Deodorant – I packed my type: A fragrance free natural deodorant…for obvious reasons LOL!
• Natural Deodorant Wipes – I brought along a EO Natural Deodorant Wipe in French Lavender & used it once I got off my first connecting flight in Toyko. And WOW, let me tell you, after flying 14 hours, I was thrilled that I packed this. It was SO refreshing…highly recommend!
• Eye Drops – I brought along my Similason Stye Eye Relief eye drops to help with dryness & to help eliminate any bacteria from the air.
• Toothpaste – Another essential that is pretty self-explanatory! I brought a travel size of NOW solutions xyli-White which is fluoride free, SLS free, gluten free, paraben free, etc…you know all the good stuff to look for in a natural toothpaste!
• Toothbrush with a Travel Tooth Brush Cover – Of course!
• Essential Oils – doTerra’s On Guard oil specifically to ward off anything virus-y! I applied this on the bottoms of my feet, wrists, & on my neck throughout the flight.
• Silver Shield Gel– This is something that my family has used for years, but it’s an amazing multi-purpose product & I used it specifically on this flight to help prevent any viruses from entering my system. I applied the Silver Shield in my ears & nostrils multiple times before take off, while in the air, & once I landed.

Additional Travel Beauty Tips:

• HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE – Drink LOTS of water! Bring your own reusable water bottle so you won’t have to rely on the water the flight attendants hand out.
• Get up & MOVE – Moving your body helps lower your cortisol levels which is crucial for good skin. Get up, walk around, use the restroom, & do some light stretching if space allows.
• Avoid wetting your face – I’d try to avoid wetting your face (like cleansing in the bathroom) because that is just going to strip your skin of the moisture it does have & then the air quality of the flight will dry your skin out even quicker once it becomes wet!
• Continue to moisturize – Like I said, I continued to apply my moisturizer, eye cream, & lip treatments throughout the duration of both of my flights.
• Apply treatment products about halfway through
• Travel friendly bag – I fit all of my in-flight skincare routine products in a clear makeup bag from ILIA. Which was nice because it was small enough to comfortably keep at my seat with me so I didn’t have to get up & go into the overhead compartment every time I wanted to apply a product.
• TSA-approved sizes – You’ll want to make sure each one of your products stays under the 3 fl oz. limit. If not, it will get tossed as you go through TSA security!
• After the flight – It’s best to make sure you give your skin a good cleansing, keep your body really hydrated, maybe do a exfoliating or balancing mask ( I did my favorite charcoal mask) & then, you’ll be all set to resort back to your normal morning or nighttime skincare routine!

So that’s it! These are my best tips for perfecting your in-flight skincare routine, with a few hygiene tips thrown in there too! I hope you learned a tip or two that you can take along & apply during your next long-haul flight!!

Have you ever done a in-flight skincare routine? Let me know in the comments below!