Inflight Beauty Essentials

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You’re almost there. The out of office is on and you’re well and truly in holiday mode! Bags packed and ready hit the airport and get that first pre-flight gin down the hatch! For me, this is the part where my excitement really peaks. One thing area that will be less than excited for what is to come however, is your skin!

All of that recirculated, dry cabin air is no friend of the skin. It is horribly dehydrating for us. To help me beat skin that resembles a dried out prune I’ve invested in some in-flight beauty essentials to counteract this. There’s only one goal for me and that is hydration, hydration and more hydration!

So what exactly happens to the skin at 36,000 feet? It’s not pretty and let’s just say that flying is for birds.

1. Humidity

This first issue is the levels of humidity. Typically our skin is happiest at a level of between 40-70%. On most flights, the humidity level is no more than 20%! A whole lot less than is good for our skin that’s for sure. This causes a huge drop in our hydration levels.

2. Excess Oil

While your skin being suitably dehydrated by nasty old cabin air it overcompensates by producing excess oil to combat the dryness. That means one thing. Grease!

3. Altitude = Dull Skin

The altitude reduced our blood flow rate which can lead to dullness. The higher the altitude the lower the blood flow rate and the more dull and lacklustre our skin appears.

4. Eyes. Nose. Lips. Cuticles.

It’s not just our skin that dries out, it doesn’t stop there. Our tastebuds respond differently while flying which can lessen our sense of taste. Our mucus membrane dries out too which can lead to nosebleeds. It also causes our eyes to get dry and possibly itchy and more irritable so best not to wear lenses to fly. Even our cuticles become parched!

Pretty gross isn’t it? That’s why I never ever wear makeup and contacts when I fly.

Fortunately, there are some incredible products available to fight the dehydration and less than desirable effects it has on us.

Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

I’ve had my eye on this for such a while and as I was soon to be boarding a plane it made sense to buy it. I could always use a little extra hydration. Thanks to its blend of vitamins, ceramides, antioxidants and gently exfoliating extracts this soothing formula nourishes the skin. It works to plump, hydrate and soothes the skin while reducing the appearance of fine lines. Chestnut extract promotes the skins natural exfoliation process to reveal a brightened appearance whilst tackling dullness. It fights against every nasty side effect flying has on the skin and I’m fully expecting to disembark looking fresh-faced and well hydrated.

I love the packaging too, so simple and classic but most importantly it is environmentally friendly. Bonus!

Glamglow Thirsty Mud

This is a real hero product. I’ve used it for years and I absolutely swear by it. I always have a jar of this at home, and for travelling, I use a mini tube. I’ll start making preparations in the days before my flight by lathering my skin in this as a nighttime treatment. It replenished and restores my skin like nothing else and come morning it leaves it looking nourished, hydrated and plumped. This is most definitely my flying BFF! It works wonders. Wonders I tell you!

Neutrogena Hydro Sheet mask

Ok, so we’ve all watched the stories of people on a plane sporting a sheet mask. Admittedly I still feel a bit weird putting one on, but on a flight, long-haul especially they’re a lifesaver. If you’ve ever used a sheet mask you will know how much product is left by the time you take it off. Well on a plane I’ve found that the mask is virtually dry! Imagine what harm it does to the skin if it was sucking the moisture out of a saturated sheet mask! It definitely makes me think twice about shying away from using one let me tell you.

Eye Patches

Again, just as with the sheet mask you could argue that eye patches are more important. The eye area is thinner and more delicate so the effects felt will be that much worse than everywhere else. Keep your peepers looking bright and well hydrated with some eye patches. I’ve opted for the ELF Hydrogel under eye patches mainly because I liked the sound of them and they have good reviews.

Facial Mist

This is a quick pick me up in between sheet masks and lathering my Jet Lag Mask all over. I love a good hydration mist and what better than cult hero Queen Of Hungary Mist? It’s a hygienic, quick and easy step to help keep my hydration levels up.

Why stop at one mist when you can have two? One I’ve been loving lately is by Glow Recipe and it is their Watermelon mist. It is the most find misting you get and I love it. It leaves my skin looking healthy, hydrated and glowing. Not to mention smelling delicious.

Cleanser

As you can imagine with the stale, dry air and piling products on my skin things can get a bit heavy. I get super oily so it’s not the best canvas to apply more products on top of. Once or twice through the flight, I cleanse my skin and take it back to basics ready to layer up my hydration queens. I’d cleanse before going in with a sheet mask too so my skin can better absorb all of the product out of the mask. My cleanser of choice is the minibar duo by Drunk Elephant. No worrying about any leaks with a couple of bars plus they don’t need to be put into the security trays since they’re solid.

Facial Oil

A good facial oil helps to lock in moisture while it does its good work. As I’ve mentioned before I am all about hydration while onboard. Using oil is a great way for a boost of goodness to really nourish the skin. Not to mention it goes perfectly hand in hand with the next item I carry with me.

Gua Sha

This is a recent addition but ideal for travel to help with lymphatic drainage to reduce facial bloating and puffiness. Both things that stale, over-recycled cabin air encourages. I’ve been using this in my skincare routine and I’ve found it to have good results. I’m hoping this keeps the unwanted puffiness at bay while flying. I press a few drops of oil into my skin before I use this to allow it to glide over my skin rather than drag and pull.

Lip Balm

I’m obsessed with lip balm at the best of times. When I fly I go crazy. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s to have my lips feeling dry and parched. I carry a variety of lip balms on board a flight. I personally prefer ones I apply directly to my lips to reduce the nasty germs. We all know how notoriously bad aeroplanes are for harbouring bacteria and germs. You don’t want to be spreading the nasties on your face or lips. Some of the favourites that give me all of the hydration alongside direct application are Clinique Moisture Surge Mask, Jo Malone Vitamin E and By Terry Baume De Rose.

Hand Cream & Cotton Gloves

Spending a few hours on a flight is the perfect opportunity to pamper the hands. I cake mine in my favourite hand cream and put on my cotton gloves to give them extra hydration. My hands are dry at the best of times without flying. My favourite ride or die hand cream is L’Occitane Shea Butter Cream. This is a cult product and for good reason. It’s been with me for years! Best. Hand cream. Ever!

Cosmetic Bag

Gone are the days you would see us stuffing out prized beauty products into a clear freezer bag. Cult Beauty has a cute and perfectly sized transparent cosmetics bag ideal for travelling. It fits inside everything you would need on a flight whilst adhering to airport guidelines. It’s a great way to carry my things and it’s really ridged too so it keeps them safe in the overhead bins.

So that’s my travelling beauty stash to fight in the battle against unfriendly, recycled cabin air. It works a treat and I couldn’t be without this little bag of goodies.

If you enjoyed this post, I also have a more generalised post on my inflight essentials you can find here.

Do you have an inflight beauty routine?