Travel is awesome and a total balm for the soul, but getting to your destination can be seriously harsh on skin. 24 hours on a plane? That will challenge even the most resilient skin with all the germs, drying air conditioning and general tiredness we don’t want to even think about.

But it’s not all bad! There are plenty of things you can do to help your skin keep its glow when travelling. Especially if you are going somewhere for a wedding, work or a big event, you’ll want to hit the ground running and avoid the all too common post-travel dry skin and spots. Here’s the skincare routine I recommend for travel.

Moisture, moisture, moisture

Step 1 - Spritz

The first commandment of travelling at altitude is keep your skin hydrated. I would start off with a lovely spritz of Rose Mist as soon as I get to my seat. I then keep it handy so I can spritz again every few hours. It also smells divine which is always welcome.

Step 2 - Hydrating Mask

After a couple of hours, especially on a long haul flight, I would put on a hydrating face mask like the Honey Apple Mask. To be fair, you could even do this as soon as the seat-belt sign switches off but be sure to cleanse first! Yes, it’s a bit controversial applying a mask, but the world’s top models use this trick and you’ve got all the time in the world anyway right? You might feel a little weird at first, but this soothing mask is one of the quickest ways to get some moisture straight back into the skin. If you can, leave this on for the duration of the flight.

Step 3 - Anti-Bacterial Cleanse

I would follow the hydrating mask with a thorough cleanse with an anti-bacterial cleanser. The Honey Cream Cleanser and Bamboo Muslin Face Cloths will get your skin squeaky clean. Goodbye germs! This is best to do just before the seat-belt sign comes back on and you descend into your destination.

Step 4 - Moisturize With Oil

To lock in as much moisture as possible, I would finish up with lathering with a rich oil like the Mohi Liquid Gold. This oil is a real luxury, but I’ve found that using something that really regenerates the skin is well worth it in the long run. I also think that taking time to do these lovely little rituals on a flight or in transit can be a really lovely moment of self-care.

Watch what you eat and drink

Fostering glowing skin while travelling is about what products you choose to use on your skin, but it’s also important to think about what you put into your body, as this is very much expressed outwardly on your skin.

Pre-travel

Before you travel I recommend keeping well hydrated and focus on great nutrition. Sipping a bone broth can be a good option because it soothes the gut’s biome. This is great for in-air too. If you have a powdered version like Nutra Organics bone broth you can decant some to take on-board with you and ask the crew for a cup of boiling water so you can sip while you watch the latest in-flight entertainment.

During flight

Aeroplane food is often very salty, because salt is a preservative, which sucks moisture from the skin. My biggest tip is to drink almost comical amounts of water. If you usually drink 2 litres of water a day, step it up to 3 or 4 litres throughout the flight. Your neighbours might not thank you (if you’re getting up to use the bathroom a lot), but your skin definitely will!

Post flight

If it’s possible, once you’ve arrived at your destination get outside for a walk and get your skin some nourishing Vitamin D from the sun and then make sure you get plenty of sleep. With all of this, you’ll be able to look and feel great on your holidays!