Five tips for travel skincare

There are many reasons as to why we don’t look after our skin as good as we should whilst travelling. In this blog I’ve covered five top tips that I swear by for looking after your skin whilst travelling, whether that be long haul or short haul, weekend breaks or 3 month trips. If you’d prefer to watch me talk about this topic rather than read, you can do this on my IGTV.

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Tip one: Consistency

The first one is pretty simple, if you know that brands that you use at home already work for your skin, then don’t change them when you travel. If you’re going long haul then it won’t be an issue taking your full sized products with you, but if you’re going short haul this won’t be an option. However, you can decant your large products into smaller bottles and pots by buying a travel kit from your local drug store or pharmacy.

Another option here is to see if your favourite brands sell travel sized products. I found out that No7. sell travel sized day and night creams when I got their advent calendar at Christmas and these have been super handy for taking on short haul trips and weekends away.

No7 Early Defence Night Cream

Tip two: Removing your make-up

This second tip is crucial, because when we travel I think a lot of us would opt for something easy like make-up wipes as they can just be put in your bag, you can use them and dispose of them pretty easily. But, let’s face it, make-up wipes are no good for your skin at all as they don’t properly remove your make-up. And don’t get me started on how bad they are for the environment.

So, my tip around removing make-up is to use micellar water and re-usable make-up remover pads. The micellar water I use comes in a 400ml bottle which is perfect for long haul and extended travels as it will last you around 3 months if you’re wearing make-up every day. They also sell this in a 100ml travel sized bottle which is perfect for short haul trips or weekends away. The great thing about these bottles is that both the lids come off, so you can keep topping up the 100ml bottle every time you go away.

To be more sustainable whilst travelling you can make use of some re-usable make-up remover pads, in place of cotton wool pads. Again, whilst cotton wool pads would be easier to just dispose of during your travels, they’re not good for the environment. The bamboo pads I have are sustainable and can be washed after use. So if you’re going short haul you can just take as many as you’ll need and wash them when you get back, and if you’re going long haul or for an extended amount of time you can take the whole pack of them and put them in with your washing when you do this every couple of weeks.

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  Reusable bamboo makeup remover pads

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  Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water

Tip three: Cleanse

This is quite an obvious one, but make sure you’re still cleansing your face twice a day; once in the morning to remove any sweat and grease, and once in the evening after you’ve removed your make-up to get deep into the pores. If you only have access to water that’s fine, but I would try and go a step further and use a daily face wash and an exfoliator if you have one that works with your skin type.

My favourite daily face wash and exfoliator is by Nutrogena and it really helps to make your skin feel super clean.

I’d also recommend investing in a sonic face cleaner which can be used with the daily face wash or just water. This product vibrates whilst you’re massaging your skin with it, getting deep into your pores and making your skin feel even more clean and super smooth.

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  Nutrogena Refreshingly Clear Daily Exfoliator

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  Sonic Face Cleanser

Tip four: Protect your skin

If you’re travelling somewhere hot then you’ll need to make sure you’re protecting your skin with suncream, but I’d highly recommend you avoid using normal suncream on your face. Suncream can be extremely greasy, and if your skin is anything like mine then that would just make you break out in spots. Instead, I’d recommend you buy a suncream that is designed specifically for your face.

My go-to face suncream is either the No7 or Nuxe. Both are less greasy and when applied they feel just like a face cream rather than a suncream. I find that I go less shiny, and break out in spots less when I’m using these suncreams. The Nuxe one in particular smells gorgeous.

No7 Protect and Perfect Intense Advanced Facial Sun Protection

Tip five: Dealing with breakouts

If your skin is prone to breakouts I’d recommend investing in a travel size pot of Sudocrem. Leaving a small dot of Sudocrem on your spots overnight is the best thing you can do to reduce the redness, size and swelling of a blemish. The travel sized pots are perfect for travelling, and you can just top it up from a larger pot each time you travel.

Another way to deal with breakouts is to make sure you’re regularly using face masks. I absolutely love sheet masks and have been using them most weeks for a few years now. These are perfect for travelling regardless of how long you’re travelling for because they’re so slim and easy to take with you. I’d recommend using one on the first day of your travels as your skin is likely to become dry from the flight, and then once a week whilst you’re travelling.

The masks I’d recommend are the Garnier Skin Active which come in a range suited for different skin types. You just need to leave them on for 15 mins (or longer if you like!) and then I normally moisturise my skin afterwards with the product rather than washing it off. These are just a perfect way to inject a bit of moisture into your skin whist you’re away.

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  Garnier Skin Active Moisture Bomb Tissue Mask

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  Sudocrem travel pot

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How do you look after your skin whilst you’re travelling? Do you have any go-to travel skincare tips? Let me know in the comments!