It’s just soap, water, lotion, and sunscreen.
Living out of a suitcase takes quite a toll on your skin. The 3.4 oz liquid carry-on limit of your favorite products really strips down your 7 step skincare routine down to half. If you don’t have an at-home skincare routine then this article is not for you (although you should probably get a second opinion on your face as it’s probably not looking as nice as you think). This article is for those of us who don’t want to undo the delicate PH balance we’ve achieved throughout months of consistent hard work on our skin.
When you’re traveling, it’s natural for your health to decline slightly. Most of the time I just give myself a nice, long deep clean, and spa day as soon as I get home, but if you want to keep your skin from sustaining any major damage you pick up when traveling then stick to the bare necessities. You can buy these in-country, or pack them from home just make sure you have them.
1.Face Wash— How will you keep your face clean if you don’t have any soap? Humans came to the conclusion long ago that soap is pretty useful in cleaning many things, including your face. At the bare minimum, you need to wash your face at least ONCE a day. If you’re actively traveling and sweating all day, please please PLEASE make it twice. Once in the morning and once at night, same as brushing your teeth, should do the trick. If you’re acne-prone you really can’t skip this step, even if you aren’t the dead skin cells from each day will collect and eventually show up in a deep blemish. The best treatment is always prevention. My skin type is both oily and dry so I stick to creamy cleansers over gels. Everyone’s skin type is unique so take the time to figure out what products work for you.
My Go-To Face Wash: Eversoft Avocado Cleanser it’s creamy, light, and smells really nice with a healthy amount of moisturization from the avocado oil. If you’re traveling around Asia this is really easy to find in any drug store. I switched to this from a Lemon-based Korean product that was way too harsh for my skin and causing me to break out. Believe it or not, I tried it because it was one of the cheapest options on the shelf. After noticing how well it worked with my skin, I bought up several more bottles and shipped them back to the USA. I haven’t found a good alternative to this face wash in the states yet but what works for me may not work for you. Just keep experimenting until you find the right daily face wash for you.
2.Lotion —For a long time I doubted the importance of lotion. I wondered why my skin was always so itchy and why my legs seemed so chalky. Lotioning will have the most dramatic effect on your skin and is, therefore, the most important skincare step. Most people skip on face lotion because although dry skin is uncomfortable, it doesn’t have the same pain and embarrassment that comes with scars or acne (granted I also struggle with eczema and I do understand how hard that can be). We really don’t realize how dry our skin is until it’s far too late, but if you keep both your skin (and yourself) hydrated you will notice a significant improvement in your skin texture and quality. Go without it, and you may start to see really harsh dryness signs that can lead to discoloration and scarring.
My Go-To Lotion: I use CeraVe at home mostly because it’s really cheap at Costco, but if I’m being honest the cream is too light and it just does not do enough for my skin. As I said, I struggle with eczema and when I’m traveling I am 10x more prone to forget to lotion than when I’m at home. There just isn’t enough time to moisturize as often as needed so I like a heavier lotion that packs in the moisture all day, such as Charity Pot from Lush. This has been my go-to face lotion for over 2 years now and I haven’t found anything else that works as well on my skin. It’s heavy, but not in the sense that it clogs your pores. The lotion is packed with aloe, shea butter, moringa oil, and more natural ingredients. It is also vegan and every 100% of your purchase goes back to grass-roots organizations working in the areas of human rights, animal protection, and environmental justice. It’s everything I could ever want in a 7oz container.
3.Sunscreen —The fountain of youth is actually just sunscreen. If you’re traveling you’re spending time outside, and if you’re spending time outside you’re getting sun. No matter what season it is the sun will be out in some way and in addition to that nice tan you’re getting, your skin is also going to get sun damage. To combat the onset of early aging, prevent heavy scarring, and also protect yourself from skin cancer you need to be applying sunscreen every day before you go out. This should be the final step in your skincare routine after lotioning.
My Go-To Sunscreen: Anything with a minimum of 15 SPF. I have used anything from free sunscreen face sticks I’ve gotten at the county fair to name brand SPF 100+ sunscreens. I’ve never noticed a difference in the sunscreens, although I do love the smell of banana boat sunscreen, my only advice is to get a lotion for your face, not just a spray. The spray is great for your body, but if you only have spray then you’ll have to awkwardly spray a bunch in your hands and then slap it on your face and try to spread it around before it clumps up in one spot. This is both very sticky, inefficient, and usually stings as it’s more likely to get in your eyes. With lotions, it is imperative that the lotion is FOR YOUR FACE, not your body. If it’s for your body the second you start sweating the lotion is going to come off of your face and run into your eyes. Get the face sunscreen. You’ve been warned.
4.BONUS: Scrub/Exfoliant —In conclusion, the top 3 are really the absolute bare necessities you must have as you’ll be using them daily to maintain your dewy skin glow. Sunscreen and lotion can be pretty heavy on the skin though and although a face wash twice a day will keep the blemishes away, sometimes your skin still needs a little more help. To keep your skin from getting any build-up I recommend exfoliating every 2–3 days. This will ensure that you are working on a blank canvas every few days and not layering on more products on any face dirt or oils you can’t see.
My Go-To Exfoliant: None other than the award-winning Saint Ives! They’ve got a variety of products, they are all SUPER affordable, available worldwide, they smell great, and are really gentle on the skin. I’ve used both of the apricot scrubs (one for acne-prone skin and the other without the salicylic acid) and I have no complaints. I plan to try the coffee one or lemon-orange-based one next!
In closing I just want to say, take care of your skin! It’s easy to take it for granted when it’s good but your skin can ruin your life when it’s bad. Don’t let your skin be the reason you’re feeling down on your next trip.
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