In-Flight Skin Care, Tips & Advice

I've recently read quite a few blog posts and articles focusing around in-flight products and quite frequently I'm asked what my must have products are, as well as my in-flight tips. I'm no skincare expert, but weekly I spend a fair few hours cloud bound in not the most skin-friendly atmospheres and so I thought I would put together some of my knowledge based on my experience in the hope that it will help you and your skin 35,000ft above the ground.

Pre Departure

At work, I have to have a full face of make up on and as much as you would probably assume I love that, surprisingly, I don't. Weekly, I can see anything up to around 2000 passengers and more often than not, the majority of them are glammed up to the nines. I've been there and done that and know how tempting it is to board a flight looking uber fabulous, but my number one piece of pre departure advice would probably be to go bare faced. If you're not into leaving the house with no make up on, make sure you carry a good alcohol free make up remover to remove it before take off, in the past I've taken a travel bottle of Bioderma and it does the job perfectly. Naming no names, but this is what most of those A-list stars spend there time pre departure doing in their first class cabins. 

35,000ft up, the air in even the fanciest of aircrafts is dry and recycled and anything that would dry and clog up your pores in a normal atmosphere, is more likely to do so in these conditions. Instead, I would recommend double cleansing and using a super hydrating skin care regime including as hydrating an eye cream and moisturiser you own pre-flight to prep, with a touch of a tinted lip balm if you really can't resist a touch of colour. 

In-Flight Cruise

My most frequent question comes down to what products to use in-flight and although there are plenty of products I could list, my main advice would be to drink, drink, drink and by that, I'm talking water, not those ever so tempting miniatures that will dehydrate you further. With the cabin full of recycled and dry air, hydration is key and as crew I'm told to drink half a litre for every two hours of the flight. That much water does sound extreme, especially over a twelve over day but honestly, days where I haven't had at least half of that, I'm left feeling so dehydrated and suffer with what feels like a hangover for up to days after. 

Being inside an aircraft for any amount of time is abnormal to your body. The pressure, the air system and everything that comes with that has an effect on you and your skin, so it really is so important that you look after yourself. Along with water, which not only hydrates you but cools you down and keeps you moving to and from the loo, which in turn helps to prevent DVT, I find there are a few essential products that work a treat at keeping you feeling and looking fresh. 

I would personally try to stick to products you use in your regime already, and if you don't already use them, I would try to for a while beforehand just to get your skin used to them. It may seem like a great idea to try that new face mask that you purchased in Duty Free for the first time on your flight, but I don't trust using a product thats abnormal to your skin in an abnormal atmosphere, and I wouldn't want to risk any break outs or reactions on the first day of my holiday.

Hydrating Mask/Moisturiser- Just like drinking water to hydrate your body, your skin will be losing moisture so quickly and in turn will become dry, dull and dehydrated. A quick and easy fix for this is to apply a generous amount of moisturiser throughout the flight, or a personal favourite of mine; a hydrating sink in mask. My current favourites are Clarins HydraQuench*, Sisley Flower Gel*, Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Cream Mask* and Origins Drink Up. In terms of your body, I tend to take a small pot of body lotion, but a bit of hand cream always works a treat for inflight. 

Hand Cream- Surprisingly, I find my hands struggle with the effects of flying a whole lot more than my face does. Even with the make up. Day to day I don't tend to need a very strong hand cream, but during flights I can't recommend using a strong, hard working hand cream enough. Without something really nourishing, my hands can start to feel really tight and dry and like most of my colleagues, I always have a hand cream close by.

Lip Balm- Lip Balm is another absolute in-flight must have and my favourite of the moment is Elizabeth Ardens 8 Hour Intensive Lip Balm*. I'm on to my second one in just a few months but I can't get enough of reapplying it. It keeps my lips so moisturised which is super important for me as I have to wear lipstick which dries out quicker than you could ever imagine so it's an essential. If you want to arrive to your holiday destination wearing your new duty free lipstick, please apply it after the flight, the air really does horrible things and your lips dehydrate so quickly. You'll also be hopefully drinking lots of water, so there's no need to wear it in flight anyway as you'll be reapplying forever, try and stick to your tinted lip balm.

An in-flight tip of mine is to use your lip balm as a multi-use product, it makes for the perfect cuticle treat in-flight and it's surprisingly fab for your nostril area! 

Eye Cream- For me, Eye Cream is really a pre-flight essential as I can't really apply it throughout the day, but as a passenger I would definitely have one to hand. Preferably something super moisturising and refreshing, which unfortunately I'm yet to find a must have recommendation, but I've really been enjoying the Origins No Puffery Cooling Eye Gel* to cool my eye area and to help avoid any puffy areas throughout the flight onwards.

Eye Drops- I wouldn't say eye drops are an essential, but they're often a product that gets overlooked. I don't wear contact lenses, but similarly to people that do, in dry conditions my eyes become unbearable. In a pressurised cabin, with a mixture of heat and air con pumping through the system, my eyes become very irritable and I find a couple of drops keep them hydrated, refreshed and helps to keep the Redness at bay. I go through bottles of the stuff due to their short life spans, but Optrex ones work really well for me. 

Facial Mist- Face Mists have to be one of my favourite products day to day anyway, but I find they are just perfect for in flight. To freshen up and to pump some essential oils into your skin, they are dreamy and for the past year I have been absolutely loving using Caudalie Beauty Elixir*. 

Sanitizer- If you're going to catch any germs anywhere, an aircraft is up there on the list. With hundreds of people sharing the same recycled air in the confined space of a metal tube, a sanitizer is very much essential. I have one in my pocket throughout the whole flight and apply it alot. It's not great as they tend to be alcohol based but in order to stay free of bacteria, germs and viruses, there's no getting around that you need a little bottle of sanitizer, especially if you're going to be going to the loo and completing your in-flight skincare regime! I imagine most of them do a good enough job, but I particularly enjoy using The Body Shop Satsuma Hand Sanitizer as it's super refreshing and smells delicious. 

After Flight

Similarly to pre departure and in-flight, it's very important that you continue to drink lots of water and stay moisturised and hydrated after landing. Your body takes a little while to readjust after the flight and so I tend to treat it just as I would before/during the cruise. I go back to my Hydrating Mask after the flight and tend to go to sleep in it, in the hope that I'll wake up feeling fresh, but if you do have the opportunity to, I'd probably recommend cleansing and starting from fresh, just to ensure you're free of any dirt and grime, and go in again with your eye cream and a good moisturiser, preferably with some SPF ready for your travels if you're at the beginning of your holiday. 

Top Flight Tips
-Stick to the 100ml hand luggage rule. I've known so many people to lose their fabulous perfumes and products when they took the chance of getting it through security.
-Drink lot's of water. Aim for half a litre per two hours of the flight.
-Avoid alcohol
-Avoid salty food, Pringles I'm looking at you.
-Have a walk around the cabin and stretch to avoid DVT, when the crew aren't out with their cart of course ;)
-Wear comfortable clothes and nothing too restricting and carry a blanket, when you're tired aircrafts suddenly become very cold
-Take the opportunity to rest as much as possible
-Enjoy and try not to let any nerves of flying get in the way of the experience.

Happy travels!