Long flights can take a toll on your skin and overall well-being. Implementing a comprehensive self-care and skincare routine can help you arrive at your destination refreshed and rejuvenated. In this guide, we’ll outline a 10-step routine designed for in-flight self-care, along with the benefits of each step. Be sure to consider that other passengers may have allergies or scent sensitivities when deciding which products make it to your travel bag. We’ve found our favorites to be non-disruptive to be non-disruptive to others. In building this current iteration of this in-flight facecare routine, I picked items that were as non-toxic as possible, vegan, cruelty-free (experimenting on beagles is unacceptable), and mutltifaceted in that they both perform their intended basic function but hopefully came with additional benefits through nutrients or not having to be crammed into the TSA’s beloved quart-sized clear bag. If you see where I made an error, please drop it in the comments below so we can all learn and improve. Additionally, anywhere you see a PMID reference, that’s a clickable link to the United States National Library of Medicine. I’m not a physician, but these publicly available studies are an excellent reference. Speaking of clickable links, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases from the links below.
Step 1: Start with Clean Hands
Benefit: Reduces the risk of spreading germs and bacteria.
Before you touch your face or use any products, ensure your hands are clean. Airplane tap water is notoriously unclean. When you wash your hands and brush your teeth onboard, you’ll want to use bottled or filtered water. I carry the Katdyn BeFree filter because it folds down to almost nothing and has a long list of impurities it can remove. It’s generally a great piece of travel gear because it lets me filter water from almost any source. To get my hands clean before I touch my face after touching the plane, I like Fomin soap sheets because of the convenient little package, but taking a vegetable peeler to the side of one of your favorite bar soaps to make little strips works, too.
Step 2: Stay Hydrated
Benefit: Prevents dehydration and dry skin during the flight.
Sip on water regularly throughout the flight to stay hydrated. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, so this step is crucial for your well-being. Conventional sodas will leave your body in discord from the high amounts of sugar. Consider packing a different way to make your water more entertaining to encourage consumption throughout the flight. These monkfruit sweetened lemonade drops meet TSA liquid guidelines and provide a healthier alternative.
Step 3: Remove Makeup
Benefit: Allows your skin to breathe and prevents clogged pores.
If you’re flying overnight, it’s tempting to wear your makeup and just touch up on arrival. This startegy may seem convenient but could lead to undesirable results like pore congestion and dry or excessively oily skin. Removing your makeup also helps your brain follow its normal routine and cue the understanding that it’s time to sleep even though you aren’t steps away from your normal bed. Disposable wipes or micellar water are often cited as good options; however, we prefer sprinkling some bottled or filtered water on reusable makeup remover wipes. These take up minimal space and can be easily washed when you reach your destination. I’ve found this is so important if I plan to leave my contacts in place for a long flight. No one wants to wake up to a red, throbbing eye from a corneal abrasion that could have been avoided by removing mascara before sleeping.
Step 4: Cleanse Your Face
Benefit: Removes dirt and impurities accumulated during travel.
Use a gentle, hydrating cleanser to refresh your face. This step ensures your skincare products can work effectively and that you’ll start fresh when you wake up close to landing. I wanted a solid stick cleanser to avoid the liquid limit and make the process less messy. I picked this stick from Julep, who says “face cleanser stick is made with a blend of natural oils and fruit enzymes that remove dirt, oil, and impurities while gently exfoliating for a deep-down clean.” Easy to pack. Good for the skin. No garbage ingredients. What’s not to love?
Step 5: Apply a Hydrating Serum
Benefit: Locks in moisture and prevents skin dehydration.
Apply a hydrating serum with ingredients like to keep your skin plump and moisturized. I’ve tried a few serum sticks, but have found myself happiest with this beauty full of green tea, vegan collagen, and niacinamide. Niacinamide has been shown to cause “improvement effects for topical niacinamide: reductions in fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness (yellowing)”. (PMID: 16029679) In addition, “Accumulating evidence suggests that green tea polyphenols confer protective effects on the skin against ultraviolet (UV) irradiation-induced acceleration of skin aging,” (PMID: 26114360) which is especially important during daytime flights when UV-radiation is increased due to the windows and altitude. Because the geniuses at Petite Pluie opted to make this a solid stick, it’s one less consideration for the liquid limit.
Step 6: Eye Care
Benefit: Reduces puffiness and dark circles.
Use an eye cream or cooling eye patches to refresh and hydrate the delicate skin around your eyes. This one is pretty straightforward if you’re a fan of not arriving to your destination with dark circles and a puffy upper face. I like these gel patches and this eye cream. As a soft contact lens wearer, I use these BioTrue drops if I’m leaving my lenses in, but I try my best to pop them out and gives my eyes some rest, in which case I use these single-use drops. Both of these drops are preservative-free, which keeps these eyeball happy. In full nerd grandeur, I usually carry this case to give me all of the options.
Step 7: Moisturize
Benefit: Prevents dryness and maintains skin barrier function.
Apply a nourishing moisturizer to keep your skin soft and hydrated throughout the flight. I know, I know. There’s definitely a recurring theme here on keeping moisture in the body on airplanes, but it’s the path to physical happiness while enduring a long-haul flight. A gloriously nutrient-dense moisturizer can make a huge difference if you don’t want to look grey upon arrival. This moisturizer from Acure has been clinically proven to improve skin moisture for 12 hours according to their website, and anecdotally, I would agree.
Step 8: Sunscreen (Daytime Flight)
Benefit: Protects your skin from UV radiation at high altitudes.
For daytime flights, use a lightweight sunscreen to shield your skin from harmful UV rays. “Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is significantly higher at aviation altitudes with respect to sea level.” (PMID: 30524082) If you’re flying during the day, you simply must wear sunscreen to protect your skin.. Suscrens are often contaminated with a list of ironically skin-damaging toxins. Additionally, if we’re headed to a beach destination, we don’t want to bleach the reefs. Try this reef-safe stick (yay for another non-liquid) which has a single active ingredient: zinc oxide.
Step 9: Lip Care
Benefit: Prevents chapped lips and maintains lip moisture.
Apply a lip balm to keep your lips soft and comfortable during the flight. Well People’s Lip Nurture Hydrating Balm definitely gets the job done. I like this color quite a bit, but if you’re concerned about staining a blanket, scarf, or pashmina, they do make it in clear.
Step 10: Relaxation and Rest
Benefit: Reduces stress and promotes restful sleep.
Consider using a sleep mask and earplugs to block out distractions. Trade staring at the blue light device for an Audible book or podcast. Spend a little time at home trying to figure out a comfortable way to sleep. One of my favorite ways to sleep in-flight is on stacked inflatable pillows. They store rolled up in my flight bag, taking up essentially no space, and allow me to sleep supported but forward if I don’t have a window seat. The red version of this Klymit X inflatable camping pillow is a good size.
I hope you’ll find a significant difference in how you feel upon arrival by spending a few minutes taking care of yourself before dozing off in the clouds. By staying hydrated, maintaining clean and nourished skin, and resting, you’ll arrive at your destination refreshed and ready to enjoy your journey.
Wishing you an amazing journey!
