This post will be some travel skincare tips and how to manage your skin care routine.
I travelled quite a bit in December, and it just put a few things into perspective. Particularly how I would be managing my skincare routine, especially since I’ll be travelling a lot more in the coming year. For context, I took half of my current full-sized skincare routine without my active ingredients for my first week-long trip. So, I simply focused on my cleanser, toners, essences and sunscreen. While it was such a great idea to take a break from my actives, and my skin thrived so much more in the process, I probably won’t do that again. It was such a hassle carrying the heavy toiletry bag everywhere.
I did not touch any of my skincare products for my next trip at all. Instead, I went into my backup stash and chose travel-sized products without actives. That was so much more convenient. While I’ll always be conflicted about parting with my dearest products for a bit, it’s so much better for my skin to get a breather and less stress for me.
This post is for any of us struggling to choose what skincare products to travel with.
Here Are Six Useful Travel Skincare Tips You Need.
Organizing your skincare products for a trip ultimately depends on the kind of trips you take. I have to downsize my products for someone like me who lives in Europe and has no choice but to pack light. But if you get to take extensive trips where you check in your luggage, you can just pick as many or few products as you wish.
So, while these tips are ultimately tailored for those that pack light, they can apply across the board.
Get travel-sized products.
It goes without saying that it is a great idea to get dedicated travel-sized products for your trips. They’re small and compact, and you don’t have to worry about going over the 100ml limit as most travel sizes tend to keep their sizes below 50ml. I found it a lot less stressful not having to unpack my skincare that I will use the same day I return. Plus, I frequently travel, so I prefer to have a pre-packed bag ready with my skincare products at all times.
So, I get travel sizes of the exact products I’m using or what I’ve used in the past to avoid getting an adverse reaction. Although sometimes I like to experiment, I try not to pack products with actives. I just stick to hydrating products. This gives me ample time to give my skin a break and reinforce my skin barrier. Thankfully, Korean Skincare has some of the best travel sizes, which come through for me every single time.
Decant your products into 100ml transparent bottles.
Personally, I’m not a fan of decanting products because I sometimes don’t go back to them, which becomes a waste. I also don’t like to guess what product is if I don’t label them. It’s just not my cup of tea when I can get cheap travel sizes. But if you don’t want that extra expense, you can totally decant them. Just make sure you label them correctly, exhaust them, and note their expiry dates, especially if you don’t travel frequently. It can be easy to forget them in your suitcase or in storage.
Avoid introducing new products; especially with actives.
When travelling, you’re unsure how your skin will react to a new product or even the water. You’re also not armed to treat unexpected breakouts, rashes or redness if anything happens. So, you’re better off just sticking to the basics. Get a hydrating cleanser, an emollient moisturizer and high protection sunscreen. If you want to throw in a toner, essence or serum, make sure it’s a product you have used in the past with no issues.
Try to keep your routine simple.
It can be tempting to go overboard, especially if you have an extensive routine. But trust me, your skin will be fine if you don’t exfoliate or use Retinol for a week. It will not fall off, I promise. Your acne or textural irregularities will not return because you’re doing the bare minimum. So, don’t panic; choose gentle, familiar products and stick to the basics.
Shop from retailers that give out free samples to save money.
For someone like me who is obsessed with Korean Skincare, I buy many products that come with tons of sample sachets. In fact, I had to throw some away while I was sorting my stash the other day because they were expired as I wasn’t able to travel during the pandemic. So, if you don’t want to spend that extra money on travel sizes, make sure you’re choosing your retailers wisely.
In this case, I prefer to shop at Jolse over Stylevana because the former gives a minimum of three samples for all orders. So, the more you shop, the more samples you’ll get. I order between $50 – $70, so I typically get about 11 different samples in total. You can imagine how many I’ve amassed over the years. The latter is a lot stingy as they hardly ever give free samples.
Store your products correctly.
You don’t want to be delayed by airport security for not organizing your products. I have a bunch of transparent PVC cosmetic bags for everything including my skincare products. This way, I can go through security with no issues whatsoever.
Finally,
The most important travel skin care tip is to never forget your sunscreen. Wherever you go, make sure your SPF 50+ is with you at all times and reapplied as needed.
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