Welcome to our new column with blogger and beauty influencer Muniq Bakare-Saba — and we’re excited to announce her as our newest BNS contributor! Each month, she’ll be sharing all of her tips and tricks—from her beauty faves to the new products and procedures she’s currently loving. For this column, we asked her to share a breakdown of how she manages her skin for those long haul flights. Enjoy!
I LOVE travelling, exploring new places, food and cultures. I’ve taken many long flights over the years, the longest being a direct 14hour flight!! Flying takes such a toll on your body and skin, so having a good in-flight skincare routine means you don’t arrive like you crawled to your destination.
I would also suggest ONLY using products you have used before or products your skin is used to. Don’t be like me who used on board an 8-hour flight a cute [that I have never used] sample night time cream that I reacted TERRIBLY to! I had to constantly rush to the bathroom in 30 minute intervals to splash water on my dry, tight and stinging face. Safe to say, it was the most unpleasant flight and I never made that mistake again.
Below are some of my go-to skincare tips to get you through that long flight
Hand Sanitizer/Wet Wipes
I’m not a germaphobe but you never know what you might encounter when travelling and it’s best to be prepared. I like having one or both of these handy cause sometimes the bathroom is occupied and I’m honestly too lazy to go queue. Doing an inflight skincare routine means you definitely have to touch your face to apply any products and you want your hands to be clean and bacteria free before you do so.
Drink Water
#StayHydrated! The air pressure on the plane is super super drying, add food high in sodium and alcohol into the mix and you have dehydrated body and skin. I like to buy a big 1ltr bottle of water or a couple smaller ones before the flight because during the flight they never give you enough water, you need more than a mini cup of water to get you through along haul flight.
Moisture Mask
Don’t be shy to mask in-flight! I used to be so shy to put masks on during a flight but now I don’t care, I mask anywhere! You can use a gel mask, cream mask or sheet mask during or before your flight, anything BUT clay. I love applying a sheet mask in-flight because I don’t have to worry about exceeding my liquid allowance [I can pack multiple on board], results are instant and I can take cute plane selfies with my mask!
Rich Moisturizer/ Night Time Moisturizer
Please let this be something you already use! Sometimes if on the off chance I don’t have a mask on hand I will slather on an ample amount of a rich night time moisturizer, so it acts as a kind of cream mask. A layer can also be used after a sheet mask
Face Oils
Oils do not moisturize. However, adding a few drops of your favourite non-comeodogenic face oil to your moisturizer or on top of your moisturizer can help lock in some much needed moisture.
Sunscreen
If you’re a frequent flyer, you know the window seat is the next best thing after extra leg room! But with great power comes great responsibilities, you are 20,000 feet closer to the sun, UV rays penetrate through more easily and can damage your skin. Applying and re-applying your sunscreen every 2 hours [day-flight] is essential in protecting your skin as is keeping the blinds shut!
Hand Cream
Just like your face your body can get dry travelling, change in weather and harsh soaps. I really hate my hands being dry so I always have some hand cream in my little travel pouch of liquids, even better is a travel sized body lotion you can use on your feet.
Lip Balm
When I’m dehydrated, like a lot of people, my lips chap. It’s not cute. Packing a hydrating lip balm is a must for a flight and in life, so instead of making things worse by licking [Guilty!] I try to re-apply throughout the flight even if that sometimes means looking like I just ate a greasy meal.
Whether you’re travelling by plane, car or train these skincare travel tips can be applied so you arrive at your destination with glowing hydrated skin!
