If you are lucky enough to be jetting off on holiday soon, you might want to consider giving you skin a bit of extra love before, during and after your flight.
Whilst it will differ slightly from aircraft to aircraft, the typical cabin is exceptionally dry and dehydrating. At around 12 percent humidity, the air is drier than most deserts. In order to arrive to your destination looking as fabulous as possible, it is important to hydrate and moisturise before and during your flight.
To get the opinion of someone who has A LOT of experience with this, we had a chat to a Senior Cabin Crew member for a major UK airline. She does over 50 long haul flights a year, so we figure she knows what she is talking about.
“When we (the crew), board the plane to do our safety checks, we often start by grabbing big bottles of still water and writing our names on them. This way we are sure to monitor how much we are drinking during the flight. I try make sure I have had at least half a litre of water every 90 minutes. Being on duty, of course means we abstain completely from alcohol. I never drink the days leading up to a long-haul flight either.”
She goes on to say that “I have a very particular hydrating and moisturising regime as well. I try to use micellar products for cleansing as far as possible to avoid stripping the skin of the oils that keep it moisturised. I then layer serums and oils on clean skin before applying a rich moisturiser. I sometimes even use my night cream during day flights as it’s richer than my day cream. I use a moisturising foundation, and creamy make-up products rather than powder based wherever possible – my blush and eye shadow for example.”
She goes on to explain that after the flight, it is important to remove all make up and impurities and rehydrate. “We arrive at our different destinations any time day or night. Regardless, the first thing I do when I get to our hotel is to cleanse my face thoroughly and apply a serum. I then restart the moisturising process. Either with my normal moisturising routine, or a face mask. After that I am ready to go out and enjoy the town which is my favourite part of the job; I get to travel to places I would never be able to otherwise!”
To summarise, the insider’s tips to staying hydrated on board:
- Drink plenty of water
- Avoid alcohol
- Use micellar products to cleanse
- Layer several humectants (products that help bind moisture in your skin – usually found in serums), oils and moisturisers before applying make-up (if you need to wear make-up at all!)
And, as you are not working the flight, you can rehydrate and moisturise your skin in-flight with hydrating face sprays, or why not do a quick pre-landing, replenishing face mask to ensure you arrive at your destination, skin glowing, like you have already been on holiday…?
Click here to find out more about the Face Dry Mask.
Click here to find out more about the Micellar Cleansing Gel.
Click here to find out more about the Face Serum with humectants.