Last week, I flew to Reno/Lake Tahoe for our family trip with Vivienne and Alice. JJ drove a few days prior with our car and belongings and I took a one-way flight with my in-laws. I wish I could say flying with the help was a breeze, but nothing can quite stress a mama out than not one but multiple meltdowns. Insert airport meltdown #1, midflight meltdown #2, and refusal to get into car seat meltdown #3. It was an exhausting day to say the least, not to mention what flying does to you and your skin in general, I was definitely feeling it all post flight and ready for some rest and relaxation. The following day, I treated my skin to some extra hydration using a couple of my favorite products. I wanted to share my recommendations and a little bit about what flying does to the skin.  

So, what exactly happens to your skin during a flight?

I did a little research because I wanted to share facts in this post and came across a 2016 article from Allure magazine, quoting Melissa Kanchanapoomi Levin, a clinical instructor in dermatology at Mountain Sinai Hospital in NYC.

“Your skin’s first beef with flying is the dry cabin air. Typically, skin is comfortable when the humidity is between 40 to 70 percent. Most Airplane cabins are at about 20 percent. That’s less than half of what we are used to.”

The result? With the lack of humidity, your hydration level decreases in your skin and results in dry, flaky, and red skin. 

So, what’s a girl (or guy) to do? 

1. Drink a lot of water before, during, and after the flight. 
2. If you can, go on the airplane with no makeup. This will give you less chance of producing oily skin or clogged pores. It is recommended that if you do have to wear makeup, mix your foundation with your moisturizer. 
3. During flight: It’s important to keep your skin clean and protected. Bring a toner spray and cotton to clean your face during and post flight. My favorite is Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Spray. Wear SPF and extra moisturizer. My go-to’s are Suntegrity and a combination of May Lindstrom Youth Dew and Kypris Antioxidant Dew. 
4. Hydrate your lips. I don’t know about you, but my lips are ALWAYS dry on flights. My two favorite options are Lip Doctor by Osmia and Fitglow Night Serum. 
5. Post flight: Wake up and hydrate the skin! I use Tata Harper Clarifying Cleanser, Tata Harper Boosted Contouring Eye Mask, Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Mask, and Fitglow Lip Night Serum. I let these products sit on my skin for about 45 minutes and then follow up with a good toner, serum, and moisturizer. My favorites are Tata Harper Concentrated Brightening Essence, Tata Harper Concentrated Brightening Serum, and a mix of Kypris Antioxidant Dew and May Lindstrom Youth Dew.

Then… Enjoy your trip because you DESERVE IT!

I hope this was helpful to all of you traveling this summer.

xo, Lola