The time is finally here when you bring your holiday closet to the forefront, pull out bold and bright pink and orange lipsticks from your vanity, and allow your excitement to reach its zenith as you head out for your much-awaited sojourn. Your in-flight checklist probably comprises a bunch of essentials— your passport, boarding pass, a bar of your favourite chocolate, and more. In all the flurry of activity, you may inadvertently give your skincare requirements a miss.
What we need for our skin becomes pretty different while in an airplane, owing to a major dip in humidity levels. Generally, the humidity in Indian cities ranges from 50 to 99 per cent, while on flight, it dips to as little as 1 to 20 per cent. The lack of humidity translates into a lack of moisture as well, which can result in a bunch of skin woes like extreme dehydration, exaggerated dryness or oiliness, fatigued-looking skin, irritation and so forth. If you’re hell-bent on keeping away from the “plane face”, trust this story to be your best in-flight skincare guide.
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Wait, what’s a “plane face”?
Before you get into the nitty-gritty of the what, how and why of in-flight skincare, it’s important to understand what lies behind the phenomenon called ‘plane face’ or ‘flight face’, which boast 1.7 million and 390K views respectively on TikTok. But what do these terms mean? Plane face refers to dehydrated, parched and taut-feeling skin that has been deprived of moisture because of the dearth of humidity inside the cabin, resulting in transepidermal water loss (TEWL)
Moreover, things can quickly escalate from bad to worse if the time spent on the flight surpasses three hours. What is likely to follow includes clogged pores, redness, itchiness, severe dryness and dehydration, sunken under eyes and chapped lips.
The antidote lies in the routine
It’s clear by now that a lack of moisture and humidity are the biggest menaces for your skin during the time spent on the flight. And thus, any and every effort to replenish that lost moisture is the need of the hour. Below are a few skincare tips that you must affix to your mental pinboard before you hop onto a flight.
1. Try your best to give makeup a miss
Letting a full face of makeup sit on your skin for prolonged hours, especially in an environment that makes for a perfect case to dry out your skin, will only invite pesky problems like congestion, clogged pores, excess sebum production, pimples, acne and the likes. Before your flight, it’s best to double-cleanse your skin and copiously layer on a non-comedogenic moisturiser in place of any makeup.
2. Be wary of salty foods and spirits
Such foods—rich in sodium and alcohol—act as catalysts in dehydrating your skin further and mushrooming the overall damage.
3. Hydrate, rehydrate, and repeat
To stop your skin from feeling taut and vulnerable to dryness along with all its ill effects, keep skincare products like a refreshing facial mist, sheet mask, lip balm, hand cream, a skin-friendly moisturiser (opt for a mini that is travel friendly) and single-use under-eye patches handy in your cabin luggage.
4. Factor in the flight hours
This information is paramount in building an effective in-flight skincare routine. For a longer journey, toss sunscreen in your handbag. And, if you’re foreseeing a nap, make sure to throw in sleep accessories like an eye mask, noise-blocking ear plugs, sleep-stimulating facial oil and, should you need them, then melatonin gummies as well.
For some extra self-care, a face tool and face oil in your handbag can equip you to indulge in a quick lymphatic drainage-boosting facial massage during your flight. Ensure you’re following basic hygiene before touching your face, and you’ll find yourself landing with a fresh face every time you fly.
Cover Image : Instagram/@gelcream
