13 Tips For Managing Sensitive Skin While Travelling

For those of us inflicted with skin conditions or general skin sensitivity, keeping skin healthy is a hard enough task while at home, nevermind travelling! While the average traveller worries about clogged pores and maintaining a radiant complexion, travellers with skin issues have a special set of challenges.

As a full-time traveller with eczema and psoriasis, sensitive skin maintenance is a big part of my life. During my worst flare in Central America, I could hardly walk because of the open eczema wounds on my feet.

After dozens of products and countless dermatologists, I’ve developed a skincare routine that helps me balance sensitive skin and travelling. These are the most helpful tips that I’ve discovered – use them to help maintain healthy skin while on the road.

In this article

• The Skincare And Travel Tips That Were A Game Changer For Me
• Steps To Manage Skin Before Travelling
• Steps To Manage Skin While Travelling
• Skincare And Travelling Questions Answered

The skincare and travel tips that were a game changer for me

My life is full of countless invisible safeguards against skin flares. Let’s start with the heavy hitters that do the most to keep my skin healthy.

1. Avoid new products, or shop the baby aisle. 

While travelling, stick to the products that you know your body reacts well to. Avoid all new products, including moisturisers, makeup, sunscreen, hair products, and soaps.

If you’re in a situation where buying new products is unavoidable, never use hotel toiletries. In my experience, these are probably the lowest-quality skin care products that exist. Maybe you stay at nicer hotels than I do, but there’s no reason to roll the dice.

Play it safe by shopping in the baby aisle. Skincare can differ a lot from country to country, but baby products are a generally reliable source of mindful products with fewer chemicals and fragrances. Bar soap and laundry detergent are the two most important products I buy from the baby aisle.

2. Hand Wash Clothes. 

Default laundry products are very chemical and fragrance-rich. Minimise your contact with these irritants by hand washing clothes yourself.

You can hand-wash clothes while travelling a number of ways:

1. Hotel bathroom via the sink or shower. The best budget option.
2. Portable wash bag (recommended: Scrubba Wash Bag). Great for light travellers.
3. Capsule washing machine (recommended: Wonderwash for off-grid laundry, GRINCHAT Portable Washer for hotel hopping). Ideal for RV travel, road trips, car camping, etc.

I’ve personally tested all of these methods (minus the GRINCHAT) and find that they get clothes sufficiently clean, but undergarments should be taken to a laundromat. Hand washing undergarments can lead to improper sanitation.

For long-term travel, consider renting an Airbnb/guesthouse/etc. that has a washing machine and pack or buy sensitive laundry detergent.

3. Bring Your Own Pillowcase. 

Minimise skin irritation, acne breakouts, and blemishes by bringing your own pillowcase and putting it on over all hotel or Airbnb pillows. For extra allergen protection, choose a silk pillowcase: it’s considered to be a somewhat hypoallergenic fabric.

4. Slug With Vaseline. 

“Slugging” is a form of intense hydration that can be done before flights or exposure to extreme dryness. To slug your skin, you apply your normal skin care products and then coat your skin with Vaseline. This locks in moisture and allows your products to absorb deeper into your skin.

Be careful to only do this with gentle moisturisers and not skincare products with active ingredients (such as these). This process is typically done at night, but it can result in greasy sheets and pillows. Try this process with care, or plan on immediately washing your bedding in the morning to avoid stains.

Steps To Manage Skin Before Travelling

Your skin shouldn’t hold you back from your travel plans, but you do need to plan accordingly. Take these steps to invest in healthy skin before you even leave home.

5. Drink Plenty Of Water. 

Before you reach for a hydrating mask or cleanser, remember that skin hydration starts on the inside. Prioritise water consumption for 3 days surrounding travel: the day before, the day you travel, and the day after.

If fluid intake is difficult to manage on these days, supplement with electrolytes. My favourite is LiquidIV.

6. Research Triggers In Destination. 

Exposure to poor air quality, hot and humid climates, and general allergens can cause skin to flare. Reflect on your past experiences with travel and see if you can predict any of your skin triggers. If you travel often, you may find that an allergy patch test or food sensitivity test can help you identify triggers and manage sensitive skin.

These are bigger-picture approaches to life with sensitive skin, and the results will vary for each person. head matter hotel toiletries. Personally, I found a patch test to be a great investment in my allergy maintenance. However, a 6-week food sensitivity study with a nutritionist didn’t reveal any food-related triggers.

7. Hydrate Intensely On Travel Days. 

Your hydration should cover both water consumption and product application. Apply moisturiser throughout travel days to all of your problem areas. For me, this is my hands and feet (eczema) and my elbows (psoriasis).

Also be aware of dry skin factors; air travel, in particular, can cause prolonged exposure to dry air (via circulated air in planes). On a long flight, consider reapplying your daily moisturiser, hyaluronic acid, or hydrating facial mist to prevent your skin from drying. On top of keeping skin healthy, this will also prevent a dull complexion and dark circles under your eyes.

8. Pack Non-Irritating Fabrics. 

Choose fabrics that are gentle on your skin. Ideally, all of your clothes would be comfortable and gentle on your skin. But you might have that odd outfit in your closet that you can’t seem to get rid of, even though it makes you itch.

All scratching poses a risk to your skin. When you scratch open the top layers of skin, dirt from your fingernails easily gets in and creates an additional irritation. Consider leaving those items at home to save your skin from irritation. I would extend this to your feet as well: avoid shoes that rub and cause blisters.

Steps To Manage Skin While Travelling

You know how to prepare for your upcoming trip! Now, let’s look at how to keep your skin healthy while you’re on the road.

9. Set Reminders For Your Skincare Routine. 

Changing time zones and experiencing jet lag can make a skincare routine difficult to maintain, but those of us with sensitive skin can’t roll the dice or our skin will suffer.

Don’t sway from your routine surrounding:

• Cleansing
• Moisturising
• Wearing fragrance-free sunscreen
• Taking medications for your skin

Set reminders on your phone if you struggle with your skincare routine while travelling, or you’ll be more prone to dry skin, flares, and sunburn.

10. Maintain General Health During Flares. 

You can worsen your skin by ignoring your overall physical health. When skin is flaring, be cautious of too much time in the sun, alcohol consumption, lack of sleep, dehydration, etc.

11. Never Skip Sunscreen.

Sunburn makes irritated skin even more uncomfortable, plus it contributes to future skin cancer risk. Protect daily against the sun’s ultraviolet rays with an SPF moisturiser that you’ve already tested on your skin.

12. Avoid Hot Springs, Hot Tubs, Etc. 

“Take warm showers, not hot showers.”

This piece of advice is a catchphrase of every board-certified dermatologist in the world (at least it feels that way). Those of us with sensitive skin have been given this advice all our lives, and it can help stop further irritation while travelling.

13. Have Patience And React Quickly.

You can’t predict every irritation that you’ll encounter while travelling. I’ll never forget the shock of discovering scented toilet paper in Croatia (“champagne peach” was the exact scent, if you can even imagine).

Do your best to protect your skin, and then react quickly when flares occur. As soon as you see your skin has redness, itchiness, breakouts, or general irritation, consider taking these steps:

• Avoid irritant (if you can identify it)
• Stay hydrated (water)
• Extra moisturiser on dry skin
• Non-drowsy antihistamines
• Additional nighttime antihistamines
• Topical steroid for eczema/psoriasis flares, general rashes, etc. (prescription)
• Wear sunscreen
• Reduce sun exposure

Skincare And Travelling Questions Answered

Let’s quickly talk about the FAQs around skincare and travel.

Written by: Kayla Ihrig