Vacations give us the much needed recharge we all need for our mind, body and soul. But the travel and tours can take a toll on your skin which make our handy all natural tips an essential for every holiday!

Don’t you just love to travel to an unknown city, town or beach and explore the people, the fun things and of course – the food? As humans, it is very important for us to take a break from the daily hustle and go have some ME time or, US time if you’re going with the family. You are so much at peace while on a vacay, chilling at the poolside, sipping coconut water or even trekking in the snowclad peaks of Ladakh. Aah, this is life! As much fun traveling is, it kind of takes a toll on your skin and we will tell you why.

Any change to your typical humidity, air quality, temperature, or sun exposure levels can lead to things like dryness, redness, and acne. Not to mention that skin can get super dry while on a plane and then compensate by overproducing oil, leaving your face dehydrated but somehow also breaking out. Let’s address the elephant in the room – travelling is a wee bit stressful. The planning, execution, catching a flight on time, airport rush, all of it stresses you out. Stress increases inflammation and causes the hormone cortisol to spike, which can stimulate sebaceous glands and lead to breakouts. Cortisol also gets unleashed by an erratic sleep schedule or unhealthy vacation diet. Finally, you may not sleep as well when you’re away from home, and that can disrupt the skin’s repair process.

During all this, your skin is probably the last thing on your mind, but you don’t have to worry about it. Your travel skin care regimen should not be complicated or time-consuming. All it takes is a little planning, which this article will show you how to do.

25 Natural Skincare Tips During Travel

Let’s start with what you should pack in your skincare bag:

1. Carry facial wipes in a Ziplock bag. You can use them anywhere – in the airplane, while traveling in a bus or car, while sitting at the beach, or in your hotel room. We never promote the use of single-use facial wipes which not only harm the skin but are also major pollutants. Keeping that in mind, you can carry reusable facial wipes or even make your own at home! Get a few pieces of soft cloth and dampen them in a mixture of aloe vera along with a few drops of sweet almond oil. Store these pieces of cloth in an air tight container.

2. On the other hand, if carrying facial wipes is not possible, you can carry a simple spray bottle with rose water and a few drops of coconut oil and use it as a facial mist and moisturizer.

3. Travel-friendly natural face wash is your skin saver during rough travel. Soundaryah’s Youthful Glow Herbal Face Wash gives you clean yet super moisturized skin to tackle any skin dryness during travelling. A natural facial cleanser is more important than your chemical-laden serums and under eye creams. A daily cleanser makes sure that at the end of the day, your skin is devoid of dirt, pollution, and impurities. Unclean skin is a strict no-no wherever you are!

4. After a long day of sightseeing, a nourishing face mask is exactly what your skin needs. You face goes through a lot while travelling therefore having a soothing night cure is such a blessing. Soundaryah’s Brightening Face Masque is a go-to for this.

5. Don’t carry a lot of make up as there is an issue of it spilling all over your bag and ruining your fabulous outfits. Instead, carry a multi-purpose natural lip or cheek tint. You can use this tint as eyeshadow, blush and even lipstick/gloss.

6. Don’t remove make up with make up remover or wipes. If you are going to use a makeup cleansing wipe, still use a hydrating gentle cleanser afterwards to make sure you’ve removed the dirt and oil from your face. Or even better, just carry a small bottle of coconut oil and massage coconut oil all over your face to remove make up before rinsing it off!

7. In case you suffer with mascne (mask-acne) due to constantly wearing a mask while travelling, you can always carry your handy dandy Soundaryah’s Anti Acne Healing Face Pack.

8. Most importantly, Do Not Ditch SPF. It may not occur to you to slather on sunscreen when you’ll be spending most of the day in the airport or on a plane, but it’s a good habit to get into. Although sunscreen should be applied every day, it is essential on travel days, especially on a plane when you’re even closer to the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

9. Last but not the least, carry a trusty bottle of water. Your body needs to replenish all the moisture it loses during travel and the easiest way to do that is to keep your body hydrated from the inside. Drinking lots and lots of water may make you feel bloated but nothing is worth compromising your skin over!

Less is More:

We recommend packing light when it comes to skincare so that you get more space to fit all the new travel shopping! Thus, for your convenience we have launched our newest line of Soundaryah Skincare Minis!

It is very important to pack lightly during travel. One of the biggest reasons being, it saves you a lot of backache. Heavy luggage tends to put strain on your muscles, making you tired and bored of travelling. Already you must be having outfits planned out for your 5-day trip, excess weight of skincare products will reduce the space in your bag. Also, if you are travelling by air, there is always a limit as to how many products you can carry in your bag. Plus, if you happen to carry a whole full-sized skincare kit with you, it might get damaged or spilt during travel. That’s a waste of money as well as your favourite natural skincare products! When you only pack the essentials, your skin maintains its pH balance even if there’s a climatic change without tampering its health with multiple products.

Natural Skincare Tips According to Your Skin Type:

The state of our skin has a deep impact on our physical and emotional wellbeing.  But maintaining healthy looking skin does not just mean having a flawless complexion during vacay; our skin and especially our facial skin is constantly detoxifying, repairing and shedding cells and we need to take care of it lovingly and patiently.

One of the best ways to ensure great skin health during travel is to incorporate An Essential Skin Care Routine into our daily lives – something that is simple, easy to follow and effective for our skin health over the long term. So here is a quick travel-friendly essential day and night time skin care routine which can be done within five to ten minutes from start to finish.

For All Skin Types:

1. Cleansing – washing our face

We have spoken about the vital importance of maintaining healthy pores for good skin health in our Medical Fact File. Just washing our face twice a day with warm water and following it up with a splash of cold water will unclog and tighten our pores and ensure marked reduction in our skin concerns.  Please refrain from using hotel soaps as face washes as it can strip our skin of its natural oils as well as cause multiple skin problems. Plain warm water, oils, and Soundaryah’s herbal face wash suits all skin types in all weather conditions.

2. Toning – balancing the facial skin

Toners are simply thin liquids which help in balancing the skin to its natural supple state, which are especially needed after we have cleansed our faces from oil and pollutants. A lot of toners are alcohol based which dry up the skin and can be harmful over the long term. Pick a soothing and gentle toner or better still opt for natural nutrient rich toners like pure rose water or green tea. A travel hack is to soak hotel green tea bags in water overnight and then use the water as a natural toner for your skin!

3. Moisturizing – hydrating our skin

The main function of moisturizing is to keep our skin well hydrated and soft. The upper layers of our skin are prone to getting dry, especially with climate change and a suitable moisturizer basically helps to complement our skins natural balance as well as lock in the protective oils and ceramides that are produced by our skin. Using a moisturizer according to the type of your skin is very important. Ideally an oily skin type would need more of a water-based moisturizer while a dry skin type would require more of an oil-based product. Using a natural herbal face pack is also a great way to moisturize and balance your skin.

4. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.
5. Avoid direct sunlight, and wear a hat and sunglasses.
6. Don't smoke.
7. Stay hydrated.
8. Wash your skin gently but thoroughly every day and never wear makeup to bed.
9. Layering on multiple skincare products all at once is a big no-no. It can be harsh on the skin, resulting in more breakouts and clogged pores.
10. Don’t touch your face: Figuring out how to avoid touching your face is very important. It doesn't just spread bacteria and cause breakouts — it can lead to scarring, an increase in wrinkles, and even the flu or other viruses.
11. Every skin expert emphasizes the importance of hydration. A lack of water means less radiance and more sag. Drink around eight glasses of water a day.
12. Eat Healthy: Your skin acts as an excretory system to get rid of substances that don’t agree with your body. In the case of dairy, it is mucus-forming and can be difficult for the body digest—which is why many people are lactose intolerant. So, when you get too much dairy for your body to digest, it may come out in the form of cystic acne (hard, painful bumps under the skin) on the chin and jawline area.
13. Get proper full night’s sleep even if you’re jet lagged. This is very important for the skin cells to regenerate and to be rebooted.
14. Try a lymphatic drainage massage before bed. Use some trusty coconut oil and your fingers to slowly massage your face.
15. For dry skin, massage in circular motions upward. Start at the base of the neck where your arteries are. Massage in gentle circles upwards, toward the jaw, up the sides of the face, and around the eyes. This will help coax nutrients into the tissue.
16. You want to do the opposite motion and start on the top of the face by the eyes if you are prone to breakouts—this will draw the waste away. Lymphatic drainage massage can completely change the look of someone’s face and is a great, under-the-radar skincare tip.

For Oily Skin:

17. Wash oily skin no more than twice a day and after you sweat a lot.
18. Use a gentle cleanser and don't scrub if you have oily skin.
19. Don't pick, pop, or squeeze pimples. They'll take longer to heal.
20. Oily skin is prone to getting acne especially due to sudden change in climate. Therefore, always keep your handy dandy Anti Acne Face Mask Mini in your skincare pouch.

For Dry Skin:

21. Take shorter showers and baths, no more than once daily.
22. Use mild, gentle soaps or cleansers. Avoid deodorant soaps.
23. Don't scrub while bathing or drying.
24. Smooth on a thin layer of coconut or almond oil while the skin is still moist. This is the best chemical free and all-natural way to lock in the body's moisture and keep dry skin at bay. Reapply as needed throughout the day.
25. Use a humidifier, and don't let indoor temperatures get too hot.

All of this information might seem overwhelming to us during the hassle of travelling but all it takes is a little bit of planning beforehand and you are ready to take on the challenge. What’s more, having a few minutes of self-care can create great impacts on our emotional and mental wellbeing as well. We hope this article helps ensure utmost care of your skin without taking much efforts and happy travels!