Long Haul Flight Essentials

Do you ever wonder how celebrities land looking impossibly-flawless after a long flight? Long flights can be exhausting as it’s difficult to fall asleep, and there's not a lot of room to move around. The dry and low humidity in the cabins can also leave your skin feeling drained and thirsty.

I’ve got you covered for your next long-haul flight. Now that traveling is picking up again, let me share some in-flight essentials to update your travel bags so you can take off with confidence and land feeling fresh and revitalised .

 Hydration is number one when it comes to prepping for a long flight to compensate for the dryness in the cabins. Although you receive a few small bottles during the flight, I always make sure to take a slightly larger water bottle with me on board and kindly ask the flight attendant to fill it up for me throughout the flight.

Although drinking lots of water will bring you the tedious task of getting up to go to the bathroom every hour, your skin will thank you for quenching it’s thirst . Meanwhile, you can get a good stretch in and get the blood flowing! If you’ve read my previous article on the secrets to beautiful skin, I have emphasised the importance of blood flow to the skin to transport nutrients throughout your body and remove all harmful toxins.

Another tip to stay hydrated is to pack some fruits or vegetables with a high water content to snack on throughout the flight such as cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes, cucumbers, and celery. Not only can they quench your thirst, but they’re packed with vitamins and minerals encouraging healthy-looking skin.

I don’t know about you, but I always crave all things bad to snack on whilst catching up on in-flight movies. Packing healthy snacks such as fruits and vegetables keeps me away from opting for the chips or chocolate offered that could make me break out even more.

 The first thing you should do when you get on a flight is disinfecting your surroundings. You will touch everything: the seatbelts, the armrest, the table, etc. Before you know it you will be touching your face too and letting in all the grubby microbes.

Hence why you should carry some alcohol wipes to make sure that everything around you is sanitized, even your hands.

Once your hands are nice and sanitized, you can comfortably start your skincare routine to prepare for take-off.

First stop hydration-nation; the dryness of the flight cabins drains all the hydration from your skin, causing an overproduction of sebum which makes your skin breakout.

Not to mention the fact that you have to wear a mask the entire flight which causes even more stress and worsens your breakouts.

To prevent breakouts from occurring, it is beneficial to make sure your skin is cleansed and hydrated throughout the whole flight. Apply an antioxidant-rich serum to your skin and seal it with an ultra-hydrating moisturizer. 

Chatelier’s antioxidant-rich Pure Cell Protection is the perfect travel buddy. A layer of Pure Cell Protection creates a protective barrier against UV and prevents microbes and toxins from entering your skin.

Top it off with Creme Vitale to regenerate and leave your skin feeling soft and supple.

Next stop; if you are looking to reduce inflammation, jade rollers are an amazing tool to have handy. The gentle massage can elevate your entire skincare routine. I like to use it after applying my serum and moisturizer so that it can help my skin to soak in the benefits.

The jade roller helps to stimulate circulation in the facial muscles. This can help to drain toxins, reduce inflammation and lessen the appearance of under-eye circles leaving you looking bright and awake after your flight.

Last stop. What you may not notice is how strong the sun is. Although you feel covered inside the cabins, the sun reflects through the glass on the windows. Especially when flying in high altitudes, your UV exposure increases even more.

Therefore, it is highly recommended to apply sunscreen every few hours to protect your skin from sun damages and inflammation.

Now you’re ready to land looking tireless and refreshed. Whether you have to go straight to a meeting, or see someone special, no one will ever know you’ve spent hours in the air.  

Written by Simone Hoogendoorn