Our skin can get really dry when we travel, especially by airplane. This dryness is partly due to the high altitude and the recycling of the air in the plane. After traveling for years, I have my own skin care routine to protect my face from dehydration throughout the trip. The routine consists of a three-part treatment: before, during, and after the trip. I will also show you the facial masks I use.

Before the trip:

The night before I travel I exfoliate my face after using a cleanser. The purpose of exfoliating your face is to get rid of any dead skin cells and help the skin to effectively absorb any products I apply. After cleansing and exfoliation, I gently pat my favorite toner onto my skin. Then I use a facial mask in place of my regular serums.

The facial mask is the key to my skin care routine before airplane travel. The facial mask is usually made of cotton or a silky sheet which is soaked with nutrients and hydrating ingredients that help to boost the moisture level in the skin. One of the common ingredients in many brands of facial masks is hyaluronic acid, which effectively enhances the hydration level of the skin.

By applying the facial mask and keeping it on my cleaned face for 15 to 25 minutes, I am “bathing” my skin in the highly concentrated serum. Once I remove the mask and massage the remaining serum into my skin, my face is visibly more radiant and healthy. The last step in the before-trip treatment is to use a regular moisturizer to lock in the moisture I just applied to my skin.

This part of the routine prepares and protects my skin from dehydration during the airplane travel.

During the trip:

On long trips, on the night before arrival to my destination, I will apply another facial mask to my face before I go to bed. This part of the routine goes like this: cleanser, toner, facial mask, and moisturizer. There’s no need to exfoliate my skin since I already did so the night before. The purpose of using a second facial mask is to replenish the hydration level in the skin. This part of the routine is important, especially if I was staying in hotels; the air conditioning usually make my skin dry.

After the trip:

After I arrive home from the trip, my skin gets tired and dry from the travel. I would repeat the same routine as the day before the trip – cleanser, toner, facial mask for 25 minutes, and moisture.

Facial masks are really popular and less expensive in Asia than in the U.S. Whenever I travel to Asia I generally buy a lot of the facial masks and bring them back home to the U.S. for later use. Here are some of the brands that are available oversee as well as in the U.S. — My Beauty Diary, Kanebo Sensai Collection, SK-II.

I hope this skin care routine will be helpful to you the next time you travel.