Preparing for a holiday can be stressful and take a toll on the body. From tiredness, irritability, anxiety and so much more. Physically the body goes through quite a bit as well, due to the change of environment. This is why hydration is essential as this helps the body function as normal and prevents breakouts from happening.
Travelling especially on a plane can take a lot out of the body, including moisture. Humidity has a big role in this. Humidity is the amount of evaporated water that is currently in the air. The percentage can change depending on weather conditions in different countries. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that the average humidity in homes is at 30%, whilst on a plane, it is normally lower than 20%.
Low humidity can be responsible for different types of discomfort in the body. Eyes rely on a moisturising tear barrier to be able to function properly. Dry eyes can come with a scratching burning sensation and cause sensitivity to light, blurry vision and red eyes. In a low humidity environment, the eyes create the normal tear barrier but the water evaporates quickly. Plus, someone who is watching some form of a screen on a plane, whether television or phone, is more likely to blink less often. Blinking helps to distribute the moisture around the eyeball.
Similarly, with the mouth and nose lack of humidity causes dehydration. Like the eyes, both areas suffer from water evaporating quickly in environments with low humidity. Also, people tend to drink less whilst on a plane for two main reasons. The first one being when the beverage cart comes around to them and the second being people trying to avoid frequent trips to the toilet on the flight. By drinking less water, actually worsens the dry mouth and nose. The same goes for skin as well, as hydration starts internally. When the skin is not properly hydrated, this causes the skin to be more prone to breakouts.
Hydration starts from inside the body and affects everything. Before flying, it is ideal to hydrate as normal and continue to stay hydrated whilst on the fly. Using skin care products helps to seal in moisture for the skin but it is important to drink water to keep the body hydrated.
It is important to hydrate the body with water mainly instead of caffeinated or alcoholic beverages. The main reason these types of beverages have diuretic properties, which means the drinks will make the kidneys produce more urine, resulting in more trips to the toilet. Also, the plane environment is doing the opposite of hydrating, so this will dehydrate the body even further. This also means that it will take even more fluid to rehydrate the body.
Wearing a thicker moisturiser whilst travelling can help the skin stay moisturised for longer. Moisturisers that have olive or jojoba oil, lactic or hyaluronic acid and glycerin are very good for moisturizing the skin. Reapplying mid-flight is also another way to keep the skin hydrated but it is important to be hydrated before the travelling process starts.
A plane is 10,000 feet closer to the sun, so this increases the chances of sunburn whilst travelling. Numerous studies have shown that there is a high probability of flight attendants and pilots getting skin cancer. Someone who is sitting next to the window seat could close their blind but this person cannot control the actions of others, so it is better to be safe than sorry.
It is tempting to use the free products that are given whilst travelling, but the majority of these products are generic skincare and will suit someone who has normal skin that is not prone to many common skin issues. But for people who have dry, oily, sensitive or combination skin, this can do the opposite and cause the skin to break out. It is worth getting some travel-sized bottles and using skincare products that have actively worked for the person before they travelled. Another useful tip is labelling each bottle so that skincare can be used both correctly and in the correct order.
Some people want to look their best whilst travelling but some habits are quite drying and do the skin no favours at all. Such habits like long-lasting makeup products, makeup wipes and face mists actually do the reverse. With long-lasting makeup products and makeup wipes, they both suck out more moisture out of the skin. Then with a facial mist, because the mist is just water on the skin, it evaporates quicker off the skin, especially in an environment that lacks moisture.
When flying, it is a better option to not wear contacts if possible. In normal circumstances, contact lenses can interfere with the tear barrier and make the eyes drier as they block oxygen from getting to the eye. Additionally, it is a foreign object to the body, which the body may not accept naturally. Another reason not to wear contact lenses whilst flying, when travelling for long periods of time, people tend to fall asleep and this will further dry out eyes, especially in an environment with low humidity. If wearing glasses is not an option, carrying eye drops can be really helpful, but it might not relieve redness within the eye.
This spray can help add moisture to the nasal passages whilst in the cabin of the plane if the nose feels uncomfortably dry.
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