Skincare isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity, no matter where you are.
When you travel, do you stop showering? Brushing your teeth? Washing your hair? Probably not. So why should skincare be any different?
If you’ve managed to nail your skincare routine lately (probably thanks to some pretty damn amazing products), you don’t want to undo all your work by breaking routine and neglecting your skin. You’ve come too far to let it all go to waste.
Not to mention travel can be rough on your skin. Extra sun, one too many craft beers, the stress of catching your flight on time and even a change in your environment — such as air or water quality — can all wreak havoc on your skin. In fact, skincare might just be even more important while travelling than when you’re at home living the nine-to-five life.
The portable skincare principles
Before you go throwing every skincare product you own into your suitcase, there are a few things you need to consider.
Approach travel skincare essentials like you would when packing your wardrobe. You wouldn’t put every single item of clothing you own into a suitcase. You’d probably take the essentials that you can easily carry.
With skincare, this means paring down your routine while maintaining effectiveness. This might mean sticking to the essentials but leaving the extras at home (we’ll go into which products to take below). Maybe you decide not to shave on your trip to save time as well as room in your suitcase— why not hit up the local barber instead? Or bring electric clippers?
There’s also the matter of space. Rather than taking the entire bottle, decant enough product into smaller travel bottles. This means you don’t have to leave your favourite products at home because the bottle itself is too heavy.
And don’t forget to make sure everything is well-sealed and kept in a dedicated toiletries bag to avoid spilling your favourite product and ruining the contents of your suitcase at the same time.
Skincare travel essentials
● Face wash
Whether you’re going to be running around the smog of San Francisco, hiking in the humidity of Thailand or spending a lot of time sitting on crowded flights, you need to wash the day’s grime off your face every night.
● Body wash
Travel can be hard work, and that means sweat— which means you might not smell too fresh at the end of the day (sorry). Water definitely isn’t going to cut it, so make sure you bring a reliable body wash.
When travelling, bottles are always easier to transport than bars of soap. Leave your favourite bar at home and bring a liquid version instead. Let’s just hope your housemate doesn’t use it while you’re away...
● Moisturiser with SPF
Moisturising morning and night is crucial, so why not save space with a two-in-one moisturiser?
Unless you’re only leaving your hotel under the cover of night like some kind of nightclub vampire, you’re going to need SPF. The sun can mess you up in many ways, and one of those ways is making you look old. No thanks.
If you can make room for one more travel bottle, bring a scrub. It will make you feel fresh after a long day of travel, or at least brighten up your skin to hide the fact that you’ve spent more hours than you’d like to admit on a packed train with no air conditioning.
● Shaving
If you do insist on shaving while travelling, make sure you pack not only a razor but products to soothe and protect your skin both while you shave and after.
This means not just an awesome Aftershave Lotion, but a Shave Gel, too. Because stealing your Airbnb host’s shaving cream isn’t cool.
● Travel bag
Last but certainly not least, you’ll need a toiletries bag to pack all your travel skincare essentials. Make sure it’s not only stylish (check out our range!) but is the right size to fit your products.
Whether you’re going away for a weekend trip or embarking on a year-long adventure, don’t leave home without a toiletries bag that fits all the essentials.
Know someone who’s about to jet off and needs to look their best? Do them a solid and give them the gift of looking amazing on their holiday. After all, Charles + Lee products are the best damn gift you can bring to a going away party. Yes, even better than a bottle of tequila.