Travel is great for the soul. But it can be an absolute nightmare for your skin.

Between switching climates, rapidly changing your diet, flying in dry planes, swimming in saltwater, and so much more, travel can take a huge toll on your look.

But it doesn’t have to.

You can’t keep a suitcase’s worth of cosmetics with you when you’re hiking the Himalayas. And would you really want to? All those pharmaceutical chemicals contribute to pollution that makes the world a little less beautiful.

Luckily, there are some natural tricks that will keep your skin glowing while lightening your load and protecting the planet.

Who knows? You may never go back to those goops and creams after you see how well these natural skincare hacks work!

Natural Skincare Tricks for Travelers

Ditch the Liquids

Most of your skincare products are liquids. That’s a problem for travel.

First off, you can’t carry any liquid products on a plane unless you’ve bought them after going through security at the airport or they’re 100 ml or less in size.

Sure, you could put them in a checked bag, but that’s going to cost you money every time you fly. And liquids and creams are heavy and take up space. They could add up to a few pounds to your bag, and when you’re living on the road, this makes a huge difference.

Almost all seasoned travelers have an “explosion” story as well – the time a bottle of something exploded in their bag and ruined half their stuff.

So instead of dragging around heavy liquids, only bring the very essentials (we’ll get to those next), and replace the rest with non-liquid care items.

Supplements

Another popular way to get rid of liquids is to switch to supplements. Like the Dermroller, supplements are a way to heal skin from the inside.

Some of the best supplements for skincare include:

• B complex
• Holy basil
• Turmeric
• Omega 3s
• Probiotics

Some of these help to improve skin directly and others help indirectly. It’s always a good idea to take some supplements when you’re on the go depending on your body, diet, and habits.

Dietary changes can have a big impact on your skin, so taking supplements can help to keep a baseline of nutrition and protect your skin. A big bottle of supplements can last you a month, and it weighs less than a jar of face cream.

Make Your Products Work Harder

You’ll have to pack a few liquids, but the ones you choose should do double, triple, or quadruple duty. Anything that just serves one purpose shouldn’t find its way into your bag.

For example, we don’t go anywhere without Dr. Bronner’s soap. For a while, we used bars of soap (to ditch the liquids!), but Dr. Bronner’s is so versatile that it saves loads of time and space.

You can use it to wash your face, hair, hands, and body. And because it’s all-natural, it’s easy on skin and hair. Apart from skincare, you can also use Dr. Bronners for:

• Brushing your teeth
• Doing dishes
• Washing clothes
• Rinsing produce
• Cleaning tools and surfaces
• Much more!

It’s a no-brainer for travelers. And, just one bottle lasts ages because it can be diluted.

Coconut Oil

Another awesome multi-purpose skincare item is coconut oil. You can use it as a moisturizer, an acne treatment, or a skin protectant, and it’s also good at reducing inflammation, irritation, and eczema.

If you want to get real natural, you can also use coconut oil to protect your skin from the sun (but we prefer sun cream!). It can even help to heal small cuts (ideal for adventurers!), and you can pick it up anywhere, including online from shops like Gold Bee.

Coconut oil’s superpowers don’t stop there either. It’s also very healthy to eat and cook with. Add some to your water to get its metabolism-boosting and brain health benefits. Or, pour a little in a pan and cook a delicious meal on the go.

Coconut oil does it all!

Never Fly Unprepared

You can hike the sweatiest jungle. You can swim in the dirtiest lake. You can freeze your nose off in the arctic. But no matter where you go on Earth, there’s almost no worse place for your skin than the pressurized cabin of an airplane.

And if you fly unprepared (especially long-haul flights), you could deal with the cosmetic fallout for weeks after.

Plane cabins are extremely dry. Not only can this make your skin crack to the point of bleeding, but it will also trigger your body to produce more natural oils.

This can lead to instant breakouts, enlarged pores from excess sebum, and a sick, greasy skin feel that looks about as good as it feels.

When you fly, you need to prep your skin by taking these precautions:

Once you’re off the plane, your skin will be able to breathe again. But, you’ll still need to take care for the next 24 hours or so to prevent breakouts and cracked skin.

Wash your face and moisturize as soon as you can, and make sure to take it easy and hydrate for the first evening in your destination.

Keep a Routine

One of the primary reasons that your skin suffers when you travel is due to a loss of routine. If you’ve changed your locations, your skincare products, and your daily activities, your skin can get left behind in the shuffle.

Whether your traveling short or long-term, be mindful of your skin and think about your new skincare routine and what it will entail.

You may be moisturizing with coconut oil instead of cream. You might be using a Dermroller once or twice a week instead of applying a facial mask. Or, you could simply need to hydrate more to make up for the climate of your destination.

Whatever it is, write it down and make it official. Then, do it EVERY DAY. You may want to practice your new routine a week before you start traveling so you can get a feel for the pattern.

Giving your skin a little TLC every day is often much more important than getting the best cosmetics or having a bag of skincare products stuffed to the brim.

Clean Skin, Clean Planet

The natural skincare tricks on this list will help keep your bag light and your skin glowing no matter where your feet take you. And, they’ll help you leave less of a footprint when your path leads elsewhere.

Using natural skincare products like oils and beeswax as well as pharma-free options like Dermrollers are effective at treating loads of skin issues.

They also promote a cleaner planet so we can continue to enjoy the wonders of the world for generations to come.

Do you have any skincare secrets to share while traveling? Favorite products?