How do you avoid travelling with bulky and heavy toiletries and keep your luggage weight down without sacrificing your beauty routine? That’s a tough question, even for the seasoned traveler. You don’t want to get stuck without the essentials, but bringing your entire skincare routine is just not feasible.
Toiletries can take so much space in your carry-on! Travel-sized containers definitely help, but all these jars and bottles add up into an impressive size bag that’s impossible to zip. Lucky for me, I don’t have a heavy make-up routine, but I definitely want to stay smelling fresh; keep my face well-cleansed and protected, and skin moisturized all over.
As I stick to natural skincare routine at home, I don’t want to give it up when I travel. My philosophy on packing light with travel toiletries comes down to this:
- Take only what I need.
- Use multipurpose items.
- Simplify the routine. For a short trip, I condense it into 2 steps - cleanse and moisturize. For a longer trip I use 3 steps - cleanse, tone and moisturize. No face masks, eye creams, or both day and night creams.
Here’s what I pack:
I do a double cleansing, first time to cleanse and then moisturize the face. The face oil also works perfectly as a hair oil and make-up remover!
This replaces many creams and lotions - it’s a great all-over moisturizer and massage oil, feels so good on tired feet after long walks. Salves also make a good first aid item and heal tiny nicks, cuts and scratches fast!
-a large lip balm container
This keeps my lips well-moisturized and protected. It gives just enough sheen and is perfect for day and a night out use.
-an all-natural deodorant stick
Smelling clean and fresh is important, besides it can also work as a moisturizer!
-a toner for longer trips
I’ll use it for deeper cleansing or just carry a small container of witch hazel. Alternatively, I’d bring a few bags of herbal tea (green or hibiscus are good), brew a cup to drink and leave some to apply before moisturizing.
-a shampoo bar or dry shampoo instead of liquid shampoo, body wash and shave cream to avoid spills and leaks in the bag.
All that covers all the bases, packs down really small and conveniently!
What are your skincare essentials for air travel?