Spring is here! Finally. And some of you may be going away on spring break vacation. One of my followers asked me to do a post on Warm Weather Travel Tips. She’s about to take off on a holiday. Lucky her!
I have several tips for you, and what I’ll do is break them up. Today, I’ll focus on the first two tips, the most important ones.
Tip #1 – Use A Cleansing Oil First
Proper cleansing is the most important thing to do if you go to a warmer climate.
If you’re in a humid climate, and it’s hot and sticky, your skin will produce more oil and sweat. You’ll have more bacteria too (they feed on sebum). Pollutants, makeup, and sunscreen mix and get stuck with sebum too. This oily, sticky mass is a recipe for CLOGGED PORES.
Therefore, you’ll need an oil-based cleanser to remove that all that oily matter. An oil-based cleanser removes EVERYTHING. Easily and much more effectively than a regular cleanser.
Clean your skin first with a cleansing oil. It’s the first step of the double cleansing method. This article on the Double Cleanse Method goes over what an oil-based cleanser is, how it works, and how to do the double cleanse.
There are many cleansing oil options these days. They come in liquids, gels, and solid balms. You can see examples here: Cleansing Oils In My Cabinet, A Look At Some Cleansing Balms.
The most important thing in a cleansing oil/gel/balm is that it EMULSIFIES – turns milky when it comes into contact with water, and rinses away easily. (This is explained further in the Double Cleanse article.)
The texture you choose is a matter of personal preference, but here is what I recommend:
Warm, HUMID climate
Example: Tropical beach, jungle, or any place near the equator where it is hot and sticky in summer months
If you’re in a place where you are sweating a lot, choose a cleansing oil. In general, oils are easier to work with (it moves around skin more easily). In humid weather, you are not likely to want a balm. It will feel heavy, and psychologically, you might not enjoy the thought of applying a heavy balm on sweaty, oily, sticky skin after a day of being outside.
Gels may also turn you off, depending on how oily you are. But the advantage of gels is they generally travel well. Liquids can spill if not packaged correctly (make sure you have a bottle with a good lid). And balms are usually packaged in heavy jars.
I personally prefer to travel with my Holy Grail cleansing oil, Dermalogica Precleanse. It is the cleansing oil that I ALWAYS travel with because it is so versatile. It takes off makeup easily (so it can double up as a makeup remover). I can use it alone if the weather is dry or my skin is dry (more on this below). It’s very healing for skin (the oils in it are anti-inflammatory and soothing). And it just cleans well! Especially when used in a 2-step double cleanse.
Warm, DRY climate (low humidity)
Example: Desert, ski slope, arid plains, high up in the mountains, and anywhere near the poles 🙂
If you are going someplace where the air will be very dry (low humidity), your skin will get dehydrated quickly. The dry air will suck out all the moisture.
In these situations, you might prefer a cleansing BALM (something that is solid, usually comes packaged in a jar).
Balms tend to be more nourishing than liquids. Many leave a slight residue on skin. Don’t look at this as a bad thing. Skin should never be squeaky clean. That’s not natural. We are meant to have some oil (sebum) on skin to protect us.
That’s called the skin’s hydro-lipid barrier. It’s there to keep out harmful microorganisms and hold water in. Never strip it! Cardinal rule in skincare. Strip it too much and you set yourself up for many skin problems.
The only challenge with balms is they’re a hassle to carry. Jars are heavy. But you can buy travel-size plastic jars in drugstores, such as the ones shown here, and transfer what you need to the jar. The blue one came from The Container Store. $1 each.
Tip #2 – Use An Anti-Bacterial Cleanser After The Cleansing Oil
After you clean your face with a cleansing oil, you should do a second cleanse.
This is the second step of a Double Cleanse, and it’s done with a water-based cleanser. Basically, this is 95% of the cleansers out there. If it doesn’t look like an oil, or it doesn’t turn into an oil, chances are it’s a water-based cleanser. They come in all forms – foaming, gel, milky, or creamy. They’re basically not oily.
Warm, HUMID climate
For this second step, I recommend you choose an anti-bacterial cleanser. Since your skin will have more bacteria, this will control their growth.
Look for one that has salicylic acid or a relative of salicylic acid (willowbark, sweet birch).
Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid that exfoliates inside pores and has anti-bacterial properties.
Some anti-bacterial cleansers will have glycolic acid too. That also helps to keep pores clear. But given a choice between the two, pick salicylic acid.
Not only is salicylic acid anti-bacterial, it is oil-soluble, meaning that it can penetrate through the oily mass inside a pore. If you have an impaction (clog), it can cut right through it.
In cleansers, salicylic acid typically come in concentrations of 0.25-2%. 1% is a good amount if you have a reasonable amount of clogging. If you have a bad case of acne, look for 2%.
Warm, DRY climate (low humidity)
You can choose any cleanser that makes your skin feel clean and good. Or just skip this step altogether. If you’re in a dry climate, your skin will probably crave oil and need extra nourishment.
When you do a second cleanse, it will strip away any of the residue that might be leftover from the first step. Again, this residue isn’t a bad thing for the reasons I mentioned above. Residue is more a matter of preference. Drier skin types typically welcome it. Oily or combo skin types usually don’t.
Related Posts:
- The Double Cleanse Method
- What To Look For In A Cleansing Oil
- Tips for Oily Skin
- 3 Acne Ingredients You Should Know
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