I used waste a lot of money on expensive products that claim to give you the perfect skin/hair but none of them seemed to work at least not in the long run. My skin would go back to being dry, spotty and sensitive and my spit ends would come back just a few weeks after going to the hairdressers. Over the past year or so I have diminished my collection significantly and have adopted a few key natural ingredients that are both kinder on my body and my pocket. Here some basic ingredients that you can bring with you or buy wherever you are that will help you stay fabulous throughout your travels.
1. Coconut oil
One of the most magical ingredients that mother nature has to offer! It can be brought in pretty much every supermarket, even here in nepal and can be used for a whole variety of things including:
- as a moisturizer: ok, you do look kind of greasy after putting it on so you need to give it a few minutes to soak in. You can also just wipe any excess off with a cotton pad. I have dry/combination skin so I need to add moisturizer to my foundation. I tested this with the coconut oil and it works fine.
- As a makeup remover: especially good for removing eye makeup. Melt in in your hand, put in on a cotton pad and wipe off your makeup like you would do normally.
- For treating (dry) eczema: I've suffered from eczema since I was a small baby. It usually pops up whenever I travel because the air-conditioning in the airplanes sets it off. It really sucks because it means that I get ugly itchy peeling red patches all over my face which means no cool selfies for the first week or so of my travels. I've found that keeping my face moisturized with coconut oil throughout my flight keeps the eczema from appearing in the first place.
- As shaving oil: just rub on your legs/armpits before shaving. No need to moisturize afterwards.
- As a hair mask: melt in your hand and rub it into your hair. Leave it over night and wash it out the next day. I usually do it about once every few weeks in nepal because the water is so bad here and gets dry and damaged really quickly.
- As an anti stinky armpit device: So we've all been in the situation while traveling where we smell bed and don't have access to a shower. I dunno about you guys, but I would usually roll on some anti perspirant which usually contained aluminium and a whole variety of nasties that could be used to poison someone. Now, I just rub on some coconut oil and wipe it off with a tissue. Not only does this leave my soft and smelling of coconut but it actually removes most of the bacteria that was causing the smell in the first place!
2. Rose water:
Rose water can be used to both cleanse and tone the face. Good if you don't have access to clean water. You can buy it everywhere and it's super cheap!
3. Essential oils:
There are loads of different essential oils and all of them have their own special qualities. Here are my favorites:
Tea tree oil: A natural anti-septic. Its perfect for zapping spots and blackheads. after cleansing your face, just put a few drops on a cotton bud and dab it on your imperfections. Alternatively you can add some to some hot water and wash your face with it.
Lavender: is great for burns and is also a natural antiseptic. I prefer washing my face with lavender water because it smells better in my opinion and I find tea tree can be a little to aggressive on my super sensitive skin. If you have any burns you can soak them in cold water with a few drops of lavender in it. Lavender also helps with preventing scarring.
4. Proper sustenance
I've put this last because most of you already know this but you are what you eat meaning that the outside of your body reflects whats going on inside. If you only eat unhealthy food and never drink any water, then obviously your skin will look like crap (unless you're one of those irritating people who always has perfect skin no matter what they do). So give your body a break and take care of it. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and cut down on the alcohol, coffee and fizzy drinks. Give the Big Macs a rest and opt for something a little more digestible. I don't mean you have to live off salad but try eating it a little more often. Try switching all the pasta and grains for some veggies once in a while. If you're traveling, maybe there are some exotic new things try.
Good luck lads. I hope at least some of this was helpful. If you have any more natural travel tips for skin and hair, please add them in the comments below.
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