8 Grooming Hacks to Care for Your Skin During Holiday Travel

The holidays almost always demand we shake free from the normalcy of our daily lives. Much of this, of course, revolves around the travel required to celebrate the season as one should—near family and friends. Throughout fall, as leaves give birth to vibrant Pantone and crisp air blows increasingly chill, we’re collectively suffering long flights, returning to the antiquated notion of passenger trains, and taking long road trips all in efforts to be close to loved ones. It’s a genuinely adoring sentiment. But there’s only one issue: it's murder to our grooming routine.

Traveling can be a gut punch to the well-manicured skin, hair and scent it’s taken you concentrated hours and long days to perfect. Flying can dry out your skin faster than laying out on the beach for a few hours without SPF-50. Varying climate will strip the moisture from your hair leaving you a frizzy mess. There are a host of scary scenarios for which we’ll spare you the details.

So what’s the proper course of action when traveling for the holidays? It’s right where men often uncover the greatest successes in life—through balance. Minimizing yet maintaining your routine is central to good grooming on the go. All those shortcuts and hacks you’ve learned over the years will finally come in handy. So if you’ve forgotten a couple, or simply need to learn a few new ones, we’ve got you covered.

Technically speaking, the trouble with flying and your skin come in two forms—humidity and hydration. Cabin air is famously dry, so your skin is operating in lower humidity, which means it’s going to dry out. On top of that, a dip in hydration levels will cause your skin to further dry and even flake or redden. The remedy here—aside from drinking tons of water—is to apply a hydrating facial mask as soon as your flight lands. You’ll restore the moisture your skin lost at 30,000 feet.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Mask is a great option to keep your skin moist in the air.

Even if you don’t currently know what a jade roller is, there’s a strong likelihood you’ve at least seen one. It looks like an ancient toy that you probably shouldn’t play with. In this case, though, play (or roll) until your heart’s content.

The Chinese believe that jade can purify and subsequently heal the skin. And since we tend to believe centuries-old traditions, we’re suggesting you do, too. By simply rolling this small skincare marvel under your eyes and across your face, it’ll reduce the appearance of puffiness and tighten your skin. Over time it’ll reduce wrinkles and fine lines. And best of all, it’s small enough to pack in your carry-on.

Check out this jade roller from Jamestown Supply Company when you're looking to make your purchase.

So let’s say you land from a long flight, step foot off the plane, and find yourself in the middle of a literal swamp like, say, Houston, Texas. Your picturesque hair will be no more. You’re going to frizz up and frizz up quick. You packed super light, and your manbag is slim on hair care products. You obviously packed lotion (because who travels without moisturizer?) and it’s a good thing you did because it’s about to save you. A small amount of lotion can tame hair frizziness. It’ll get you back in the game until you can properly refresh. Only a tiny amount is required.

Nordstrom carries a great lotion that's perfect for just this scenario.

If you find yourself staring down the barrel of a 10+ hour flight or a train ride of a similar length, you probably won’t be able to shower. To ensure you smell fresh for the duration, apply a small amount of vaseline to the pulse points where you'd typically apply lotion and/or cologne. After doing so, spread that scented lotion or spray that cologne and its scent will be prolonged. That way 10 hours into your middle-seat flight your neighbors to your left and right don’t hate you.

Here's a quick and easy way to get your hands on some Vaseline.

While many may have grown up applying coconut oil to their skin for moisture and balance, it turns out it’s also an excellent remedy for a dry scalp. Olive oil is, too. Both can provide the moisture the scalp needs to produce healthy hair and refrain from flaking. You probably won’t set foot in a house without either. Especially if, you know, there are women in that house. They’re never far from one or the other.

Check out this extra virgin coconut oil from Shea Moisture when making your decision. 

When you’re fresh out of gum and your grandmother (for the first time in human history) doesn’t have peppermints in her purse, you might need something to curve a case of the dragon mouth. This one’s easy: if you’re at lunch or dinner, ask for a bit of parsley. Chewing on it will purify even the foulest breath. Lemon, too, will do the trick. Just be that guy who asks for lemon water everywhere he goes. Trust us; it’s chill.

Ok, so this sounds gross, but it’s really not. Yes, you can use toilet seat covers to reduce oily skin by blotting it on your face. Don’t, however, use said toilet seat cover after it itself has already been in use. Are we cool on that? Cool.

You never know who you’ll be sitting next to on the plane or rideshare. To that end, you never know when a rouge nose hair will leap in between you and your dream girl with reckless abandon. Keep some tweezers at bay to handle that wild nose, ear or beard hair before it handles you.

In case you don't have a pair, you can pick up a quick pack of tweezers right here.