Any skin care tips for long haul flights?
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free skin care · Sun Aug 05, 2007 9:49 am

Vidisha Lala wrote:

I also have not heard about having different water supplies in the different cabins.

The difference i was talking about is lavatory water from the tap, and tap water from the galley, not different cabins.

(I'm not sure who would think about drinking the toilet water????)

Our company issued a warning to all employees after a lab tested the lav water from 9 different North American carriers, and the results were posed onwww.flyertalk.com, as well aswww.airlinecrew.net.

The research is fairly new, but the placards found on most airlines above the lav sinks have been there forever.

My immune is very high from frequent flying (as yours might be too), so we would not be candidates for illness from that water. Infrequent flyers on the other hand, would definetly be.

free skin care · Sun Aug 05, 2007 9:58 am

Vidisha Lala wrote:

Why else do we have face wash/moisturisers in the premium cabins?

Our airline give a facial mist and always has, and this is a great thing to have on long flights. Smile

Shoes are a must when walking around the cabin. I have witnessed many medical situations/disasters, where you can never be sure if the floors have been properly sanitized afterward. In some cases, the carpet needed to be changed. The aircraft will make several long haul flights before the washroom is properly cleaned.

Recently a little girl stepped on glass (she was in her socks), and we had to call a doctor, etc.

I'm only sharing what I know in hopes of helping others. I have contracted a various skin ailments in my 12 years (mostly dermatitis) from flying and touching dirty things on the planes, and just trying to prevent it in others.

For facial cleansing cloths, I bring Olay ones on the flight, and i do like those.

HTH's

free skin care · Sun Aug 05, 2007 11:16 am

Steffers,

When I said toilet water, I was referring to the tap in the toilet and obviously not toilet water for flushing.

I would still maintain that water from the taps in toilet are safe for face washing. Whatever our immunity, I am sure we would hear more cases of illness from air travel if such was the case.

We hand out toothpaste and brush to our economy passengers.

I definitely agree not to drink water from the taps in the toilets.

You are right about the deep cleaning. It is not done after every flight. We are getting better slowly and surely.

Standards are different in different companies. I am speaking only of my company and am sure you have the correct information about yours.

free skin care · Mon Aug 06, 2007 11:18 am

Hmm, come to think of it...if the water is contaminated, wouldnt the airline to be trouble if someone sued them??? Even when restaurants are suspected of food poisoning, they get closed down, so why is it that airlines can still operate? And isnt there a hygiene code or regulators so airlines need to meet specific requirements before passengers can board the plane?

free skin care · Mon Aug 06, 2007 11:48 am

I agree with you YY and that is the reason I say it is safe and hygienic to do air-travel.

The aircrafts get a quick clean even when it is at a turnaround station.

free skin care · Sun Dec 30, 2007 1:53 am

VL wrote:

I know the toilet water is not be drunk but I have not yet heard about not washing your face. Why else do we have face wash/moisturisers in the premium cabins? I also have not heard about having different water supplies in the different cabins.

.

Our premium cabins have always provided "face spritzers" for this very reason, never face cleansers; at least in the 13 years since I've been a flight attendant.

Also, yes, it's true that the water supplies are indeed the same, it's the TAPS in the bathroom that are of concern.

Just did a quick search, and here is an article from USA Today that supports this. Just looking out for you ladies!!

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/baskas/2005-04-12-baskas_x.htm

And also the Wall Street Journal:
http://www.mindfully.org/Water/Airline-Water-Safety1nov02.htm

Could airlines be sued? Well, both articles state that a "healthy individual" would not be threatened by the contaminates in the bathroom tap water if they should brush their teeth in the water, but that a person with a "weakened immune" could be harmed. I guess it would be hard to come to the conclusion that after doing a lot of travelling to foreign places and staying in hotels, a person contracted some sort of infection specifically from the tap water on the airplane. My husband gets a sinus infection after every time he flies, not to mention allergy attacks, but I doubt that the airline would be in a position to take responsibility for non life threatening illnesses due to air travel.

There have so far been no official reports that someone has fallen ill from brushing their teeth in the tap water, but the results are in and the labs don't lie. My company gets its water checked every few months, which is a big job for a large fleet of aircraft. When unfavourable results come in, the aircraft is sent to have its water system cleaned, and the interior of the cabin (mostly the washrooms) throughly cleaned as well. This is done on a proactive basis so as to avoid anyone falling ill.

Knowing all of this, would any of you wash your face using the water from the bathroom tap? YUCK!!!

Sorry to sound so severe about this, but ladies I've been around some really disgusting situations on the plane (the latest one is getting bitten by bed bugs from our crew rest area and bringing them into my house...that is another story!), and believe me, we total 7,000 flight attendants at my company, and all of us feel the same!!! Bring bottled water into the bathroom to brush your teeth Smile

Happy travels!!
And happy new year!!!
steffers

free skin care · Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:00 am

yeahyeah wrote:

Hmm, come to think of it...if the water is contaminated, wouldnt the airline to be trouble if someone sued them??? Even when restaurants are suspected of food poisoning, they get closed down, so why is it that airlines can still operate? And isnt there a hygiene code or regulators so airlines need to meet specific requirements before passengers can board the plane?

The catering kitchens are the only ones subjected to inspections where food and drink are concerned, this i know for a fact. When the food is boarded, we know it is safe coming from the kitchen.

Smile

free skin care · Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:45 pm

I don't know how many times I have gone on trips without all this info and felt awful . I go in Feb and I will take all your ideas ,my sister will think I am nuts ,but I'll be in my comfy pants and she'll be as dry as a prune. I bet you feel less tired and stressed and enjoy your time away Cool

free skin care · Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:38 pm

I do not do much except drink lots of water (and not from the TAP lol). I have some hand cream and always have some antibacterial wipe or gel or lotion. I wear comfy shoes and socks and do not walk around without my shoes on...(yukkk). On my 9 hour flight recently, I drank lots of water and got up frequently to walk around and stretch. I look at it this way - I go to work for 10 hours a day and do not haul a supply of beauty products to work (like moisturizing masks, etc.. ) why would I do it on an airplane? If you are hydrated and comfortable, you should be fine. I do put on lip balm but I have not had my face get "dry" on me to where I needed moisturizers or masks. Oh and in the flight over, which was an overnight flight, I took an ambien.. slept just fine. I did not take one on the flight back because it was an all day flight and I did not need to sleep.

The thing I hate most about flying is sick people on board... so I do airborne, wash my hands frequently and pray that the sneezer, hacker, wheezer is nowhere near me.

free skin care · Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:55 pm

Since we are on the subject, I just want to say that I've taken not one, but TWO flights recently where there was NO WATER in the bathrooms at ALL. Which means I went to the bathroom and could not wash my hands afterwards. Thank god I had antibacterial gel. That's Disgusting!

--avalange

free skin care · Sat Jan 05, 2008 3:05 pm

and think about the folks who did not have any of that...the things they touched....yeeeekkk. I am amazed at the number of folks who do not wash their hands following a trip to the restroom - I agree disgusting.

free skin care · Sat Jan 05, 2008 5:53 pm

As others have mention...LOTS of water!!! Besides drinking it, spraying it on your face. I like to slather on a good moisturizer then spritz and then continue to spritz several times an hour. Lip balm, snacks like dried fruit and nuts, comfy clothes that you can layer, eye mask, etc. I like to bring aromatherapy products like an essential oil to mix into a hand cream (like rose or lavendar) or put into a tissue (like eucalyptus to clear the sinuses). Of course reading material and I like to bring my headphones to my phone.

free skin care · Sat Jan 05, 2008 6:54 pm

The two things I won't be without on a long flight: brightly colored earplugs and an eyemask. It doesn't even matter if the noise and light isn't bothering me. Sometimes I break them out because the guy next to me is bothering me. And with bright yellow earplugs in my ears and my eyes covered up, I can just ignore everything. :)

I would also bring peppermint tea. I don't know why, but that seems to settle my stomach on long flights.

Tue Feb 05, 2008 10:55 pm

My must haves:

Sugar lip balm!
hand lotion
2 bottles of water
zipfizz
gum, breath mints, or breath spray
snacks - almonds, dried fruit, etc.
splenda - for coffee on am flights
hand sanitizer - touching anything on a plane freaks me out
sanitizing travel wipes for the fold down tray and arm rests - again, ick!
hydrating spray
comfy layered clothes, a loose sweater or pashmina wrap is best - if you get cold and I'm always cold on the plane
book
iPod & good set of noise cancelling earphones

I also slather lotion all over before I leave for the airport and slather more as soon as I get to my hotel.

I also started taking Airborne a few days before my flight. Not so sure how effective this was for my immune system since I caught that nasty flu bug on my last trip.

Sun Jul 10, 2011 5:57 pm

I usually go for long flights during the winter, so I take as many bottles of moisturiser as I'm allowed and take a couple of sheet masks (even though I look stupid when I use them, at least my skin is all nice and moisturized :P I like to use lip balm instead of lipgloss, and I sometimes take some concealer on the plane too.

I also like to wear a large loose clothes like a dress like a sweater and leggings instead of jeans and fluffy socks and comfy shoes! Comfortable shoes are a must! A cardigan of sorts is good to have on just in case the airplane blankets just don't cut it. My iPod and some noise cancelling headphones/earbuds are very useful too, especially when you have restless children sitting near you.

Oh, and sometimes it's good to have some hand sanitizer and hand creams with you too!

free skin care · Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:45 pm

Just a mist! Caudalie is highly recommended as it makes my skin tingle and perks me up with its refreshing minty scent. I think the small size is 30ml. Just perfect to bring on the plane. The bottle is made of glass though.

free skin care · Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:46 pm

Just a mist! Caudalie is highly recommended as it makes my skin tingle and perks me up with its refreshing minty scent. I think the small size is 30ml. Just perfect to bring on the plane. The bottle is made of glass though.

free skin care · Tue Jul 12, 2011 10:41 pm

Lot of water!!! Hydrating from the inside out is more important than any cream. I think a spay toner is a must, and a good moisturizer. I don't know about using a mask, it sounds a bit messy. Maybe you could use a paper sheet mask instead. Thanks for sharing…

free skin care · Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:57 am

Old thread but useful tips except some are outdated now thanks to the ever changing TSA rules.

For instance, if you don't want to get groped, probed and scanned, wear as little clothing as possible but don't go as far as stripping down to your skivvies like some people have done! Tight clothes are better than baggy clothes because the prison guards can see that you aren't hiding anything.

Why don't they just hire more dogs? Certainly better qualified and more intelligent than the current TSA mob.

free skin care · Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:00 am

Here's some tips from dermalogica

http://www.dermalogica.com/us/blog/dermalogica-interview/perfect-skin-prepare-for-take-off

free skin care · Fri Jul 15, 2011 1:05 pm

SoftSkin wrote:

Old thread but useful tips except some are outdated now thanks to the ever changing TSA rules.

For instance, if you don't want to get groped, probed and scanned, wear as little clothing as possible but don't go as far as stripping down to your skivvies like some people have done! Tight clothes are better than baggy clothes because the prison guards can see that you aren't hiding anything.

Why don't they just hire more dogs? Certainly better qualified and more intelligent than the current TSA mob.

I haven't travelled to the US recently, but at an Asian airport I was rather embarrassed when asked to take off my "jacket" ...

I was wearing a cardigan and just a thin camisole type thing underneath, not what I would want to expose in public, but I was required to take my "jacket" off. I realise I could have asked to be taken to a private area to do so, but as usual was running late for my flight and wanted to get on my way ASAP, so had to reveal myself in public in a sheer top with tiny shoulder straps.

Anyway, I now always wear a full coverage T-shirt with sleeves under any cardigan/wrap when flying. Apparently anything with buttons down the front can be considered a "jacket", or so I was told Rolling Eyes

free skin care · Sun Aug 10, 2025 6:02 am

Take moisturizer, eye cream, gentle cleanser, a moisturizing mask, and decanted rosewater to spritz your face. If you have specific questions about liquid restrictions, you can contact Delta Airlines for their guidelines. Skip concealer to avoid clogging pores. Moisturize before the flight, stay hydrated with herbal tea, and avoid makeup if possible.

Thu Aug 28, 2025 2:58 pm

Thank u guys

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