What Skincare Do you Pack when going to a Cool or Warm climate?

I’ve received a query before on packing cosmetics and skincare when traveling to a colder climate. The query related to whether one needs to pack creams that are heavier or oilier to compensate for the cold and lower humidity.

Having recently had to pack for such colder climate, and based on previous experiences, I thought to share some ideas on how you could pack your skincare for your vacation whether to a cold climate or warm climate.

I know I previously suggested you could take skincare samples along with you – its a good way to test out the new skincare to see if it suits you, and its handy to use and throw. But what happens when it doesn’t work for you and you end up with spots all over? Ah… that can be a problem! So don’t try it unless you have skin like an elephant! I do to a degree :P

Pack your usual skincare for a cold climate

My personal take is to pack your usual skincare when going to a cold climate. Unless you are planning to stay there for months at a time, your current skincare regime should suffice as your skin will not change that much in a few days or even in a week. If you plan to stay on for more than a month, I’d suggest you bring your regular skincare and then get something from the country you’ll be at, so you know what you really need to address your skin’s concern at that time.

I will suggest that you bring something moisturizing like a moisture mask. This way, you can counteract dryness yet not have to change anything in your skincare regime while you are on holiday. But what if you are moving from a cold climate to a warm one?

Pack light skincare for a warm climate

I’m going to venture a suggestion that when you pack for a warm climate you should bear in mind that warm climates usually mean high humidity. So, if you are traveling from Winter to a Tropical country, leave your heavy creams behind and go with lighter skincare and plenty of sunblock.

Whilst it is also true that your skin will not change its texture in the few days or weeks that you are on a tropical vacation, you might find it more comfortable using gel moisturizers as opposed to creams and gel cleansers as opposed to cream cleansers. That said, if you do have dry or sensitive skin, then you might want to stick to your usual skincare regime.

Either way, I’ve found that when you go on holiday or when you travel, you can never be quite sure as to how your skin will react to the weather. So, the best way I’ve personally found is to bring my regular skincare and then add on or switch to products I can find locally when I get to my destination and if my regular skincare doesn’t work well for me there.

Also, I’ve found that some skincare marketed overseas even under the same brands have different compositions to suit the local weather. So, you are usually better off purchasing products at your destination to suit the local weather.

This is a good tip too for anyone planning to relocate or to further your studies overseas in cooler climates. Bring enough skincare to last you for the initial 1-2 months you are there but since you will be there longer than just on vacation, replenish your skincare where you are instead of hauling them from home – it might not work as well as it did when you were at home :)

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Stay beautiful,

Paris B