How to Take Care of Your Skin Before, During, and After a Flight with Sasha Bau
intro and photography by mark preston
Sasha Bau describes himself as a lawyer by day (and, at times, by night), wanderer, and observer. We can also add to this list a photographer with a great eye for architecture that he captures while traveling across the globe. Living between New York, Paris, and Tel Aviv (three cities where he feels the most at home in equal measures), Sasha is always on the go and always looking his best. We visited him in Williamsburg before he headed to the airport to find out his secrets for taking care of his complexion before, during, and after flights.
01 PRE-FLIGHT
I always drink lots of water, scrub, then use Effaclar Duo (it keeps my skin incredibly clear without overdrying it). I follow that with serum and a water gel (both are light and easily absorbable). Then I finish up with mattifying fluid—this is a must! Without it, I’d be shining like an LED bulb.
For the flight, I dress comfortably, but never in sweatpants. Nothing’s worse than walking onto an airplane in pajamas while being served champagne. Plus, I find it to be somewhat disrespectful to the crew to dress sloppily for a flight (it’s better to blend in with the elegance of Air France after all).
1. Erborian — Black Scrub | 2. La Roche-Posay — Effaclar Duo (+) Unifiant | 3. Nuxe — Crème Fraîche de Beauté 48HR Moisture Skin Quenching Serum | 4. Antipodes Baptise — H2O Ultra-Hydrating Water Gel | 5. Mavala — Pore Detox Perfecting Hydra-Matt Fluid
02 DURING THE FLIGHT
Airplane air is super dry and the sense of smell tends to be somewhat altered up there in the clouds. I usually need to apply hand cream very often, particularly on winter flights. Eye drops are a must as well. I use them more as a preventative measure rather than after beginning to feel the dryness in my eyes. To freshen up during the flight, I use wipes ("close enough" to a shower, but much quicker and with less water), followed by a regular skincare routine with a little perfume to awaken those altered smell receptors.
Being on an airplane is one of my greatest joys. It’s a time for me to relax, read a book, or watch a good film. There’s something about being inside a speeding aluminum tube that puts things in the right perspective for me.
I bring my own inflatable pillow (almost full-size) and a super soft eye mask. I also carry a little THERA massage ball, perfect for releasing all the pressure points during a long flight. And yes...a little shoe horn always comes in handy.
1. Naturehike — Air Camping Pillow | 2. Mavogel — Cotton Sleep Eye Mask | 3. Theragun — Wave Solo Massager | 4. Albert Camus — Essays
03 AFTER THE FLIGHT
No matter whether it’s the morning and I am in Europe or Israel or evening and I am in NYC, a good shower to start with is a must (no matter how comfortable the flight was), followed by my skincare regimen. I do my best to never take post-flight naps. These don’t help with adjusting to the local time. It’s better to just bear through it and go to sleep at a regular hour.
While in the Uber from the airport, I always review my post-flight to-do list and read emails (it’s insane how many work emails can hit your inbox while you spend 8 hours in the sky). Once at home, I settle into the rhythm of the city I am in.
1. Antipodes Manuka Honey Skin-Brightening Eye Cream, | 2. D'ORSAY — Quelque chose dans l’air | 3. Nuxe Crème Fraîche de Beauté 48HR Moisture Skin Quenching Serum | 4. Dr Bronner — Hand Sanitizer | 5. La Roche-Posay — Cicaplast Barrier Repairing Hand Cream | 6. Ursa Major — Essential Face Wipes | 7. NUXE — Rêve de Miel Lip Balm | 8. Venture — Wipes | 9. YSL — Touche Eclat All-Over Brightening Pen
Pro Tip: When flying above 10,000 feet, the risk of sun damage with UVA light penetrating through windows increases the chances of harm to your skin. We highly recommend keeping SPF handy even on cloudy days.
