Camping trips aren’t like regular vacations; they can be refreshing, exhausting, exhilarating, but most of all, they can throw your skincare routine right out the window. Most of us have a routine down pat by now, but what happens when you head out to the woods and lose access to showers, clean towels, and mirrors? This guide to skin care while camping in the wilderness of Australia will completely change your next trip, and maybe even have you rethinking your regular routine.
1. Sunscreen
If you’re trekking through the woods instead of laying on a beach, it can be pretty tempting to skip the sunscreen—hey, the trees will protect you, right? Wrong. Sunscreen should be part of your daily routine, whether you’re commuting to work in the city or “relaxing” on a camping trip in the wilderness. In fact, you might be even more exposed out in the woods, since you’re spending basically all day outside. Start your morning off with a thick layer of ‘screen, and reapply every 1-2 hours—even if you don’t think you need it. If you hate the greasy feel of most sunblocks, try to find a moisturizer with SPF, or give Mineral powder with SPF a shot.
2. Clean
With all the sweat, dirt, campfire smoke, and bugs, you’re going to want to take the day off your face come sundown. Depending on how hardcore your camping trip is, you won’t always have access to clean tap water for your normal skincare routine. If not, get creative: use cleansing wipes that are easy and light to pack (see other useful packing tips here), bottled water, or a spray bottle to make sure you go to bed squeaky clean. You’ll feel so much better and your skin will thank you. Even if you have full access to functioning washrooms, try and skip harsher cleansers during your trip; exfoliators and heavy-duty gels or serums can strip your skin and leave it overly exposed to the sun. Stick to a gentle cleanser twice a day at most.
3. Moisturize
While you might not go through your full, ten-minute skincare routine while camping, you should never skip the moisturizer. Your skin needs that protection barrier when exposed to the elements; wind, sun, heat, and water can leave your skin dried out, chapped, damaged, and overall unhappy. The Skinceuticals line from Activeskin is perfect for camping, because it will give your skin exactly what it needs and help protect it from environmental damage. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water as well; in fact, you probably want to drink even more than you normally would at home, since you’re likely hiking, setting up camp, swimming, and maybe running from a bear or two. Aim for three liters a day for bright, glowing skin—and no, the lake water you accidentally swallowed while swimming doesn’t count.
4. Skip the Makeup
A lot of us can’t imagine skipping our daily makeup routine, or leaving the house without at least a base layer on. When it comes to camping, consider skipping the makeup completely—as shocking as that might sound. Hear me out: you’ll skip an annoying step in the morning (imagine applying all your makeup in a hot tent with just a compact mirror), you’ll have less to take off at the end of the day, you don’t have to worry about sweat moving your makeup around, and your skin will feel so fresh and healthy in the fresh air. Plus, it’s hard to look like a goddess of nature when you have 5 pounds of makeup weighing you down. Try it once, and you might surprise yourself with just how confident you feel.
