Hi everyone…just wondering what you ladies out there do for skin care when thru-hiking. My skin is oily and acne-prone, although it’s totally under control in the city…with the right moisturizers and face wash and regular washing but when thru-hiking it might be a different story. Anyone got some advice for me? Thanks
xlt
You forgot the concerned men, sorry. We planned and used a high SPF moisturising face cream on our hike. The late winter early spring days of no leaves and brutal snow reflection ment serious sun and wind burn. Bramble got some bad blistery burn on her ears and I got some nose burn. We put it on every morning and even then we got burnt. As far as dirty skin goes, yup you’ll get it. We had a peach pit cleanser in our bounce box to scrub the crud from the pores in town, really helps. You might try and pack some face cleaning pads an wipe off in camp. Other than that you’re gonna get real dirty, sorry. I actually had clearer skin on trail since I was out of my job element. The sweat seemed to keep everything open. I find that a nice careful rub with some stream sand helps a lot on the nose and forehead. look for some fine pumice like sand in the clearer free flowing stream beds. Grab a hadful with some water and gently rub it round.
Bushwhack
I have to agree with Bushwhack on this one. The natural openening of the pores (aka sweating) is great for your skin. Not sure if you have it in the U.S but Nivea cream is a great all rounder. Good for the face (after relentless wind, heat etc) and good for chaffing, or on your feet at the end of the day (maybe even a little on your feet pre-putting boots on. Multi use gear is so cool.
P.S I love to wear a good sun hat. Along with my Zipka, my favourite bits of kit.
Ross
Ross
Your skin may indeed fair much better on the trail than you think. Many people wash much too much, and hence remove and keep removed all of the natural oils their skin has.
Bushwhack and Ross are both right.
Your acne may completely disappear on the trail due to many things, sweating, clean air, sun, etc.
So I wouldn’t worry about it too much. BTW I think it has been medically proven that some acne is not only cause by oily skin/clogged up pores, but also stress (worrying about it). So let it go, let it happen and it just may cease to be a problem at all.
See you out there. :cheers
Maintain
Xlt,all of the advice previously mentioned is good valid advice.The one thing that I do highly recommend,protect your skin at all costs.I’m 67 years young,and spend alot of time hiking.I use a minimum SPF of 40 on all areas exposed to the sun and other elements.Last week I had an appointment with my dermatologist, for a small rash on my nose.After a biopsy(which by the way, hurt like hell)it was determined that it was a bacil cell type cancer.This type is most common in fair skined people.I told the doctor that I used good protection at all times.This will be the third time I’ve had a bacil cell removed.
He informed me that the skin starts to become damaged(if not taken care of)in our early teens.I’m not making this entry to scare anyone,but just to make everyone aware how important protecting your skin is.
Bill Harris
I would have to agree with everyone else. Fresh air and sweating always seems to help with breakouts and all that kind of stuff. Also a little sun can be a good thing in preventing them. also i think that stress is a major cause of skin irritations, and with as little stress as possible on the trail, you’ll be good to go.
clong:boy
Clong
Not sure but most of these answers are from men…
As for me, my face was a mess most of the time. Even when I go out for a brief overnight backpack I come home with zits. I’m 43, shouldn’t still be happening, but I have very sensitive skin, very fair and the minute I start sweating I guess I clog. I did wash it most every night, either with one of my wipes (before using it elsewhere!) or my little dip cup bathing water (Dr. Bronners), as well as splashing water on at every opportunity during the day. It doesn’t matter for me, I can’t keep my face unblemished on a trip. On the other hand, there’s absolutely no need for moisturizer, as the great outdoors provides the proper humidity that we don’t get living and working indoors. I only used SPF lotion a few times, you’re in the woods a lot. But I started in April (18th) and the trees leafed out quickly. I was certainly tan from being out though.
Sorry no good advice on how to avoid, I break out from synthetic clothing too, so my body was a rash of heat related bumps as well as reactions to the fabrics I wore and the constant sweat. You just deal. This is another reason when in towns I sprung for a room vs. an outdoor freebie option-my body needed the time indoors and clean to mellow out.
Bluebearee
Sass and I used baby wipes for daily clean ups. I found, however, that they did bad things to my face. Washing with Bronners or using alcohol worked better.
Cricket
you can use those disposable wipes in the little square packets, you know, the ones on bus bathrooms. but i found i did best if i tried not to touch my face too much (aside from smacking mosquitoes and wiping sweat out of my eyes!) and tried to find a washcloth and soap to use while i was in town.
zero