During undergrad, my best friend/soulmate and I had the bad habit of starting Spring Break “early.” Eager to shake off the pressure of classes, we would accidentally go a little ham the night before we were set to leave on a trip, which made packing at 4am a little, well – interesting. 

We often arrived at our Spring Break destination to find that we forgot:

• A toiletry bag
• Swimsuits
• Shirts
• Underwear
• Everything but underwear

This foggy forgetfulness resulted in sunburns, break outs, and lots of money spent at local drug stores. In the years since, we learned to take much better care of ourselves and our skin, perfecting the art of packing for any frantic occasion the world wishes to bestow upon us.

For those of you heading on your Spring Break trips this month, I’ve put together a Spring Break Skincare Essentials list with EVERYTHING you need to keep your skin healthy and glowy.

At Higher Education Skincare, we’re all about practicing #safeskin. Unsurprisingly, this list of Spring Break Skincare Essentials has a lot of items that help prevent and treat sunburns – inevitable, I mean, we are the age group with highest sunburn risk factor and the laundry list of rowdy, outdoor Spring Break activities we have planned doesn’t help the matter.

An article in the American Academy of Dermatology concludes that because of a higher occurrence of sunburn in Americans who consume alcohol there is a “pathway linking alcohol use with skin cancer” (Mukamal, 2006). Eek! Scary I know, but I am here to help you protect yourself and your skin this Spring Break.

Spring Break Skin Essentials:

SUNSCREEN

If you forget everything else on this list, at least figure out a way to your SUNSCREEN – this is the most important item on this list.

While any sunscreen is better than no sunscreen, it’s beneficial to test and test until you find your favorite sunscreen. We all know how much a bad sunburn can ruin your entire vacay, so pack a waterproof body sunscreen with good coverage that won’t sweat off when you get into the water. The general rule of thumb is to apply body sunscreen every 2 hours.

Please, please, please! Get a good face sunscreen. If you don’t already wear a sunscreen every day, let Spring Break be your excuse to invest in a good daily SPF. Avoid sunscreens that leave behind a white/purple tint on your skin; you are more likely to go sans sunscreen if you look like Casper. Been there.

Instead, find a sunscreen that blends into the skin nicely and can be layered under your makeup... Enter HIGHER EDUCATION SPRING BREAK® Oil-Free Sunscreen SPF 30, which is so silky that it can stand-in as your daily a primer or on its own for a fresh-faced glow. I swear HIGHER EDUCATION SPRING BREAK® makes my pores look smaller and evens my skin tone, eliminating the need for foundation altogether. We all love that natural glow-up on Spring Break!

LIP BALM WITH SPF

Did you know your lips could get sunburned? Yep! They can.

Like the skin on your face and body, your lips can get sunburned from extended sun exposure and lack of protection against UVA & UVB rays. HIGHER EDUCATION MAKE OUT READY® Vegan Lip Balm SPF 15 is a good solution to keep that perfect pucker even if (or when) you get a little sloppy.

Plus, HIGHER EDUCATION MAKE OUT READY® is slim, versatile and takes up practically no space in your fanny pack, so you have extra room for gum and other things.

NOT YOUR MOTHER’S COVER-UP

A swim cover-up no longer needs to be something that you begrudgingly wear as a punishment for getting sunburned the day before.

Protect your skin at the pool or beach with something that makes you feel vacay-chic.  My favorite cover-up option is an oversized soft white button up. Or if you like the t-shirt look, pick something fun like a vintage band logo or an oversized, mesh-like tee.

ALOE VERA

This is where that Econ 101 knowledge comes in handy… hold up, this will make sense in a second.

Everyone swears they “tan really easily,” so they forget to pack aloe vera just in case. Inevitably, someone in your group WILL get sunburned and need to make an aloe vera run.

Aloe vera demand is high from miserable sunburned travelers + aloe vera supply is low at your local drug store = aloe vera costs go up.

Don’t spend $16 on a bottle of aloe vera… grab a fresh bottle before you leave and pack it in your suitcase. Trust me, you’ll be so happy you did!

CONDENSED MAKEUP BAG

When I go on a proper vacation, I like to let my skin breathe, practicing that “au naturel” look; I generally take a break from my full face of makeup and only bring the essentials. For me, that includes HIGHER EDUCATION SPRING BREAK® Oil-Free Sunscreen SPF 30, brow gel, concealer, waterproof mascara, a bold lip color, and a highlighter.

But, if you are more of a full-face of makeup on vacation type-of-gal, pack your whole damn bag and express yourself. #DoYou

FACE WASH

Don’t forget to pack your favorite face wash and to use it twice a day. If this suggestion makes you scoff, bring makeup remover wipes… lots of them. CHEAT SHEET® Makeup Removing Wipes should do the trick.

MOISTURIZER

Have it. Use it. Love it.

So, uh... almost every activity on Spring Break leaves you dehydrated (staying up late, playing in the sun, drinking). It’s a good idea to use a gel moisturizer for a lightweight solution to that hot, hot weather; DOUBLE MAJOR® Hyaluronic Acid Gel Moisturizer is a hydra gel that applies like jelly and keeps your skin moisturized for hours.

Some might say that it’s 8 hours of sleep in a bottle... Your new Spring Break mantra: HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE.

PEDIALYTE AND ADVIL

Ok, so I’m kind of joking about the Pedialyte, but not really. If you’re going to participate in the stereotypical Spring Break activities, please be safe and use this life hack.

Be responsible and do everything you can to remain healthy and practice #safeskin. If this means that you sip grape flavored Pedialyte like a small child with a belly ache, so be it! At least use a straw to keep it extra.

Things to Leave at Home:

EXFOLIANTS

Chemical exfoliants and retinoids are fabulous when used in a controlled setting and avoiding sun exposure, but you should definitely avoid using these ingredients when on vacation.

Just to be safe, leave anything at home that may make your skin sensitive to even a moderate amount of sun. You don’t want to spend vacation dealing with irritated, peeling skin.

TEXTBOOKS

YOU ARE ON BREAK! Unwind, enjoy yourself, make some memories.

If your senior Capstone professor gave you a project due the Monday after spring break, I’m sincerely sorry… Chug your vanilla latte and get as much homework done as you can before Spring Break.

 

Now that you’re fully equipped to handle Spring Break this year, put on some Ariana Grande and get to packin’! Coming from an insider, try not to get too wild the night before you leave.