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I was not prepared for this


Sophie&Rufus
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Just got off the ship 3 days ago (seems like 3 weeks) and now I want to ask you experienced cruisers: do you find your skin and/or hair behave differently on the ship? I brought my usual skin and hair care products, but my skin and hair were extremely unhappy the whole time. I just could not moisturize enough, and my lips were chapped almost the entire week. But my hair looked oily and flat, no matter what I did to it. Needless to say I did not purchase any of the photos...

 

Anyone care to share your experiences? How did/do you cope?

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They treat the water, and some ships have a combo shampoo/conditioner in their dispensers - both which can lead to limp tresses. The air is also overly controlled and I would expect it to be very drying. I usually find that the amount of time spent on shore or in the ocean combat the treated water, but still have to moisturize to death. I always have a Chapstick in my pocket so ward off the true chapped lips.

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Where were you sailing? I've not experienced severe dryness on a cruise, but I haven't cruised in the Caribbean since 2006. I do have more dryness at home in the winter than in the past (increased age = increased retinol use = increased dryness ;-) So I've switched to a moisturizing oil when my face is that dry. And my lips, well, they're always dry - I like Yes to Coconut cooling lip oil.

 

Agree on soft water in the shower - could cause limp hair.

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Don't know what to tell you about the dryness then, except perhaps you're more sensitive to climate (indoor & outdoor) or changes in routine? I didn't have any dry skin or lips on our recent Alaska cruise but came home (to extremely humid & hurricaney NC) and this week have peeling skin. Oh well.

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I find the ship's water is so SOFT, that a dab of shampoo will suds and suds....hard to rinse out! I never, ever use the amount of product on a ship that I would at home.

Plus, the salt air and humidity do a number on most folks hair. The sun can dry your skin, as well as the "salt-water" pools....

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have very fine hair and use a detangling leave in conditioner. I wish this stuff was around when I was in the Army because I had to put my hair up soaking wet and in a braid before pinning it into a bun. If I put it up dry, first the large hair pins would come out and then the elastics. Now I just use a light spritz (non-aerosol) of Sexy Hair's Sexy Healthy Triple Wheat Leave in Conditioner. It has just enough moisture to help with winter heated air fly aways. A few spritzs just below the part or away from the scalp and it detangles, leaves my also very straight hair very shiny and is color safe. I preferred when they used cocoa in it but that may have caused the residue early users, probably blonds ;-), complained about. My stylist sold me the first bottle but I now get the travel size at Ulta since a little goes a long way.

Edited by NorthernLite
Autocorrect thinks we detail hair.
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  • 3 weeks later...

I have thick hair and found nothing different from the ship to here at home (maybe I am lucky?)…….the things I do find just outrageous is once I get home I have to wash my own dishes and cook my own food!:classic_blink:...how crazy is that LOL

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3 hours ago, Lois R said:

I have thick hair and found nothing different from the ship to here at home (maybe I am lucky?)…….the things I do find just outrageous is once I get home I have to wash my own dishes and cook my own food!:classic_blink:...how crazy is that LOL

 

You too? I sat down at the table and nobody brought me a menu or offered me water. DH seemed to think that I should “just handle it” so I did and will just have to book another cruise☺️

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LOL....thanks for making me laugh:classic_biggrin:...…...I am absolutely having a very hard time with this new format:classic_blink:.....so it is nice to smile again.

I need to book a cruise as well!!!!!!!!

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I get dry skin if I'm in an air conditioned environment nonstop no matter where I am, and this is true of a cruise ship.  I also notice my face gets irritated on cruises, and I think this is because it's being exposed to sun and salt air more (sensitive skin).  

 

I take Dermacol make-up with me that matches my skin tone, a small size Gold Bond lotion, and a travel size Aquaphor for my lips. 

 

I'll mix the Gold Bond and a little Aquaphor together after I shower, and it makes my skin soft and supple.  I mix the Dermacol with my normal moisturizer, add a little Gold Bond to it, and smooth it into my face and neck.  In the mornings I'll add my sunscreen to the mix.  Dermacol is fantastic for evening out the skin tone.  It's really amazing.

 

I have lots of medium fine hair, so I avoid conditioning it too often.  I take a travel size of hair gel with the highest number of "hold" on the tube, like a 5.  Applied to my wet hair on top (I have short hair with #5 clippers used on the sides and back), I style it, let it dry, and then brush it.  I've given up using hair dryers on cruises:  with medium fine hair I end up with overblown hair all the time.  Just the leave-in gel lets me style it.

Edited by pcur
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4 hours ago, Lois R said:

LOL....thanks for making me laugh:classic_biggrin:...…...I am absolutely having a very hard time with this new format:classic_blink:.....so it is nice to smile again.

I need to book a cruise as well!!!!!!!!

 

Glad that I could help! Hang in there Lois,  maybe there will be some updates that will improve things. 🤞

Sharon

Edited by purduemom1
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On 9/19/2018 at 6:32 AM, Sophie&Rufus said:

Just got off the ship 3 days ago (seems like 3 weeks) and now I want to ask you experienced cruisers: do you find your skin and/or hair behave differently on the ship? I brought my usual skin and hair care products, but my skin and hair were extremely unhappy the whole time. I just could not moisturize enough, and my lips were chapped almost the entire week. But my hair looked oily and flat, no matter what I did to it. Needless to say I did not purchase any of the photos...

 

Anyone care to share your experiences? How did/do you cope?

Did that include your own shampoo, conditioner, and soap or body wash? I can't use the products supplied on some cruise lines so always carry my own. 

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On 10/19/2018 at 3:50 PM, pcur said:

I get dry skin if I'm in an air conditioned environment nonstop no matter where I am, and this is true of a cruise ship.  I also notice my face gets irritated on cruises, and I think this is because it's being exposed to sun and salt air more (sensitive skin).  

 

I take Dermacol make-up with me that matches my skin tone, a small size Gold Bond lotion, and a travel size Aquaphor for my lips. 

 

I'll mix the Gold Bond and a little Aquaphor together after I shower, and it makes my skin soft and supple.  I mix the Dermacol with my normal moisturizer, add a little Gold Bond to it, and smooth it into my face and neck.  In the mornings I'll add my sunscreen to the mix.  Dermacol is fantastic for evening out the skin tone.  It's really amazing.

 

I have lots of medium fine hair, so I avoid conditioning it too often.  I take a travel size of hair gel with the highest number of "hold" on the tube, like a 5.  Applied to my wet hair on top (I have short hair with #5 clippers used on the sides and back), I style it, let it dry, and then brush it.  I've given up using hair dryers on cruises:  with medium fine hair I end up with overblown hair all the time.  Just the leave-in gel lets me style it.

What’s the name of the hair gel you use?

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On 9/19/2018 at 11:33 AM, Sophie&Rufus said:

Thanks for the input. This was an Alaskan cruise, so the day spent cruising Glacier Bay probably did not help, but I noticed more irritation while on board the ship than on shore. I'll be better prepared for my next cruise, whenever that may be.

 

My hair responds very differently depending on the hardness or softness of the water compared to my water at home.  This is true on both cruises and land vacations.   As for dry skin and chapped lips, my skin tends to be on the dry side and if I go to a cold and/or dry environment it's worse so I tend to need more moisturizer.  Same for my lips....I'm kind of a chapstick junky, an when we go to cold, dry environments it's even worse.  I live in the south where we have very high heat and  humidity so places like Alaska, Colorado ski resorts, etc. always make for an adjustment for me.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/22/2018 at 4:41 PM, HEINER said:

What’s the name of the hair gel you use?

Ummm..... not sure of the brand, but I look for gels with the highest firmness number.  I actually think the one I'm using now, and did last week on the Adventure of the Seas, is from the Dollar Store!  It's in a large tube and is blue.  Works really great in humidity or rainy weather.

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An additional note to my first post above.  This is what I did last week on the Adventure of the Seas, and my skin was in MUCH better shape this cruise:

 

Afterwards cleaning my face I use a miracle product by Dermalogica that I believe has a non-expiring shelf life:  Dermalogica After Sun Repair. It has aloe vera in it, plus other very soothing ingredients.  I lightly dab it on my face before moisturizing.  It calms down any redness within minutes.

 

Then, I will mix Dermacol make-up (which is very water resistant) that is just a wee bit lighter than my natural skin tone with my moisturizer, and put that on all over my face, neck, chest, and arms.  It just evens out the skin tone.  Then, sunscreen is the last to go on with a light layer.  I use Neutragena 100+ SPF.  Yes, I know anything over SPF 35 is not needed, but with fair, sensitive skin, the 100+ really helps the age spots from getting worse.  They seem to darken more with lower SPF.

 

That's it, and it takes me about 5 minutes to do it all.  If I have any sunburn, it looks like glowing skin after I'm done.

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