Skin Care for Winter Picnics: What to Pack for a Full Day of Sun, Dust and Wind

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The short answer

At a winter picnic your skin has three enemies: the noon sun in an open field, dust from the bus and the ground, and dry wind. So pack:

• One SPF50 sunscreen the whole group can share, such as 3W Clinic Intensive UV Sunblock Cream SPF50+ Pa+++. Apply before leaving, then again every 2 to 3 hours around midday.
• A lip balm with SPF: Fix Derma Lip Shield SPF50 PA+++.
• For a baby over 6 months, their own sunscreen: Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Sensitive Skin Sunscreen SPF 50.
• Back home at night: take off dust and sunscreen with Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Water, wash with a gentle cleanser, then moisturise.

This is a special one-day routine. The full everyday winter routine is in our 24-hour winter skincare routine. More winter questions about trips, weddings, office and bikes are in the lifestyle section of our Winter FAQ Centre.

Why skin burns so much on picnic day

Winter sun feels pleasant, so it seems harmless. But the sun's warmth and its UV are not the same thing. UV reaches your skin even when it is cold. At a picnic we usually spend 10 am to 3 pm in an open field, on a riverbank or on a resort lawn, with little shade. Add dust blowing in through the bus window and dry wind, and the skin dries out even more. The result: red cheeks, a burnt nose tip and chapped lips by evening. Read more about why winter needs sunscreen in do you need sunscreen in winter.

Step by step: the picnic-day routine

In the morning, before leaving

1. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser.
2. If your skin is dry, a thin moisturiser such as Simple Kind To Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturiser, two pea-sized amounts.
3. Once the moisturiser has settled, sunscreen: a strip the length of two fingers for the face and neck. Don't forget the ears, the back of the neck and the backs of the hands.
4. SPF lip balm on the lips.
5. Finish everything at least 15 minutes before you board the bus.

On the bus or in the car

Sitting by the window puts sun and dust straight on your face. Keep the window half closed or draw the curtain. If dust lands on your face, don't rub it with your hands; rinse gently with clean water when you arrive. On a long journey, reapply lip balm.

At noon in the open field

• Reapply sunscreen every 2 to 3 hours. Sooner after games, sweating or wiping your face.
• Before reapplying, press a tissue gently to lift sweat and dust, then apply a thin layer.
• If you are wearing makeup, you can reapply with a sunscreen powder or compact such as Lakme 9 to 5 Sun Expert Compact Powder Sunscreen SPF 40++. It doesn't replace your main sunscreen; it is only for top-ups. See how to reapply sunscreen over makeup for detail.
• Cover your head and face with a hat, cap or orna, and sit in the shade between 12 and 2 pm if you can.
• Drink water. Everyone gets busy eating at a picnic and forgets to drink.

Near the cooking smoke

At a bonbhojon the food is often cooked on an open fire. Smoke and heat dry out the eyes and facial skin. If you are on cooking duty, stand a little away from the fire, check the wind so the smoke doesn't blow into your face, and rinse your face with clean water now and then. If your eyes sting, don't rub them; splash them with clean water.

Lips: the most neglected spot at a picnic

Lips crack fastest in sun and wind, and nobody puts sunscreen on them. Reapply an SPF lip balm every 2 hours and after eating. Fix Derma Lip Shield SPF50 PA+++ or the lightly tinted Wishcare Ceramide Tinted Lip Balm SPF50 both do this job well.

Children at the picnic

Children run around the field all day, so they burn the most.

• Babies under 6 months: no sunscreen. Keep them in the shade, dress them in thin long-sleeved clothes and a hat, and use the stroller canopy.
• Over 6 months: Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Sensitive Skin Sunscreen SPF 50 on the face, ears, neck and hands, reapplied every 2 hours. Before the first use, test a little on the inner arm.
• It's better not to put an adult's scented sunscreen on a child's face.
• After games, wipe off sweat and reapply sunscreen, and give them plenty of water.

Read more about children's sunscreen in which sunscreen is good for children.

A small bag list

One small pouch is enough for the whole group:

• One SPF50 sunscreen for the group
• The baby's own sunscreen, if a baby is coming
• An SPF lip balm
• A small pack of tissues and a clean handkerchief
• A bottle of water, for rinsing and drinking
• A hat or cap, and a thin orna or scarf
• A small lotion for dry hands, such as Vaseline Intensive Care Cocoa Glow Body Lotion

Back home at night: the evening cleanse

Sleeping with a whole day's sunscreen, sweat and dust on your face leaves it rough the next morning, and many people break out.

1. Put Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Water on a cotton pad and wipe gently to lift sunscreen, makeup and dust. Don't rub.
2. Wash with lukewarm water and a gentle cleanser such as CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser Normal to Dry.
3. Moisturise while the face is still slightly damp, a little more than usual.
4. A thick layer of balm on the lips, body lotion on hands and legs.
5. If your cheeks are red or stinging, no acids, scrubs or retinol that night.

To learn more about city dust and pollution, read how to protect your skin from Dhaka's pollution.

Common mistakes

• Skipping sunscreen because "winter sun doesn't burn".
• Applying once in the morning and never again. Most of the burning happens in the noon sun.
• Using too little sunscreen. The face needs about two finger-lengths.
• Forgetting the ears, neck and backs of the hands.
• Rubbing a dusty face with your hands.
• Falling asleep without washing your face.
• Adult sunscreen on a child's face, or any sunscreen on a baby under 6 months.

The Bangladesh reality

December to February is our picnic and bonbhojon season: the office annual picnic, school and college study tours, the neighbourhood picnic. A whole day goes by at a resort in Gazipur, Savar or Manikganj, or on a riverbank. Boarding the bus in the cold dawn, fog and dust on the way, harsh sun in the open field at noon, and a ride home in cold evening wind: the skin goes through a lot in one day. Many people think about how they will look but forget sunscreen and lip balm. Pack one small pouch the night before. For a trip of several days to Sylhet, Sreemangal or Bandarban, see our winter travel skincare kit.

Why authentic products matter

With a fake sunscreen there is no way to know whether the SPF on the label is really there, and over a full day in the sun that is the biggest risk. TheSkinProof is an invoice-verified skincare marketplace: the source of every product is checked against invoices. If a product is proven counterfeit, you get 2× your money back; claims must be made within 7 days of delivery. We deliver across Bangladesh, with cash on delivery available.

When to see a doctor

• Blisters on sunburnt skin, or sunburn with fever, chills or headache.
• A child whose skin has gone red in the sun and who is restless, won't eat, or is passing less urine.
• Any sign of sunburn on a baby under 6 months.
• Red, painful, watering eyes or blurred vision from smoke or dust that doesn't settle after rinsing with clean water.
• Itching, swelling or a spreading rash after a new sunscreen; stop using it immediately.