6 Must-Have Essential Oils for Travel + How To Use Them
It wasn't long after I began to integrate essential oils into my life that my whole family were using them. We began to ditch using so many toxic chemicals, creams and over-the-counter medicines at home and essential oils became our 'Go-To' for our complementary medicine cabinet and our emotional (+ spiritual) support.
In fact, now we use essential oils oh, more than 21 times a day. ;)
So, when it came time to pack the girls and I off for a working vacation to NSW to see my dad, the questions wasn't 'Should we take the oils' but rather 'Which oils do we take?'.
As we have so many different oils at home, it became a case of me working out how to support the three of us to sleep better, travel better, stay well (and for me... focus on work when I needed to), while we were away.
So here are our Essential Essential oils for travelling.
As we have so many different oils at home, it became a case of me working out how to support the three of us to sleep better, travel better, stay well (and for me... focus on work when I needed to), while we were away.
So here are our Essential Essential oils for travelling.
#1. Lavender
Lavender is a great all-rounder with a wide range of applications so it's the perfect addition to the travel kit.
Lavender does a little bit of this. Such an incredibly versatile oil to take when you travel. For calming, grounding, insomnia, burns, scratches, perfumes and skin.
Lavender traditionally supports wound healing (including sunburn), and skin irritations, including eczema and psoriasis.
Lavender improves sleep and helps calm over-excited kids. I often drop some of the girls 'blankies' and then lean them against the car door or their car seat to lay their heads on so they can breathe in the aroma, or put a couple of drops on their pillows so they breathe in the calming aroma as they sleep.
Many of us also get a bit of insomnia when we sleep in new beds or rooms and lavender helps to relieve insomnia.
Lavender is calming and relieves stress, traditionally alleviates headaches and inflammation, AND is an ideal natural perfume alternative for us ladies when mixed with our other travel faves, citrus oil or frankincense.
#2. Frankincense
Frankincense is another incredible all rounder. It helps to relieve dry skin that is often associated with windburn or sunburn (mix with a carrier oil and rub into the skin). It alleviates stress, headaches and fatigue and is a great immune support. (You can place a drop under the tongue for instant focus and support).
For those of you who are imbibing in some 'boozy behaviour' while travelling, Frankincense also helps to discharge toxins from your liver and kidneys. Yep! There's even essential oils for hangovers.
Traditional uses for Frankincense:
Release trauma and grief
Support anxiety
Support depression
Reduce the signs of ageing, sun-spots, wrinkles, stretch-marks, uneven skin tone
Meditation and mindfulness practice
Support the immune system
Reduce inflammation
Improve sleep
#3. Tea tree
What a potent powerhouse tea-tree (melaleuca) is.
Tea-tree soothes itchy insect bites, sores and sunburns, acts as a powerful antiseptic and anti-microbial and acts as an effective insect repellent. For scratches, bumps and cuts... bring out the tea-tree!
You can also use tea-tree as a hand sanitiser either neat, or mixed with water in a spray bottle.
Traditional uses for Tea Tree essential oil:
Astringent
Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-microbial
Support anxiety
Stings, cuts, scratches, bites, wounds
Insect repellant
#4. Peppermint
Hola Pepp! Peppermint essential oil improves mental focus and clarity, is an excellent 'pick-me-up' in times of stress and when inhaled straight off a hot towel in the morning, can give you the feeling of an already-drunk long-black. (for real! I have tested this many times. ;)
Peppermint also has other excellent jobs to do though as it is a respiratory and digestive focused oil, so can improve upset tummies and help sooth digestive issues.
Traditional uses for Peppermint essential oil:
IBS, Graves, Crohns, digestive distress
Vomiting, diarrhoea
Morning sickness
Sea sickness/motion sickness/car sickness
Concentration
Ward off insects, ants, spiders, bugs
Cool the skin, reduce fever
And if you get the sniffles or congestion, put a few drops of peppermint and tea-tree oil in a bowl with hot water, place a towel over your head and inhale the aroma. Instant relief!
Peppermint mixed with water and spritzed onto the body as a mist can also help keep the body cooler and more comfortable.
#5. OnGuard Blend
The doTERRA OnGuard blend is a bloody powerhouse of anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and immune-system supporting goodness.
Use in a spray bottle or neat as a hand sanitiser for the plane, use on your kitchen surfaces as an anti-bacterial, use as a natural hand cleaner (when mixed with some carrier oil).
You can even spritz some over some cut up apple with water for a yummy holiday snack with super-powers.
#6. Citrus oil
Any citrus oil, like wild orange, grapefruit, lemongrass or lemon is an excellent room deodoriser or 'smelly' room saviour for smoky-smelling or musty rooms. Simply keep some in a little spray bottle and spritz when you arrive at your destination and want to get that funky smell from your digs.
You can also use it as a 'poo-pouri' by placing a couple of drops into the toilet before doing your 'business' or use that spray bottle again to keep the shared toilet air fresh.
At the other end of the body.. you can use a drop of citrus essential oil to 'pimp' any sprarkling water into a tropical holiday drink OR for the adults and those feeling naughty, you can put it into your mixed drinks like a gin and tonic, or vodka and soda or tequila and forgo that disgusting sugary and preservative laden fizzy drink.
Handy Travel Tip for Making your own Blends whilst Traveling
Don’t forget to also pack some carrier oil and/or some pre-made roller bottle with carrier oil already inside for blending and rolling onto the skin.
You can use a carrier oil like fractionated coconut oil, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil or many others. (Make it organic!).
It's also great to have a little spray bottle at hand to make a spritz with oils.
#6. Citrus oil
Any citrus oil, like wild orange, grapefruit, lemongrass or lemon is an excellent room deodoriser or 'smelly' room saviour for smoky-smelling or musty rooms. Simply keep some in a little spray bottle and spritz when you arrive at your destination and want to get that funky smell from your digs.
You can also use it as a 'poo-pouri' by placing a couple of drops into the toilet before doing your 'business' or use that spray bottle again to keep the shared toilet air fresh.
At the other end of the body.. you can use a drop of citrus essential oil to 'pimp' any sprarkling water into a tropical holiday drink OR for the adults and those feeling naughty, you can put it into your mixed drinks like a gin and tonic, or vodka and soda or tequila and forgo that disgusting sugary and preservative laden fizzy drink.
Handy Travel Tip for Making your own Blends whilst Traveling
Don’t forget to also pack some carrier oil and/or some pre-made roller bottle with carrier oil already inside for blending and rolling onto the skin.
You can use a carrier oil like fractionated coconut oil, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil or many others. (Make it organic!).
It's also great to have a little spray bottle at hand to make a spritz with oils.