Bugs Away!
Ah the great outdoors. Fresh air and beautiful scenery and...quite often, lots of insects. From mosquito bites and wasp stings to creepy crawlies causing you to itch and sting, bug bites are never fun.
Conventional insect repellants are renowned for their unpleasant and overpowering smell and are often packed full of nasty chemicals. There are lots of natural alternatives to use such as essential oils, some of the most effective include:
Citronella essential oil – useful in repelling mosquitos and gnats.
Lemongrass essential oil – helps repel flies and moths (as well as mosquitos).
Peppermint essential oil – great for helping deter spiders (could be a useful one to use when camping).
Lavender essential oil – a great oil not only for helping repel insects but also help heal irritated or inflamed skin after being bitten.
There are various ways you can use these oils to help repel bugs. A great way is to create your own spray using distilled water and the essential oil of choice. If you’re camping, you can spray a generous amount around your tent which won’t only help repel unwanted visitors, but also help keep away bad smells.
You can also create your own body lotion or spray by diluting the essential oil in a carrier oil or body lotion base and applying it to the skin before you go out and before you go to sleep.
If you’re strapped for time with lots of packing to do, you may like to try a product from our ready to use ‘Bugs Away’ range which contains a pre-blended lotion, oil and spray which are packed full of essential oils and natural ingredients to help protect you and your family.
Sunburn soother
It is important that we make sure we’re protecting our skin from the sun, especially during the warmer months when we tend to spend lots of time outdoors. Using the correct SPF for your skin type and staying out of the sun during the hottest part of the day can help prevent the skin from burning.
The following essential oils are great for helping treat burned and inflamed skin. Always dilute with a carrier oil (something with great moisturizing properties such as virgin coconut oil would be ideal to help repair the skin).
Lavender essential oil – this will help soothe the pain and discomfort associated with sunburn, as well as helping speed up the healing process.
Chamomile essential oil – a natural anti-inflammatory and one of the gentlest oils makes it ideal to treat sore and inflamed skin.
Travel sickness
If you’re like me, you may suffer from motion sickness. It can really hinder your ability to travel and can make the journey feel stressful and really unpleasant! Conventional over the counter travel sickness pills can leave you feeling incredibly drowsy (not what you want when arriving in a new destination or when you have children to look after).
Luckily, there are a number of natural solutions you can try which are simple, effective and enjoyable to use. Why not try the following essential oils:
Ginger essential oil– the aroma may not be to everyone’s taste, but Ginger has long been praised for its digestive properties.
Grapefruit essential oil– its fresh, sweet citrus scent can help lift spirits and help stimulate the digestive system. It is also a very energizing oil so if you do find you have to take a travel sickness pill, it can help you to stay alert and awake.
Peppermint essential oil – refreshing and reviving. Peppermint is renowned for its ability to soothe an upset stomach
In terms of using them to treat travel sickness, you can simply inhale from the bottle or if you have time to prepare, you can pre-blend with a carrier oil and apply to the wrists and temples and even gently massage over the abdomen.
Alternatively, you can refer to one of our older blogs on ‘DIY solid perfume’ series to see how you can create your own pre blended aromatherapy balms to take with you!
Cooling spray
As much as we love he hot weather, sometimes it can become overwhelming; leaving us feeling tired and groggy. This can be particularly challenging if you’re traveling somewhere! A simple cooling spray made with natural ingredients can be a really effective way of cooling yourself down (plus it smells divine).
All you need is a bottle of floral water and a small, handy sized spray bottle.
We’d recommend either Rose water, Neroli water, or Chamomile water
Give it a good shake, close your eyes and spray over the face and neck! Enjoy the calming effects of the floral water. Gentle on the skin, these are great to use for the whole family to help keep you feeling cool and calm.
There you have some of our top tips for how to practice aromatherapy on the go. Thank you for reading and make sure you stay tuned for more of our free tips and advice.
