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Essential oils can be a wellness powerhouse when used properly. Inside a tiny glass bottle lies natural aromatic plant extracts ready to fight any battle for you. They are organic alternatives to enhance your body’s health and wellness through prevention and treatment of ailments. Positive correlations have been attributed to therapeutic usage and wellness enhancement through essential oils.
When I first started using essential oils, I was intimidated. Going to the grocery or health store and staring down the long aisle of different brands of essential oils was overwhelming. I panicked.
I knew there were numerous wellness benefits: relaxing muscles, mood boosts, aiding respiratory functions, headache and migraine relief. However, knowing where to start was the hard part. What essential oil was best? Which would aid in wellness preservation/prevention and support me when I felt under the weather?
My doctor encouraged me to try peppermint oil as a home remedy for headaches. Slowly and hesitantly, I built up enough courage to experiment. I told myself, “Why not!” I was and still am willing to try anything that provides headache and migraine relief for Wilbur, especially while I’m on the road.
Wilbur is the name I call my traumatic brain injury (TBI), but I won’t go into detail here. However, more about my journey with a TBI can be found reading my personal story.
First step . . .
First, I took the small glass bottle of peppermint oil, and checked if a carrier oil was mixed in. I dabbed it on the back of my hand, then tenderly rubbed the smooth, thickish liquid on my temples and forehead. It tingled.
The sensations felt somewhat fiery, yet calming at the same time. I laid down, fixating on my breath. I felt each muscle in my head quiet down gently with the rise and fall of my chest. The pounding head pain discreetly muffled with stillness. Success! The headache subdued, and I found a new tool to boost my health.
After experimenting with peppermint oil at home, I bravely ventured to test it while on the road. Driving to work and a headache appears, no problem! Peppermint oil to the rescue. First deep breath, dab a little on, then deep breath again. Success!
I learned adding a list of essential oils for wellness travel can be a powerhouse staple. The benefits are limitless, whether it be for relaxation, healing ache scars, aiding an upset stomach (constipation or diarrhea, which can happen frequently when traveling due to exciting new foods and routines), or needing an antiseptic.
Packing essential oils for your travels allows you to focus on preventative wellness with minimal mental effort. Who doesn’t love that!
How they work
Essential oils function by working with your body to balance its chemical state, therefore producing a medicinal effect. Once absorbed into the body, the oils re-modulate at the affected site to provide friendly relief to the malfunctioning system (source).
It’s very important to read the label on the bottle, as not all essential oils are created equal. In fact, most essential oils should not be ingested.
Typically there are two main ways to use essential oils. The first is topically on the skin. If used topically, apply a carrier oil, as irritation of the skin could occur if a carrier oil is not applied. Always test essential oils first on a small part of the skin before applying to a larger part.
The second is through aromatherapy. Inhalation through diffusers or warm baths infused with your essential oil of choice is a great aromatherapy method. Luckily both can be done while traveling!
Traveling with essential oils
Simply keep a Although, if it’s something serious please see a doctor right away as this is not medical advice.
Best list of essential oils for traveling
I personally carry each of the items on this list of essential oils with me whenever I travel. Visiting cities abroad like Barcelona, Chernobyl, Sofia, Zagreb, to cities in the U.S like Newport Beach, Disneyland (it’s not a city but I’m a Disney-fanatic so I had to include it) and New York city. Sometimes I’ll even carry then to various national parks, such as Plitvice Lakes, Yosemite and Zion.
Wherever I travel, an essential oil kit is ready at hand! Here’s a list of essential oils I like to include (both at home and on the road), along with their benefits.
- headache and migraine relief
- aids digestion and upset stomach
- helps with respiratory function
- freshens breath
- aides in relaxation and sleep
- improves brain function
- relieves sore muscles
- reduces headaches and migraines
Travel Tip: Lemongrass essential oil can also work instead of lemon. Although it does have slightly different benefits than lemon oil, I sometimes will bring lemongrass oil instead.
Quick recap to take away
- Don’t ingest essential oils, unless it specifies on the bottle.
- Test essential oil first on a small part of your skin.
- Use a carrier oil.
- <a aria-label=”undefined (opens in a new tab)” href=”http://<a href=”https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1360054&u=2466057&m=83601&urllink=&afftrack=”>Essential Oil Diffuser NecklaceAromatherapy is great.
- Keep travel essential oils kit in a small bag, so they are ready to pack wherever you go
Additional wellness resources
If you want to learn more ways to focus on wellness while traveling read:
Here’s Why Strangers On The Train Boosted My Well-Being
Great read. I will try to have one of each.
Peppermint is absolutely amazing! =) I use it all the time to sleep! =)
I recently gotten into essential oils but have never used it while traveling (COVID i hate you). I only tried lavender so far, but I would try peppermint too! looks like something that would help me a lot. thanks for this!
OMG I love essential oils! I use them for everything — to sleep, when I want to smell good, to make beauty products, etc. My favorite scents are the peppermint and lavender. Sometimes I like to blend the two!
Kudos for sharing alternative options, like Lemongrass essential oil, and providing flexibility in choices. It shows a thoughtful consideration for different preferences and needs.