If you’re like me you love spending time in nature and getting away with friends or family to go camping or head on a beautiful road trip. I love rock climbing and bush walking and breathing in the fresh air.
But there are some things that are pretty annoying, like getting covered in bites, sun burn, cuts and scrapes and sore feet and tired muscles. So I’ve put together a list of my top 5 natural remedies as I prefer to steer clear of products with toxic/synthetic and harmful ingredients in them.
1. Ice Blue Soothing Blend (Deep Blue if ordering from the US warehouse)
Available in a rub, roller bottle or pure oil that you can then dilute with fractionated coconut oil. This blend is fantastic to support muscles and joints. Ideally apply it BEFORE a long walk or physical activity and then after as well. I love using the roller bottle on the soles of my feet before I go for a walk or if you’re a City girl like me that loves going out dancing in heels as much as she loves going for a bushwalk apply it before you hit the town and you’ll be able to dance all night.
The rub (petrochemical free base) is super easy to use and extremely fast acting and effective on tired muscles and joints. It is a blend of Wintergreen, Camphor, Peppermint, Ylang Ylang, Helichrysum, Blue Tansy, Blue Chamomile, and Osmanthus and these oils work synergistically together to soothe, cool and restore.
2. Helichrysum Essential Oil
I always end up scraping myself when I’m rock climbing or cutting myself on a stick or something when I’m out bush. The kids often end up with minor cuts as well. Helichrysum is amazing for this!
Last time I was out I cut my finger and whipped out the Helichrysum, it’s called liquid stitches for a reason and not only stops the bleeding but helps significantly with the pain as well. It can also help soothe the skin if you end up getting a bit too much sun.
Helichrysum has been used in herbal health practices since ancient Greece and the oil is highly valued and sought after for its many health benefits. It’s best known for its restorative properties to the skin. Also referred to as the Everlasting or Immortal Flower, so if you would love to keep your skin looking it’s best wherever you are with something beautiful and natural it’s great to have this one on hand. Great for both blemishes and fine lines.
3. TerraArmour Repellant Blend (Terrashield if ordering from the US)
Unfortunately commercial insect repellants are super toxic and dangerous to use, especially for children and pregnant women but should not be used by anyone. One particular common chemical in them is DEET. A known neurotoxin.
But things get tricky when it’s so hard to find a natural alternative that ACTUALLY works.
Luckily doTERRA has formulated TerraArmour. It comes in both a 15ml essential oil blend of Ylang Ylang Flower, Nootka Wood, Cedarwood Wood, Catnip, Lemon Eucalyptus, Litsea Fruit, Arborvitae Wood essential oils and Vanilla Bean Absolute in a base of Fractionated Coconut Oil and Tamanu Seed Oil that you can diffuse or dilute and apply topically but recently they introduced it in a convenient, pre-diluted spray bottle. It’s extremely effective even against the horrible massive mosquitos we get here in Queensland and it’s 100% natural and safe to use.
4. Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender is known as the swiss army knife of essential oils because it has so many uses! The most common use when you’re out in nature is to soothe sunburn and soothe any kind of skin irritation or bite. It will take the redness and heat right out and soothe the sting. Even if you get stung by a nasty green ant or bee!
Of course it’s also fantastic for supporting a good night’s sleep (sprinkle on the pillow if you’re somewhere without power- works just as well as a diffuser) and can support the nervous system and anxious feelings.
It also promotes clear breathing and airways and if you’re someone that is sensitive to season changes and gets the sneezes try putting a drop of Lavender on your tongue and putting it on the roof of your mouth. It works instantly!
5. Digestzen Digestive Blend
When I go camping it’s inevitable that I’ll end up eating white bread spaghetti jaffles, a few too many marshmallows and kabana and jatz. Of course it’s all about balance and I allow myself to enjoy these things and reminisce on my childhood but my tummy doesn’t always respond favourably.
That’s why I always stay hydrated and use a glass bottle with a few drops of Digestzen plus apply it to my stomach each morning and night diluted in fractionated coconut oil and massaged in a clockwise direction. I wouldn’t go anywhere without it!
This unique blend contains Ginger, Fennel, and Coriander to help ease occasional stomach discomfort, including motion sickness and indigestion, while Peppermint, Tarragon, Anise, and Caraway aid with digestion and help maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract.
As mentioned, one of the ingredients in Digestzen is Ginger so if you or the kids get car sick or nauseous this is a great one to put on the wrists or on an aromatherapy bracelet or if you’re going anywhere by boat make sure to take this one as it really helps with motion sickness! I also do quite a lot of flying with business and this helps the weird plane bloating I always get.
So those are my Top 5 Natural Remedies for Camping/Travel. I could list about 20 more of course! If you would like to get your hands on these stunning, pure, ethically sourced, sustainable, essential oil based products head here.
Happy Travels!
Jessie Reimers
