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Traveling with Essential Oils

As the holidays approach and many of us travel here and there, we are frequently asked a variety of questions about traveling with essential oils and how to use and protect them along the way. I hope this compilation of tips will help!

What Oils Should I Take?

Kelley wrote: My husband and daughter do missions work in a remote village in Honduras.
Their First Aid Kit contains:

Essential oils and Products from Hopewell Essential Oils

Lavender (kills tetanus, stops nosebleeds and a zillion other things)
Peppermint
Digestion Support (works FAST on stomach upset)
Tummy Soothe is a good alternative for Digestion Support and suitable for children and pregnancy.
Lemon in water (not in a plastic bottle or styrofoam cup)
Pain-X (Ouch! Is a good alternative suitable for children)
Plague Defense (on feet each night to prevent jungle rot)
Plague Defense Spray
Warrior (potent antibiotic replacement)
Immune Support is a good alternative for Plague Defense and Warrior for children and pregnancy.
No Bites! bug spray (AWESOME)
Peaceful (anxiety/help sleeping)
DeepEase (sprains etc)
Itchy Rash Spray
Comfrey/Calendula Salve

Also:
Colloidal Silver
Pascalite (bentonite) clay
Diatomaceous earth (send in capsules to take daily - kills parasites)
Green pastures fermented cod liver oil/butter oils capsules (take daily for immune system and internal sunscreen)
Astaxanthin (with every meal - internal sunscreen, protection from plane radiation among other things)
Malaria Risk? To prevent mosquito bites, besides using a bug spray like No Bites, take B1 (thiamin) and garlic oil supplements every day for at least two weeks prior to going on the trip and during the entirety of the trip, as both B1 and garlic deter mosquitoes.
Some customers have mentioned using EarPlanes. . . that might be worth looking into.

Travel Sickness

Travel sickness may be caused by conflicting messages reaching the brain from the eyes, the balancing mechanism of the ears and the stomach. It helps to look at an unmoving object on the horizon or, if you're in a plane or on a ship, close your eyes. Peppermint oil has a soothing and calming effect on the stomach. Ginger is also well known for alleviating motion sickness. These can be used as single oils or combined. Use in a personal inhaler or on a handkerchief. Dilute and apply topically to the abdomen.

Travel Buddy

9 drops Lavender essential oil
6 drops Grapefruit essential oil
3 drops Peppermint essential oil
3 drops Ginger essential oil
Place the 21 drops of the Travel Buddy Blend on the inhaler wick. The inhaler is most effective when used for 2 days prior to travel and throughout the trip. In particular, use on the descent during air travel.
The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness by Nerys Purchon and Lora Cantele, page 323.

Travel Nervousness

Lavender and Geranium are used successfully by nervous travelers. For a list of more oils noted to help ease anxiety, see our Anxiety detail page.

Pre-Flying Nerves Tamer

5 mL Lavender
2 mL Bergamot
2 mL Geranium
40 drops Sandalwood or Cedarwood
10 drops Roman Chamomile
Combine into a 15 mL essential oil dropper bottle.
Roll-on Applicator: Dilute into a roll-on applicator at 5% (15 drops) and apply on temples, wrists or other pulse points.
Personal Inhaler: Add about 15 drops to the cotton wick. Use as desired.
The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness by Nerys Purchon and Lora Cantele, page 320.

Jet Lag

When you arrive at your destination, force yourself to stay awake and go to bed at the local bedtime. Before you sleep, have a bath or shower and add 1 drop of each Lavender and Geranium essential oil (or try Roman Chamomile, Clary Sage or Neroli), to a soapy washcloth. Alternatively, put a small amount of carrier in the palm of your hand, add 1 drop each of Lavender and Geranium, and apply the oil over your lower back and hips to relieve the travel ache and tension that come from sitting for long periods. This may alleviate symptoms, but for best results continue using the oil over a couple of days.
The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood, page 122.

Bedbug Deterrent

• When we enter the hotel room, we don't place anything on the floor. I quickly clean the luggage rack and counters available with my DIY Linen Spray, Plague Defense Spray or Klean Hands Spray if it seems appropriate. I don't want to risk harming the furnishings, so when in doubt, I'll go to plan B and use a damp rag with a little soap. Then, we set our belongings on these cleaned surfaces.
• I use Plague Defense Spray or Klean Hands Spray on door knobs, clean the bathroom and so on.
• I pull back the sheets and spray the bottom sheet with Plague Defense Spray. Then, I pull the top sheet back up to re-make the bed and flip the top of the sheet over the top of the bedspread so we don't have to touch the bedspread while sleeping. If we don't bring our own pillows, I spray the pillows.
• I usually take a diffuser and run Plague Defense through it. I set it close to the AC so that the EO molecules are blown into the room.
• If possible, we do all of this and then leave the diffuser running on high output while we go to dinner or run errands for an hour or so. I set the diffuser to normal use once we return.
• We never walk on the floor barefoot! We pack sandals or crocks.
  
  

DIY Linen Spray

To create your own spray, this is a basic formula. For spraying beds, you might want to increase the amount of essential oil used. I think alcohol may be a positive factor in deterring bedbugs.
1oz spray bottle
120 drops of essential oil of choice
Everclear to the 'shoulder' of the bottle
There are likely many essential oils with 'insecticidal' properties—Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Lavender and Peppermint are good choices. I like Spearmint, Lavender, Peppermint and Cinnamon Bark as a combo.

Valerie Worwood, in The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy (page 132), wrote:
" To deter bedbugs and fleas, when you arrive at your destination, pull back the bedclothes and add Lavender oil to a tissue and wipe it over the mattress. You might also want to drop Lavender oil onto the bedding. If bitten, the important factor is to avoid infection. Bathe the bitten areas and apply neat Lavender. Alternatively, dilute 3 drops of thyme linalol in cider vinegar and apply over the bitten area. Eucalyptus radiata is another option - use as you would Lavender."

Paula wrote: Our family uses Plague Defense Spray for everything - an all-purpose sanitizer, throat spray, room freshener, etc. I keep one spray bottle in my purse and have other bottles around the house. This stuff is amazing! I must share that my favorite use for Plague Defense Spray is to kill bugs. We unknowingly brought home bed bugs after a vacation, and this spray eliminated them with one thorough application on and around the bed! So much safer than toxic pesticides, and it smells wonderful. It is also great for killing wasps and other unwanted creepy crawlies.

Sleep Easy

30 drops Lavender essential oil
30 drops Geranium essential oil
30 drops Roman Chamomile essential oil
In a 5 mL glass dropper bottle, combine Lavender, Geranium and Roman Chamomile essential oils. Shake to blend. Dilute with carrier and apply as desired.
The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness by Nerys Purchon and Lora Cantele page 324.

Travel Wipes

2 drops Lavender essential oil
2 drops Ginger essential oil
2 drops Thyme linalool essential oil
2 drops Tea Tree essential oil
4 drops Lemongrass essential oil
Use 2-3 drops of the blend on about 10 dampened paper towels and seal them in a resealable bag [such as a ziplock baggie]. You may not need all the tissues for a single journey, but they're useful to have ready for busses, taxis and trains too. The wipes smell good, and they clean up the air as well as being antimicrobial. The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood, page 121.
(HEO note: Consider using reusable cotton fabric squares)

Citrus Quench Hand Cleanser for hands etc.

Children

On long flights, children can get fidgety and irritable - which can make your journey as uncomfortable as theirs. Prepare a bottle containing 5 drops of Roman Chamomile in 1 tablespoon of a light carrier oil. If things start to get out of control, massage the child's feet and legs with a little of the oil, tuck a blanket around them and hopefully they'll soon settle down. Only use a tiny portion of the oil - it may also come in handy for other vacation problems.
The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood, page 121.

Toddler Tamer

Children can get very over-excited, tired and cranky when traveling. Diluted at 0.5%, this blend is suitable for 3-month-old babies and older.
4 tsp Grapeseed or Sweet Almond oil
3 drops Roman Chamomile essential oil
2 drops Lavender essential oil
In a 1oz glass bottle, combine Grapeseed oil and Roman Chamomile and Lavender essential oils.
Inhalation: Apply a little Toddler Tamer to a tissue and encourage the child to inhale. This should have a calming effect.
Massage: Gently massage the child's feet and legs to soothe.
The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness by Nerys Purchon and Lora Cantele, page 322.

Swollen Ankles

There are two methods for dealing with swollen ankles, which can become particularly troublesome on long flights. Both work equally well and need preparation in advance. For the first, you will need a piece of cotton - a small handkerchief is perfect - for making a compress. Put 2-3 drops of Lavender on the material, then wet it so it's just damp. Fold it and put it in a small resealable bag to carry with you on the journey. When your ankles swell during the flight, apply the compress to your feet and ankles and gently massage them in an upward direction to the bottom of the calf, both back and front, for a few minutes. For the second method, massage your feet and ankles in an upward direction, as above, with a massage formula using Lavender and/or Eucalyptus radiata diluted with Aloe Vera.
The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness by Nerys Purchon and Lora Cantele, page 324.

Testimonies

1. My husband and daughter travel to Honduras, and my daughter traveled to Israel last summer, and they didn't have any issues with taking essential oils on the airplane. Just make sure your liquids follow the size rule and are in a quart-size ziplock (each bottle needs to be under 3.4 oz). They pack refills in their checked luggage if they think they will need more. - Kelley

2. I have not heard of any problems from people traveling via airlines with essential oils. Consider making a hand sanitizer with Aloe Vera and essential oils. There's a recipe at the end of this article: Is the Obsession with Antibacterial Products Harmful? Natural Alternatives to Triclosan and Other Toxic Chemicals ENJOY YOUR TRIP!!

3. I would like to assure you as a physicist that it is unnecessary to be concerned about essential oils being x-rayed at the airport because of the time that the oil is exposed to ionizing radiation. If the oil is irradiated for a long period, let's say a few hours, then there could be some degradation of the oil. The most vulnerable molecules to radiation will be the top notes, the smallest molecules in your oil, which usually leave our bodies in the quickest time and have less therapeutic value.