from http://naturesnurtureblog.com/essential-oils-for-camping-first-aid/

Essential Oils for Camping & First Aid

Camping season is here! Whether you’ll actually be camping this summer or just spending a lot of time outdoors, essential oils can really come in handy for first aid treatment. We’re on vacation next week and will be road tripping in an RV for a week, so as I’ve been preparing our packing list I also wanted to bring along some essential oils for camping and first aid treatment.

Essential Oils for Camping

This is a basic list of my favorite essential oils to keep on hand on a camping trip. Their properties are listed first, followed by their most relevant uses for camping. For suggestions on where to buy essential oils, scroll down towards the end of this post for some tips.

Lavender

Analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, antispasmodic.

Soothes bruises, burns, cuts, and scrapes; relieves itchiness from bee stings; treats allergies and asthma; eases headaches; combats mild bacterial and fungal infections; repels insects; soothes insomnia. 

Tea Tree

Antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, insecticide.

Relieves colds and sinusitis; alleviates and disinfects skin irritations like cuts, scrapes, and bug bites. 

Peppermint

Analgesic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, antispasmodic, antiviral, digestive.

Soothes aches, pains, and itchy skin; eases headaches; relieves nausea and upset stomach; combats viral and fungal infections; provides cooling sensation. 

Citronella

Analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, insecticide.

Repels insects; relieves muscle pain, fatigue, headaches, and migraines; alleviates cold and flu symptoms.

Chamomile

Analgesic, anesthetic, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic. 

Soothes itchy skin; relieves headaches and migraines.

Helichrysum

Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, astringent.

Speeds healing of bruises, burns, and minor wounds; alleviates muscle aches and pains; soothes sprains; slows/stops minor bleeding; reduces fevers; calms nerves.

First Aid Recipes

Below is a list of some easy ways to use these essential oils in preparing a first aid kit before your camping trip. Some of the recipes include additional ingredients or supplies, so I’ve linked to where you can purchase those items below as well. Most of the recipes include a carrier oil; examples of carrier oils include coconut oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil, etc.

Bumps and Bruises Salve

If you’ve bumped yourself and see a bruise developing, this salve can help soothe the pain and diminish the bruise’s appearance. 

• 8 drops lavender
• 8 drops helichrysum
• 2 oz carrier oil

Blend the essential oils. Add the oil blend to the carrier oil, and apply to the bruise once or twice a day. Can be stored in a roller bottle for easy application.

Natural Sunscreen

This simple sunscreen helps protect and moisturize the skin. For fairer skin, use more essential oils; for darker skin. use less.

• 5-10 drops essential oil (I use lavender and helichrysum)
• 1 ounce carrier oil (I love coconut oil for this!)

Mix the oils together and store in a glass bottle or jar. Apply often and after swimming, exercise. etc.

Soothing Sunburn Salve

If you do get a sunburn, apply this soothing salve for instant, cooling relief.

• 20 drops essential oil (I use lavender, chamomile, and peppermint)
• 2 teaspoons carrier oil (avocado oil is great here!)
• 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel

Blend the essential oils, then add to the carrier oil. Add the oil blend to the aloe vera gel. Apply generously to the affected areas. If making larger batches, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Insect Repellant

To repel insects such as mosquitoes, biting flies, and fleas, apply this natural insect repellant as described below. You can use any combination of oils, as long as it stays within about 50 drops of oils. Other great oils for repelling insects include cinnamon, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and rosemary.

• 50 drops essential oil (I use citronella, tea tree, and lavender)
• 4 tablespoons carrier oil

Blend the essential oils, then add to the carrier oil in a dark glass bottle or jar. Rub the oils on skin by dabbing it on your wrists, behind your ears, inside your elbows, behind your knees, and around your ankles. Reapply after an hour or after swimming, exercise, etc. You can try adding some aloe vera gel to change the consistency of the oil and make it more spreadable.

*You can also make this into a spray by substituting the carrier oil with either witch hazel or alcohol. Mix the essential oils with the witch hazel or alcohol and add to an 4 ozglass spray bottle. Then top off with distilled water. Shake well before use.

Bug Bite Salve

If you do get bit, apply this simple salve to the bite to help stop the itch, stop the venom, and reduce the chance of infection. You can use both oils or just one of them, just make sure the total ratio of essential oils to carrier oil is 50:50.

• 1 teaspoon essential oil (I use a mix of lavender and tea tree)
• 1 teaspoon carrier oil

Blend essential oils and mix with carrier oil. Add oil mixture to a roller bottle (my favorite choice!) or squeeze-top bottle. Apply very sparingly to bug bites for fast relief. 

*Both lavender and tea tree oil can be used neat (undiluted) on the skin, so if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to mix up this recipe. you can apply a drop or two of either (or both) oil to help stop the itch. Use caution, as some people may be sensitive or experience irritation when using oils neat.

Other Remedies

Nausea and Indigestion: Drip 3 drops peppermint oil onto a wash cloth. Hold it under your nose, and breathe slowly and deeply for 1-3 minutes. The menthol in peppermint oil improves circulation and stops nausea quickly.

Overheating: Apply diluted peppermint oil to the back of neck or soles of feet for fast, cooling relief. This is also great to do before hiking or long treks to keep the feet cool and comfortable.

Minor Burns: Apply 2-3 drops lavender oil directly on the site and gently spread over the affected area. This also works great for bee stings. For more bee sting remedies, check out my post natural bee sting remedies.

Headache: Apply diluted peppermint oil to the temples, brow line, and back of neck for quick relief.

from http://tipnut.com/homemade-mosquito-repellent/

Homemade Mosquito Repellent: {Recipes}

If you’re interested in experimenting with homemade mosquito repellents, here are a few different recipes that you can try.

Most of these have been sent in by readers and they’re all easy enough to make (thank you for sharing guys!). A few are made with assorted essential oils but there is one shared by Jennifer that uses simple ingredients (garlic cloves, mineral oil, water and lemon juice) so the expense is really minimal.

Here’s a tip sent in by Angela for her tried-and-true solution:

This is a recipe given to me by my aunt, I find that it stores well but should be used within the year.

1/4 cup vegetable oil mixed with these essential oils (mix and store in a spray bottle):

8 drops cedar
5 drops eucalyptus
4 drops lavender
2 drops rosemary
2 drops juniper
1 drop peppermint
1 drop cinnamon
1 drop clove

Here’s one from Mark:

I like this because it only needs a few items and it’s a breeze to put together. Make sure you shake it up for a few minutes each time before you use it. I hope your readers try it because it does work just as well as bought and it’s better to use on your body than those poisonous sprays that they try selling us in stores.

2 cups witch hazel
1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
20 drops citronella essential oil
20 drops lemongrass essential oil

Instructions: Mix in a spray bottle and shake well before use.

Jennifer sent this one in:

Mosquitoes hate garlic and so when I saw this in a magazine a few years ago I clipped it, tried it and found that it did a good job keeping me bite free.

Directions: Mince a few cloves of garlic then cover with mineral oil. Allow it to sit for at least 24 hours. Next you take a teaspoon of *just the oil* and mix it with 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Strain through a cheesecloth if you have any floaties then pour into a spray bottle. Shake before each use.

motherearthnews.com

Here’s another one from Mother Earth News ^[1]:

Since the 1999 appearance of West Nile virus in North America, it’s more important than ever to keep these pests at bay. You can outsmart them with this homemade, Earth-friendly solution.

It couldn’t be easier to make, ingredients needed are any combination of these essential oils: basil, cedarwood, citronella, juniper, lemon, myrrh, palmarosa, pine, rose geranium and/or rosemary mixed with 190-proof grain alcohol (see article for suggested quantities).

herbmentor.com

Yarrow Bug Spray ^[2]: Here’s one that’s super easy to make and only requires a few items: fresh yarrow flowers and leaves (can also use dried), vodka (or other alcohol), catnip essential oil and spray bottles.

The yarrow is infused in the vodka for a week, strained then the catnip EO added before bottling.

There’s also this tip to try: Use plantain (the weed) by crushing it and applying to bite area (also mentioned in Tipnut’s big list of itch relief tips found on this page ^[3]).

Prefer something that you don’t apply to your body? Here’s a project from Positively Splendid for making DIY Bug-Banishing Candles ^[4]:

positivelysplendid.com

Since we spend a great deal of time outdoors in the evenings each summer, I am always on the lookout for natural insect-repelling solutions. When I discovered that most citronella candles sold in chain stores are a racket, I decided to try my hand at making my own! After doing a little research, I was happy to discover the process really is quite simple.

If you’ve lost faith in the effectiveness of commercial citronella candles, this tutorial for DIY candles promises to help keep them at bay by using Citronella essential oil (rather than citronella-scented oil found in many products). The containers used for the candles are pretty frosted glass jars (instructions for making these are included) and bits of colored crayons are mixed with the soy wax to tint the candles in a variety of colors.