Daily hacks: Three must-have essential oils beneficial for your skin and health

Are you nervous about flying? Prone to motion sickness? Then it may no longer be necessary to devote an entire suitcase to your personal first-aid kit, as certain essential oils can be the perfect allies for summer skin complaints as well as minor health concerns.

From peppermint and lavender to tea tree oil, here are three suitcase essentials to see you through the summer.

Whether you’re traveling alone, as a couple, or with your family, you have probably already had to carry some or all of your medicine cabinet in your suitcase to deal with the various ailments of the summer.

This can add up to a significant weight, increasing the cost of excess baggage, and even more so the CO2 emissions of the means of transport used.

Essential oils appear to be the lightest and most natural solution to deal with ailments like sunburn and mosquito bites, as well as headaches and transport-related problems, which can soon put a downer on your vacation.

Peppermint oil to the rescue

Peppermint essential oil alone can save you from many unpleasant situations on vacation, due to its innumerable virtues.

Available in tiny bottles, from 10 ml, this remedy can travel in the hold, as well as in the cabin, to help you deal with some typical summer vacation ailments.

Considered a stimulant, peppermint essential oil has a fresh, striking scent that can give you a boost when energy levels are running low, but that’s not all…

This essential oil can help, if not cure, then calm headaches, dizziness, sinusitis, rhinitis and even earache, thanks to its decongestant properties, and can help adults and children (from a certain age) cope with motion sickness — including seasickness.

It is also recommended in cases of indigestion, nausea and vomiting. And this essential oil can even ease itching. Applied locally, it will calm the inevitable vacation mosquito bites.

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Lavender oil: a real skin ally

While proper sun protection is a vacation essential to protect you from the harmful effects of UV rays, no one is immune to sunburn, especially during the first few days of exposure.

It is advisable, of course, not to find yourself in such a situation, but if you do get sunburn, lavender essential oil will be your best friend.

Known for its repairing and soothing virtues, it will calm the discomfort caused by sunburn, and will help the skin to regenerate more quickly. This is also true for irritated or itchy skin.

More generally, lavender essential oil is a great companion for sensitive skin, which can be more prone to developing eczema or psoriasis, for example.

And, just like peppermint oil, lavender can ease headaches, nausea and certain digestive disorders, all of which can soon put a damper on vacation fun.

The many uses of tea tree oil

You probably already have tea tree oil in your bathroom cabinet to purify skin and, in particular, to fight certain blemishes. But this essential oil has other properties, which can be particularly handy on vacation, tackling some of the minor ailments of everyday life that can inconvenience your trip.

Mouth ulcers, ear infections, colds, sinusitis, sore throats, cavities, cold sores and even urinary tract infections, are among the complaints that can be soothed by tea tree oil.

When used in synergy with other essential oils, it can even be used as a deodorant or an antiseptic gel, lightening your suitcase a little more this summer.

But care should be taken when choosing essential oils. It is preferable to use natural and organic products, sourced locally if possible, and above all to read the instructions for use carefully, taking note of any contraindications.