We went camping on the weekend and had a great time! It was so nice to spend some time outdoors (even though it rained for some of it). I have heard other bloggers say it is good to get away and ‘un-plug’ from electronics and I thought they were crazy… I didn’t think it was a big deal to stay/ want to stay connected. Little did I know, a break from cyber space was exactly what I needed to recharge, even if only for a few days!
It has been so long since I have been camping so getting set up was a bit of a challenge, especially in the rain! We bought a beautiful tent which states it sleeps 7 people (there were 2 of us & the dog in our tent). We decided to get a bigger tent as we plan to do a lot of camping this summer and we thought it would give us extra space, which it certainly did! It is huge! However once we got the tent set up (this didn’t take more than 10-15 minutes) and got settled, it was smooth sailing for the rest of the weekend… minus the pesky bugs!
A few weeks ago, in preparation for this trip I wrote Essential Oils for Camping. Now after having gone camping I have a few more oils to add and a few adjustments to make from the last post.
More Essential Oils for Camping:
- Lemon
- Protective Blend
- Lemongrass
- Purification Blend
- Fractionated Coconut Oil
Keeping the Bugs away:
Instead of using only the outdoor blend, as discussed here, we also added lemongrass. We used:
15 drops outdoor blend
7 drops lemongrass
2-3oz of water
Make sure you shake the bottle between uses as the oils will settle on top of the water.
I think this blend helped, my husband came back with only 4 or 5 bites so overall I’d say that is pretty good as the bugs were out in full force. I, however, was not so lucky. Let’s just say I have significantly more than 4 or 5 bites… but I always get more bites then him… guess I am just sweeter 😛 If I didn’t use this blend I probably would have been covered from head to toe. Honestly I do not think I would have had any better results if I used a store bought bug spray with strong chemicals. Bonus: This spray had a really nice scent which made up for the lack of showers… more on that shortly!
Relieving Bug Bite Itch:
First off, don’t do what I did. I scratched my bites like crazy so by the time I applied lavender the skin was even more agitated and slightly raw. While lavender helps, it is not a miracle oil… I have learned my lesson!
On my next trip I plan to bring fractionated coconut oil with me. When I got home from the trip I combined lavender and fractionated coconut oil and applied it to my leg and arms like a moisturizer, this really helped with the itch!
Allergies:
You never know how your body will react to the outdoors. It can be a seasonal allergy sufferer’s nightmare! If you suffer from allergies, you may want to make this on your next camping trip to help relieve some of your allergy symptoms:
2 drops peppermint
2 drops lavender
2 drops lemon
Veggie capsule
Combine these 3 oils in a veggie capsule to help with allergy symptoms. Please remember to ONLY USE Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. Read the bottle, of it doesn’t state ‘for dietary use’ or ‘supplement facts’ then do not ingest the oil as it most likely contains synthetic fillers.
Sticky Tree Sap:
We had to make some impromptu trap shelters out of tarps and rope because of the rain which involved touching sticky sap on the trees. Add a drop of lemon to your hands and rub them together to help remove the sticky residue. Note: Lemon is a photosensitive oil which means if exposed to direct sunlight, it could burn your skin. After removing the sap, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water.
Hand Sanitizer:
We were lucky to have a site right near the flush toilets but unfortunately it did not have soap at the sink. We used regular hand sanitizer but if I had thought of it we could have used 1 drop of the protective blend on our hands to sanitize them.
Personal Hygiene:
Although we were near the washrooms, this particular campground did not have showers. If I camp again without showers I will combine 4-5 drops of the purification blend with 2-3oz of water in a glass spray bottle. This blend is perfect for staying fresh as it has cleansing and deodorizing properties.
I hope these are helpful examples of ways you can use essential oils when camping! What are you favourite essential oils to camp with?
Wow, i had no idea that essential oils could do this much! I love the idea that everything is so natural.I really will have to try the lemongrass blend for keeping away the bugs! Thanks for sharing!
wonderful tips. I’m trying to figure out if the Lemongrass is photosensitive or not..
I’ve been reading up on essential oil remedies in particular bug repellent for my tot who has extremely sensitive skin. I love all your suggestions and I will definitely refer back to your list for when we take our semi camping trip in a few weeks.
Wow no showers? I am definitely more of a glamping type. I would just die without a shower. LOL
I love my essential oils and I am just learning so much about them. We are heading out on a camping trip soon, this is great information for me. Thankfully, I think we will have running water to wash our hands, but no showers though!
I have never went camping and I think for me the bugs and animals would be the worst part. I told my hubs that we can do the backyard first and lead up to real camping by practicing slow
I am all about camping! I love this post. These are really awesome uses for oils. I had no idea that lavender could relieve the irritation from bug bites.
I LOVE essential oils and also hate icky chemicals so i loved this post! thanks for sharing! I’ll def give all these a try on my upcoming camping trip!
A great and effective natural bug repellant sounds like a wonderful find! I hate using things with chemicals on the kids, but I don’t want to run the risk of bug bites and infections. This sounds like a great potential solution to the problem.
I can’t sleep without the lemon, lavender, and peppermint combo in my diffuser!
Yes! This is another must have list for those who are going camping, but I plan on use these techniques when I am hosting a cook out. The lemongrass with the protective blend would be great to put into some candles and I think I might just do that this weekend.
More great essential oil recipes! Thanks for sharing them at the #AnythingGoes Link Party.
I love essential oils and I love that they offer so many health benefits. I didn’t know that they can be used as bug sprays. I am bookmarking this post because I really want to try these recipes. Thanks for sharing them.
I have recently discovered essential oils and am falling in love with them! These are great ways to use them for outdoor pesky bugs. I had not heard of some of these before thank you!
You’ve hit the nail on the head with many of these tips. Two things that keep me indoors during the summer are allergies and bugs. Those two things are just a complete bother for me. I’ve often used over the counter products to help keep the mosquitoes and flies away as well as keeping the allergies at bay. I really need to experiment more with essential oils.
I have never used essential oils but I need to. I like these concotions for keeping the bugs away and for anti itch.
All these benefits of these essential oils! Great if you’re not wanting to buy products with a lot of different chemicals and things that might harm your skin! Not a big “camper” but if/when I do these will defintely come in handy! 🙂 Great post my dear!
That’s amazing about the bugs! I’d love to try that since I HATE putting any type of bug spray on or near my kids! Thanks for the tips !
Even though I’m not camping, I’m going to try this recipe for keeping the bugs away. Living in the mountains, it’s much needed whether we’re camping out or not!
We were just camping this weekend, and we went through a ton of bug spray and lotion. I wish I had seen your recipe earlier for bug spray, but now I know where to look for the next time!
Love using oils. Will have to try the allergy remedy. Sounds like it will smell great too! Lavender and lemon are some of my favorite scents!
My boys are going camping next month and we are afraid of them getting eaten up–never thought about using essential oils to help them. We will definitely bookmark this post and use it to keep the bugs at bay.
Essentials oils are so great for so many things. This is a great list!
I love using essential oils. We are camping in our backyard this weekend. I will try the bug spray.
I’m all about the lemon oil!!! It’s crazy how many uses there are out of one simple oil! Totally awesome if you ask me!
This is awesome! I am always wondering how essential oils work, so reading this post helps put that in perspective!
these are great ideas for camping. I have been using essential oils more and more. They are helpful with so many things around the house.
Glad to hear that you are loving your oils Addi! Thanks for visiting!
This is awesome! We’ve never thought about using essential oils for all of this. We’ll definitely have to try it.
There are so many uses Jacob 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
The more I hear about what essential oils can do, the more amazed I get! I made a bug spray with witch hazel and lavender essential oil last year and it seemed to help. Now I have more things to try. Thank you!
I have used them for a year and a half and I still get amazed about all the ways essential oils can be used! Thanks for visiting Angie!
LEmongrass is one of my favorite oils. I have used it in a sugar scrub and on my feet to relax. I will have to try it on a camping trip next. I would love to buy citronella oil too and make some repellants!
I’m not sure why but the smell of lemongrass isn’t a favourite for me… though everyone I know loves it! I suck it up though because of the amazing benefits! I will have to try it in a sugar scrub! Thanks for visiting Krystal
Great not only for camping! Love the essential oils. They can surely keep mosquitoes away!
Yes I love the power of essential oils! Thanks for visiting 🙂
I’m always the one to get bit. I’ve read that mosquitos are attracted to people who give off more carbon dioxide. Might have to give lemongrass a try.
That is very interesting Jenise! My husband never gets bit and I’m practically eaten alive… I wonder if that’s why?! Thanks for visiting!
hey if it keeps the bugs away I’m all for it. There’s a ton of mosquitoes out here right now.
Yes the bugs are nasty this year! Try it out for sure 🙂 Thanks for visiting Rosey!
I love that these oils are all natural. They have so many uses and smell so good. It seems there is an oil for every use.
Yes all of the uses for essential oils are amazing! Thanks for visiting!
I have recently got into essential oils and loving them. Never been camping before but nice to be prepared
Glad to hear you are loving your oils Miranda! Thanks for stopping by!
I love your tips for dealing wiith bugs naturally! Thank you so much for sharing this helpful information about Essential Oils for Camping at the Healthy Happy Green and Natural Party Blog Hop. I’m pinning and sharing.