TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR TRAVCON 2025 CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS TODAY!

By Kevin Devoto

August 6, 2021

5299 Views

ADVERTISEMENT

5 Essential Oils for Home and Travel Nursing Use

These days, essential oils are all the rage, and for a good reason! Many have a long history of stress relief, anxiety, depression, sleep, and memory enhancement. They also have a pleasant odor.

More and more research studies are emerging to back up their efficacy in treating specific illnesses and improving overall wellness. 

Here are come low-cost essential oils that have been scientifically proven to help with stress, anxiety, memory, and focus. Even if you’ve never used essential oils before, you’ll find some quick and simple ideas that can make a big difference in your travel nursing or home life.

1. Lavender

If you only have room in your kit for one essential oil, make it this one. For thousands of years, lavender has been utilized for medicinal and home care purposes, and it is one of the most versatile essential oils available. The likes of D. Gary Young have also studied it. Lavender can be used topically for various therapeutic purposes, including rashes, insect bites, acne, minor burns, and cuts and scrapes. 

A drop or two of lavender oil in a bath will help calm frayed nerves and aid sleep, and pressing the oil into your temples and forehead helps reduce headaches. Use a few drops in steam inhale to help relieve sinus and respiratory infections.

2. Peppermint

To ease stomach cramps and queasiness, massage your belly with a carrier oil containing a few drops of peppermint essential oil.

Peppermint is fantastic for applying to the chest and throat to stop coughing fits and helps relieve congestion. A couple of drops combined with cool water can create a great foot soak to relax tired, overheated feet.

To eradicate odors in your home, spray diluted peppermint oil onto filthy shoes and boots. Add a teaspoon of the EO to a floor-washing solution to offer a fresh scent and antibacterial characteristics. Rodents and spiders will be deterred by placing a few drops of peppermint oil around cracks in walls since they can’t handle the smell.

3. Tea Tree Oil

This is one of the most helpful and useful essential oils to keep on hand, and for a good reason: it’s been dubbed “a medicine cabinet in a bottle” because it can treat nearly any common condition. Tea tree oil can be used topically to treat the following conditions, while it should never be consumed.

Applications include athlete’s foot, dermatitis, acne, nail fungus, warts, cold sores, and insect bites. 

You may make a disinfecting spray for countertops, door handles, and other surfaces around the house by mixing a teaspoon of tea tree oil with water in a misting bottle. 

4. Eucalyptus

This essential oil, which comes from Australia, is easily recognized by its aroma.

Eucalyptus EO is excellent for relieving chest congestion (either alone or in combination with other oils). A salve created with it can also help relieve asthma attacks when applied to the neck and chest. If rubbed into the problematic area a few times a day, that same salve may help relieve fibromyalgia’s discomfort. Adding a few drops to a compress and applying it to shingles-affected skin can help to relieve pain and speed up the healing process.

The antibacterial characteristics of eucalyptus make it perfect for use in a kitchen and bathroom spray or to diffuse the oil in your bathroom to eradicate germs and odors.

5. Clove

Clove oil has been used for toothaches, gum disease, cold sores, and canker sores for ages and is one of the most effective therapies. It should always be diluted (because of its potency), and people with extremely sensitive skin should avoid using it.

Keep in mind that its quality will determine the efficacy of the oil. It’s worth spending a few more dollars on high-quality, organic essential oils if you want to use them primarily for health care, first aid, and other similar purposes.

Please do your study before using any essential oils to become fully informed about their applications and potential toxicity (e.g., lemon essential oil should be kept away from cats), and use common sense when using them.

We hope you found this article on the 5 essential oils for home and nursing use helpful.

Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you have your next assignment lined up but still need housing? Click here to view our housing page.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

Join The Gypsy Nurse Nation

Discover new travel nurse jobs, subscribe to customized job alerts and unlock unlimited resources for FREE.

Since just recently joining The Gypsy Nurse, I have had so many questions answered about the world of travel nursing. This has been an excellent resource!
—Meagan L. | Cath Lab