Glowing on the Going
If you’ve ever been on a plane, you’ve been exposed to the travel-body-woes. Dry skin, bloating, constipation, menstruation irregularity, consistently breathing in recycled air, and so on. Once you’re off the plane, the issues don’t just cease to exist either. Annoyingly, they may even exacerbate depending on the climate you’ll find yourself in, amount of air pollution and free radicals, and all that typical jazz.
I’ve compiled a short list of convenient ways to keep yourself top notch whilst on the road. For trips two weeks or less, these ideas are probably not all that necessary, but longer trips could necessitate familiarizing yourself with these little goodies.
Your skin is your body’s largest organ. It excretes waste via sweat and drops off dead skin cells, but sometimes a little help goes a long way.
All the potential unguent & potion making possibilities in Mexican markets.
Weekly dry bushing or exfoliating keeps your skin healthy and vibrant.
Keep the used coffee grounds after a pot or Keurig is made. This should present no problem even if you’re staying in an accommodation where coffee is made for you; simply ask. *In lieu of grounds, use sea salt or large granulated sugar
Pinch of grounds with emollient oil (coconut, jojoba, olive, etc) or soap (Dr. Bronner’s preferably) for FACE
Rest of the body can handle as much grounds as you want; make sure your skin is a little moistened
Use a vegetable brush or pumice stone, moisten skin, and slough off that deadness on the feet followed by a sweet, sweet bathing session (obviously don’t scrub too hard...it’s your body, I hope you know what to do here).
In past travels, I’ve had the serious misfortunate of dealing with several terrible bouts of bed bugs. Luckily, I’m a regular walking apothecary thanks to my Dad, so I made a concoction that I left on the bites overnight. Not only on my myself, but also a friend who had the same bites. She told me, being allergic to all bites, I swell up profusely and quickly. But with this, I only had pinpricks for the bite location and zero itch. #Win
I mashed this all up (eyeballed the measurements) and made a paste then put in a small container that I kept with me: turmeric powder, tea tree oil, lavender oil, baking soda, water, cinnamon (yes I travel with my own bottle), lemongrass oil, water
Speaking of these oils, they’re all excellent if you want to make your own DIY bug repellent :)
Yes, I had all these ingredients on me
I didn’t have clay though and it’s something that I now always have a small container of on hand [any kind]
All the potential unguent & potion making possibilities in Mexican markets
Living in the tropics for a month and suddenly moving to a mountainous, cooler climate; I had started to feel the flu in my throat. This experiment below healed me up within five days.
Bring water to a boil, (again, I eyeballed) introduce honey, fresh lemon juice and rinds, lots of ginger into the hot water. Pour into an all-day water bottle and this will be your only beverage until you're healed.
Drink as often as possible and it doesn’t need to remain heated the entire day
REST. Lay it the hell down.
If you’re sinuses are all clogged, boil some hot water and insert 3-5 drops of tea tree or eucalyptus oil all into a pot. Put that face over the pot once it’s gotten to a boil and put a nice big cloth over your head (and the pot) and breathe, breathe, breathe. Expect some drainage from your orifices.
Worse than bed bugs you might ask? Scabies. All over my face. Just, absolutely foul. Although I needed prescribed medication to kill the parasite (which, I now know that it can also be warded off with 1-3tbls/day of coconut oil) I did not obtain the topical cream. Instead, I diluted tea tree oil with water and simply sprayed on my face throughout the day with a small 2oz bottle. The scabs actually fell off within three days and I had no scar, except a lighter spot on my cheek.
Dandruff? Yea, this can eventually happen with a lot of travel, changes in water, constant in and out of the ocean and so on. Nothing gets easier than this elixir.
Shampoo -- baking soda + water. Put ONLY on your scalp, not your hair strands as they’ll dry the hell out. Leave on scalp as you do other shower-like things within the shower
Optional conditioner -- Apple cider vinegar + water (1:4). This can be put all over, under, on, and around hair strands and scalp. The smell will wash out.
Feel free to add oils, if you have them handy, to this. Tea tree, lavender, bergamot, neem, castor
The best: find an aloe leaf, slice in half along the long side, scrub out the gel with a spoon into a spray bottle, put spring or distilled water to top of bottle. Spray on scalp and strands as constantly as you’d like.
Or, just slather your body in native clay to reap all the benefits in Costa Rica
ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU
Tea Tree Oil → Just wow, I have been using this oil since birth, thanks again to you know who. It is a wonderful healing oil that also prevents scarring. It was used by soldiers before the advent of penicillin, so you can definitely use it for your scrapes, burns, acne, etc. This oil can be used as spot treatment, I rarely dilute, but you may want to patch test on yourself.
Lavender oil → Any issues can be soothed with this oil from restlessness, insomnia, to pain relief, and digestion trouble. Again, does not need to be diluted.
Activated Charcoal Pills → If you anticipate a dairy infused evening or if you’re already having some stomach trouble, charcoal is a great way to soak up the acidic baddies in your gut.
Small spray bottle → So that you can have a face or hair mist as necessary.
Clay → Such a great item to have to create a paste for bites, to put on a face or hair mask, to even brush your teeth with.
Probiotic Pills → Keep this regimen going!