Second Cruise, Baby! // Essential Oils for Sea Sickness and Nausea

In 2010,  I went on a cruise with Jeremy's family, where I had such a hard time with anxiety, sea sickness, and claustrophobia, that I vowed to never, ever go on a cruise again. I wanted to share my experience the second time for anyone out there who deals with sea sickness or anxiety (ask me how come I decided to go on a cruise again - that's a whole 'nother blog post involving faith, and bikram yoga, among others.) 

The cruise the second time was so much fun - I really enjoyed myself! But I know I wouldn't have been able to do it without help from these oils.

On my first cruise, I experienced nausea & vomiting, even though I had patches on. Additionally, I really disliked some not-so-fun side-effects from the patches - like blurred vision. I still threw up 3x on my first cruise with this medicine plus others. I knew that the second time around I was going to have to find something else. 

The following recommendations are based on my personal experience and ideal for someone who is looking for a safe, side-effect free, natural remedy for sea-sickness and anxiety.

Here are the Essential Oils I Used While Cruising:

Ginger - the chemical constituents in this oil can help disrupt the message our cell receptors send to our body, telling it to "throw up." {See this cool study here on how Ginger has been used for post-operative nausea.} I put it in a roller ball with fractionated coconut oil (has to be diluted, so this makes for easy application), carried it with me, and applied each time I felt symptoms (sometimes every 15 minutes, others every few hours). By the 3rd day, I rarely needed to apply (my body just kind of adjusted to my surroundings).

Peppermint Beadlets - these fancy little guys are just like a mint - a tiny bead that contains peppermint oil. I used these in tandem with the Ginger oil. They can help soothe and calm and relieve nausea, plus they are so easy to pop in my mouth - I love the convenience.


Balance - small spaces, new noises, rocking, tons of people, new environment, disaster drills - just a few things that caused my anxiety on the cruise. I used balance oil - it's so calming to me - the smell almost instantly calms my whole body and especially my mind. I kept this one with me in a roller ball as well for easy application.

Additional oils I used as needed:

Lavender Oil-  to help me calm down; it can help with 'fight or flight' feelings.
Coriander Oil- for when I felt dizzy.
Digestzen Oil - for my upset stomach from some of the "cruise food" (not the real food diet my body is used to...)
Terrazyme Digestive Enzymes - helps me digest food
Peppermint Oil - helps me with headaches
Past Tense - helps me with headaches from dizziness, tension, or eye stuff.

I applied many of these oils directly next to my ear because the cause of my sea sickness is an inner ear problem. Several people in our group never felt the boat move at all - must be nice!

Highly recommend the slide. 

Happy to report - I did not even get close to throwing up on my second cruise. Whenever I felt the urge coming on, it went away so quickly after using the ginger oil.

On my first cruise, I experienced little relief from anxiety and had several panic attacks due to claustrophobic feelings. This time around, oils helped me calm myself and overcome in the moments that I felt those feelings again on the second cruise.

I'm so passionate about Essential Oils because of the many benefits I have experienced in my life. If you want to learn more about essential oils or try a sample, let me know by commenting below, or you can visit my website to explore more on your own.

Transitions // September Happenings

I feel like my posts lately have confused a few people as I post from Dallas, then Austin, then Dallas, then Utah, heck- even I can't keep up! So, here's a quick update on what's been going on in our world lately...

We are now officially living in Austin and loving it. Our little place is coming together nicely, and Jeremy and I are learning how to live out all this Simple Living stuff we've been reading about for months. What fun.

Jeremy and I are actively job-searching, so please keep us in your thoughts and send anything you see our way.

We just returned from a cruise to the Caribbean with Jeremy's family - it was a wonderful vacation and break before starting new jobs here. Previously to that, I had the privilege of attending the DoTERRA Essential Oils Convention in Salt Lake City Utah, which was so much fun!

Dallas friends - we are missing you all SO much! Please text us if you're in the ATX. :-)

Austin friends- hit us up! We would love to hang.