The height of summer and red, white and blue. What's not to love about the Fourth of July? It's a happy time for picnics, camp outs, fireworks and lots of fun for everyone. What 20-something doesn't remember their mom making them wear a red, white and blue shirt on the Fourth of July at some point in their youth?
Unfortunately, it can also be a time of burns, bugs and body overheat! But there's no need to fear, ZAQ's here and there is help to keep the Fourth of July and any other time this summer flowing smoothly. Sometimes, too much of a good thing is just that, too much of a good thing. Luckily, there is a way to minimize any burns, get rid of irritating bugs and cool down overheating bodies so you can still enjoy your wonderful summer.
While you are packing the car with the lawn chairs to take with you on your Fourth of July journey, remember to take these three very important oils with you. ZAQ 100% Pure Essential Oil Lavender, ZAQ 100% Pure Essential Oil Peppermint, and Brambleberry Lemongrass Essential Oil. These are just as important as the band-aids, toilet paper and cooking utensils you are bringing as well. I will tell you why.
Lavender has a sweet, wonderful, calming smell. But that isn't why you will need it on this trip. Lavender, you see, works wonders on sunburn. Inevitably, there is always someone that is out in sun longer than they should and forget to reapply sunscreen. They will end up sunburned. It always hurts worse in the evening, too. The trick to helping out the sunburned soul is to dampen a towel with cool water, add a few drops of ZAQ Lavender Oil, and apply to sunburned areas. This will provide immediate relief and you will be thanked later for being the responsible one. You will most likely be tasked multiple times with this chore so to be proactive, bring extra sunscreen to start with to limit the sunburn duty later on. After all, it's your day off, too.
Next to have on hand is ZAQ Peppermint Oil. I love that sweet, minty scent. However, you didn't bring this along for everyone to smell. Peppermint oil has a cooling effect. Kids have so much fun, they often forget to slow down, sip something cool and catch their breath. After handing Junior a lemonade, fill a spray bottle with cool water, add a few drops of peppermint oil and spray the overheated child. Maybe having him rest a few minutes won't hurt either, but cooling him down with a drink and good spray will certainly help, too. Peppermint oil, I learned, has a high menthol content and that is what helps the body feel cooler.
As evening begins, so will the bugs. We are going to prevent that this year, though. That is why we brought the third oil. Lemongrass oil is guaranteed to keep bugs away. I chose Brambleberry Lemongrass Oil, but any lemongrass oil should do the trick. Lemongrass oil works like citronella, but I am not a fan of citronella. The smell of lemongrass is much more appealing to me. Just dilute a few drops in a spray bottle and it is safe to spray as a bug repellent.
There you have it. Three essential oils to make for a wonderful Fourth of July. Enjoy!
Kris Bitar
