Certain essential oils are not safe for children. I believe this is important information. Because parents may see conflicting advice on social media.
Essential oils are highly concentrated. They are much stronger than herbal remedies. It’s been said that one drop of peppermint oil is the medicinal equivalent of 15 to 70 cups of peppermint tea.
Even when used properly, some essential oils aren’t suitable for children under the age of 10. Essential oils should never be used on babies, toddlers or anyone under the age of two.
I know parents may be anxious to try essential oils, especially if their baby is sick. But the best advice I can give is to wait. Actually, it’s not my advice. It comes from Plant Therapy, where I buy a lot of my own essential oils.
Plant Therapy has its own aromatherapists on staff. So I defer to them, since I’m not a professional aromatherapist. Just an avid essential oil user.
As always, check with your pediatrician first before using any essential oils on a child.
Essential Oils That Are Safe For Children
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Anyway, there are common essential oils to avoid, if you plan to use them on children under 10. These include peppermint, cinnamon, clove, allspice, basil, camphor, carrot seed and eucalyptus essential oils, among many others.
Before using an essential oil on a child, make sure it’s safe.
Plant Therapy has a KidSafe label on all of the different essential oils. This means an oil is safe for the younger set. What I like about Plant Therapy is that it works with a well-known essential oil safety expert. It also tends to err on the side of caution. This is a good idea when writing for a large audience.
There are still a lot of essential oils that you can use on children. If you’re choosing essential oils for the entire family, you can stick to those considered safe for children, and still have plenty to choose from.
One of the most popular essential oils is lavender. It’s mild and soothing, and considered safe for children.
Lavender Essential Oil for Children
If I could only own one type of essential oil, lavender would be near the top of my list. It’s so versatile. It can help you unwind. It can heal cuts and bruises. Bug bites too. It can even help keep bugs away.
It’s the perfect addition to DIY cleaning solutions. The very word “lavender” is take from a Latin word that means “to clean.”
Lavender essential oil is one of the most appropriate for children because of its soothing quality. However, it still must be used carefully, as do all essential oils. Regardless of whether you’re using them on a child or an adult.
Essential oils must be mixed with a neutral carrier oil base, before putting them on your skin.
An even better idea with children is to put lavender essential oil in a cold air diffuser. Diffusers send a gentle mist into the air.
Cold air diffusers are among the best way to get the therapeutic compounds into the body. After the aromatic mist reaches your lungs, the tiny essential oil molecules travel to the bloodstream.
Lavender essential oil is good to have on hand during cold and flu season. It’s believed to contain natural antimicrobial agents. Lavender oil is one of the ingredients in Plant Therapy’s KidSafe Germ Destroyer.
Lemon Essential Oil for Children
Lemon essential oil is thought to be good for colds and flu as well. Lemon oil can be combined with lavender essential oil if you’d like to make a custom germ-fighter blend, safe for children.
Germ-fighter essential oil blends typically contain multiple ingredients. It’s believed that mixing two or more oils together makes the formula more powerful.
You can also add different child safe oils together in a cold air essential oil diffuser. A lot of people do this during cold and flu season.
It’s also a good way to make your house smell better. Since discovering essential oils, I’ve ditched those toxic scented candles I used to burn to mask any odors lurking in my kitchen.
Lemon essential oil, like other citrus oils, is also considered a good natural mood elevator. You can put it in a diffuser if your children has a mild case of the blues.
Chamomile Essential Oil for Children
Chamomile essential oil is considered one of the best aromatics for inducing feelings of calm. It’s often found in sleep and relaxation blends. It’s one of the essential oils considered safe for children.
You can try chamomile oil just before bedtime. One of the best ways to use it with children is with a foot massage. Or you can rub a little diluted chamomile essential oil on the inside of the wrist, right before bed.
You can make an awesome diffuser blend with chamomile and lavender essential oil. If you don’t own a cold-air diffuser they’re available online.
Cedarwood Essential Oil for Children
Cedarwood is good for children and adults. It’s one of my favorite sleep remedies. If a child has trouble sleeping, you could put a drop of cedarwood essential oil in a teaspoon of carrier oil. You could then use this as a bedtime foot massage.
You can combine cedarwood essential oil with lavender essential oil for a custom sleep blend. Cedarwood oil is also one of the ingredients in Plant Therapy’s KidSafe Sweet Slumber Blend.
Vetiver Essential Oil for Children
One of the most exciting essentials for children is vetiver. Vetiver essential oil is believed to help calm and balance the nervous system. There’s some evidence it may help children with ADHD focus better.
One medical doctor named Terry Friedman, MD found that 30 days of vetiver use led to better brain function in children with ADHD. Of course, more studies are needed. But these early findings are encouraging.
Vetiver essential oil is one of the ingredients in a KidSafe blend called A+ Attention, which is designed to increase focus and concentration in children.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils or herbal or homeopathic remedies unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.
