Essential oils and products infused with essential oils have been such a helpful tool to have in my parenting tool bag. In this blog, I will share some of my tried-and-true recipes with essential oils (some DIY and some you can simply purchase) that I use with my kids regularly.
Mood
Kids often have emotional difficulties just like we adults, but they aren’t always mature enough to recognize their emotions or know how to handle them. A few of the remedies I use for my kid’s changing moods are:
- Irritability: We like to use a rollerball blend of Frankincense combined with Cheer essential oils. The amount you use will depend on the age of your child (or adult). Ages 1-5 use 2-3 drops of each oil in a 10 ml roller topped with FCO (fractionated coconut oil). Ages 6-11 use 3-8 drops of each oil and ages 12-adult use 15 drop of each oil in a 10 ml roller topped with FCO. Apply to pulse points as needed and inhale. Can also add 2 drops of each oil to a diffuser.
- Sadness: Make a rollerball blend of Cheer or Elevation (let your child choose the scent they are drawn to) Add 3-30 drops of the oils in a 10 ml rollerball topped with FCO depending on your child’s age and apply over pulse points and inhale as needed.
- Insecurity: doTERRA’s Brave blend which is specially formulated for kid’s is perfect to help your child feel confident. It also happens to be one of my favorite scents. This rollerball blend is diluted specifically for kids. They can apply to their pulse points and inhale. It also comes in a cute rollerball designed with kid’s in mind.
- Stress: When you kids feel overwhelmed, there are a couple of options that I love. One is the Kid’s
Danny Riding The Big Horse
Collection Blend called Steady, which is great for kid’s with sensory issues as well as helping your kids remain relaxed and calm. Another option is to make your own rollerball blend of Balance Oil. Balance is the oil of choice for my Danny, and has helped him on many occasions when he has felt overwhelmed. It even helped him get over his fear of riding a horse, and horses are big animals. Danny won an adaptive riding lesson, and he wanted to ride the horse despite being scared. We applied a few drops of doTERRA’s Balance Oil to his hands and had him rub them together and inhale. About 5 minutes later, he was able to get up and ride the “big horse”. He was SO proud of himself!
Skin Issues
I keep a rollerball of Lavender and Melaleuca/Tea Tree essential oils topped with FCO in my purse, car and first-aid kit at home. I use this blend daily, and like to keep it handy at all times. We use it on bug bites, scraped knees, itchy skin, skin that has been exposed to the sun, rashes, and acne. My Danny is 16, so he uses the adult strength, but you can adapt this rollerball to the age of your child.
Ear Discomfort
This blend can also be helpful for occasional ear discomfort – simply apply the roller around the ear (never in the ear canal). It is best to treat both ears, even if only one ear is sore. Danny had chronic ear issues as a child, so this blend is super helpful for him. We apply this blend tt the first sign of any ear soreness,
Scalp Issues
Tea Tree/Melaleuca and Lavender are also both beneficial for dry scalp and even flaky skin. You can apply the roller around the hairline, or add a drop of each oil to your child’s shampoo. Tea Tree is also known to repel bugs, which I learned from my son’s teacher about 10 years ago. I make a glass spray bottle of water with a few drops of Tea Tree/Melaleuca, shake and spray on the back of the neck. In addition to repelling bugs, this will also moisturize the scalp. We did this daily when Danny was in elementary school.
Mouth Issues
Kid’s with Cohen Syndrome are prone to mouth issues due their low white blood cell count and specifically their low neutrophil count (called neutropenia). Danny had minor mouth pain which would cause him to stop eating. These mouth issues ultimately led us to his CS diagnosis. He would be put on steroids for 10 days, but he would still suffer. These mouth issues are often caused by a virus and can be triggered by the SLS in toothpastes (SLS is the ingredient that makes a toothpaste foam). We switched Danny’s toothpaste, started him on Neupogen and now apply a drop of Tea Tree/Melaleuca essential oil to his lips when he is run down. This can help to purify occasional blemishes in the mouth.
Sleep
Sleep used to be hard to come by in our house, but no more! We use the Serenity Softgels 1/2 hour before bed
and run Serenity Essential oil in the diffuser at bedtime for four hours. Danny now sleeps through the night and typically gets about 11 hours of sleep per night. This is amazing for a kid who used to wake so frequently we saw a sleep specialist! Sometimes we vary what we put in his diffuser, but Serenity Restful blend makes it simple, plus it’s effective!
Immune Support
We make a rollerball blend of 15 drops each of OnGuard and Lemon and 8 drops each of Frankincense and Melaleuca Essential oils in a 10 ml rollerball topped with FCO. We put this rollerball blend on the table and apply it to our feet at the breakfast table each morning. Danny also uses this blend in bed at night, because he has more of a compromised immune system. I attribute this daily immune ritual to our improved health. Danny did not miss a day of school last year, which is amazing considering he used to miss an average of 6 weeks/school each year. This has been such a blessing for our family!
Another new option is the doTERRA Kid’s Collection Blend called Stronger. This blend is diluted for kids and ready to use (for those of you who are not DIY’ers). Both blends can be applied to the bottoms of the feet, hands or spine and will work best when used consistently on a daily basis. If someone in our house feels under the weather or has been around someone feeling poorly, we apply this blend multiple times/day for about a week.
We also diffuse OnGuard Essential Oil during the winter months when seasonal threats are higher and/or if someone in our house feels unwell. We also diffuse it over the holidays, because I think it smells like “Christmas In A Bottle”. I love that in addition to scenting our home, it also helps purify the air! We use a variety of OnGuard products including their toothpaste, hand soap, hand sanitizer, and the OnGuard Beadlets. We swallow a couple of OnGuard Beadlets before flying, or whenever we feel a tickle in our throat. I carry the OnGuard Hand Sanitizer in my purse and Danny keeps it in his backpack. We spray grocery cart handles, plane tray tables, our hands and everything we encounter that may be germy.
Essential oils have been such a blessing for our family for many reasons. While I love to make my own products with essential oils, not everyone does. doTERRA’s new Kid’s Collection takes the guess work out of diluting oils for newbies, and makes it easy to use. To purchase this kit (which comes with 6 oil blends, flash cards on how to use and a carrying case – click here: https://doterra.me/8C16pBrD
I hope you find these tips helpful for your kids. Have a tip you’d like to share with us? Please drop them in the comments!