Barre with Justine

As a mom of three and student of aromatherapy, I’m often confronted with the question of the use of essential oils with children. It’s easy to get caught up in the passion for essential oils, especially if an oil or blend has been especially useful in our own lives. But children are not mini-adults and we need to be very careful when using essential oils around and with little ones. Children’s lungs and skin are more sensitive than those of adults so we need to ensure we are using essential oils in extremely low dilutions and sticking with oils that are considered to be safe for children.

To inform this post, I’m using the education I’ve received in my aromatherapy training certification along with resources such as Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young’s classic Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals and research articles on the topic (see more below).

Tips

First, always think LESS is more when it comes to children and any kind of topical aromatherapy use, for any age. Low dilutions (0.5%) are plenty for children and even enough for adult skin too, at times. Essential oils are potent and carry so much plant energy within a drop that great results can be achieved in small doses.

For topical use (massage, baths, etc.), dilute the essential oils in a carrier oil (such as jojoba) or a dispersant (e.g. a neutral bubble bath). Without dilution, essential oils can irritate the skin and even cling to your child’s skin in the bath (not very relaxing before bed!).

Next, be conservative when diffusing oils at home. This is something that I personally changed after beginning my aromatherapy studies! I would leave diffusers running for ages but now choose to run the diffuser for perhaps 15-30 minutes before shutting it off. With children it’s also a good idea to open a window, just so fresh air is circulating and the volatile properties of the essential oils do not become too concentrated.

Finally, choose essential oils that are well-liked and considered safe* for children. These include:

• roman chamomile – a gentle, apple-scented oil that is helpful for sleep and reducing anxiety (be cautious with oil this if your child is allergic to ragweed)
• lavender (pick true lavender or Lavandula angustifolia – the consituents of this variety are more gentle and relaxing than others) – lavender oil is a classic for easing stress and enhancing sleep in small doses (it can have the opposite effect if used too much)
• mandarin – a sweet and beloved aroma that helps with sleep and brightens the mood. This oil is phototoxic so be cautious when using topically and diffusing.
• neroli (orange blossom) – a beautiful and very safe essential oil for all ages. Neroli soothes anxiety, enhances sleep, and is just gorgeous for a bedtime bath.

How I use essential oils with my own children:

• I love giving my little ones a bath with a gentle aromatherapy blend (typically neroli & roman chamomile) to help calm them down before sleep.
• Occasionally, if my kids have a very upset tummy, I will use a very, very low dilution of peppermint oil to massage their low back or belly.
• I also like to use the diffuser to calm the mood after supper, with mandarin and roman chamomile as a nice blend to soothe frayed nerves.

thanks for reading!

References

Plant, Rebecca M., et al. ‘The Essentials of Essential Oils’. Advances in Pediatrics, vol. 66, Aug. 2019, pp. 111–22. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yapd.2019.03.005.

Tisserand, Hana. ‘Peppermint and Eucalyptus for Children’. Tisserand Institute, https://tisserandinstitute.org/learn-more/kids-inhalation-safety/. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.

*please note that there hasn’t been an extensive amount of research on essential oils and children.