Curious about how to use essential oils on kids? Learn the 3 ways to use essential oils on babies, toddlers and children, how to properly dilute essential oil and the best areas to apply essential oils to kids.
Being able to use essential oils on my kids is something I am so thankful for. I can’t imagine doing this mom gig without them.
A question I get asked fairly frequently is if using essential oils on kids is safe. I personally believe that using essential oils on kids can be very safe as long as you follow a few basic safety rules and common sense guidelines.
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HOW DO I USE ESSENTIAL OILS ON KIDS?
There are three basic ways to use essential oils on kids. Aromatically, topically and internally. If you are just learning about essential oils, you may also want to check out my post HOW TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS
1) TOPICALLY
The main thing you need to know about using essential oils on kids, is that it is really important to dilute them first.
Making roller bottles is the easiest way I have found to dilute essential oils for kids. You can order empty roller bottles and make your own by mixing the essential oil with a carrier oil (such as fractionated coconut oil), or buy premixed ones.
If you’d like to make your own roller bottles, check out my dilution chart down below.
Get Roller Bottles here
You can also dilute essential oils by adding them to lotions or making a salve. This is a great option if you are trying to cover a larger surface area, as it will make it easier to apply.
Some examples when this might come in handy if if you are using essential oils for growing pains, or skin conditions. For example, if you are using essential oils for growing pains you may want to add them to a lotion to make it easier to apply.
2) AROMATICALLY
Having a diffuser running in the house is not only one of the easiest ways to use essential oils aromatically, it also smells wonderful! As the aroma of the oil is inhaled, tiny essential oil molecules enter the body, where they do their awesome job!
Putting a diffuser in your child’s room at night can help them sleep better, and during the day it helps with their mood.
My kids also like to use essential oils aromatically by inhaling directly out of the bottle. Or, drop a few drops into your hand and cup it over your child’s nose for them to inhale.
3) INTERNALLY
Generally speaking, I wouldn’t recommend using essential oils internally for kids under the age of 13. That said, I have used essential oils internally on my kids some. Like always, check with your doctor before using essential oils internally, use your good judgment and listen to your “mom intuition”.
If one of the kids is not feeling their best, I usually prefer the try natural remedies like essential oils first, before turning to antibiotics or over the counter medications, although there are times those become necessary as well. I weigh the pros and cons for each situation, and make the decision that seems best for my family.
The couple of ties that we used essential oils internally on the kids, I made sure to dilute them first. If you don’t want to use a whole drop of oil, you dip a toothpick in the oil bottle and then swirl it about in a teaspoonful of honey. My kids actually love it when I do this, because they get to eat honey!
You can also add it into a cup of warm tea or juice, a little applesauce or even yogurt.
PIN IT FOR LATER
WHERE TO APPLY ESSENTIAL OILS TOPICALLY ON KIDS
Applying essential oils topically is usually my go to method for my kids. The 3 best places to apply oils topically are usually on the bottoms of the feet, along the spine or sometimes directly over the area of concern. Don’t ever put essential oils in eyes or ears!
1) BOTTOMS OF FEET
The bottom of the feet is an idea place to apply essential oils on kids. Not only is the skin in this area less sensitive than other parts on the body, the oil absorbs into the body very rapidly from the sole of the feet.
Another perk of applying essential oil to the bottoms of the feet is the concept of reflexology. If you are familiar with reflexology, you’ll know that the bottom of the foot corresponds with different organs and systems of the body. When you apply oils to certain areas of the food it can help to support the relating body system. For example, the big toe is a good place to apply essential oils if you are struggling with respiratory challenges, as the big toe relates to the pituitary, throat and nose.
2) ALONG THE SPINE
Sometimes the biggest challenge about using essential oils on small children is doing it in a way where they can’t get it into their eyes and mouth. Applying essential oils along the spine is great for kids because it’s an area they can’t touch!
The spine also has a higher concentration of nerves and blood flow, which can help to absorb essential oils well and distribute them quickly throughout the body.
3) AREA OF CONCERN
Applying essential oils directly to the area of concern can be very effective. Just make sure they are properly diluted. For example, with a tummy ache, you could apply a digestive blend directly over the belly. Or if you child gets a scraped knee, you can apply an oil right the cut. You can apply diluted oil along the jaw line for teething pain, or around the ear for an ear ache. Just be sure -as always!- to avoid putting any oil into their ear.
IS ESSENTIAL OIL QUALITY IMPORTANT?
Um…YES! It is very important, ESPECIALLY when using essential oils on kids.
When I first learned about essential oils, I had just had my first baby, and was so excited to learn about these amazing natural remedies. It didn’t take me long to learn how many options were out there, and how many different places they were available for purchase. I quickly began to question what the difference in quality was.
Another thing I noticed was the wide variation in price, and wondered why some were so much pricier. I started to dig around online, doing some research, and learned some interesting facts.
REGULATION AND TESTING OF ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oil are not regulated by the FDA, so that leaves a lot of “wiggle room” for honesty on the label. Basically, you need to research the company in depth, and find a company that you know you can trust. Look for how they source the oils, what kind of testing and quality control they use, and Essential oils are not regulated by the FDA, so basically you have to do your own research. You can’t trust the bottle or the label. Be sure to find a company you can trust. Be on the lookout for how they source their oils, the testing they do, and how they manage quality control.
After reading up on a lot of different companies (and there are several good ones out there) I personally settled on using doTERRA essential oils for my family. I feel extremely comfortable with the high quality of oils they produce, and like that they have all of their oil testing done through a third party independent lab, and that I can personally see the test results.
If you’d like to learn about the 10 essential oils that I started with, and that I recommend to others who are just getting started, you can watch my video class on it HERE.
DO I NEED TO DILUTE THEM?
In a nutshell, yes. When using essential oils on children and babies, it is always wisest to dilute them properly. Diluting an oil doesn’t mean you are lessening the effectiveness of the oil In fact, using a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil can even help the essential oil to absorb better into the body.
Here is a basic cheat sheet on diluting oils for kids. This chart is based on a 10mL roller bottle size.
- Newborn-6 months: 1-2 drops per roller bottle
- 6 months- 2 years: 1-3 drops per roller bottle
- 2 -5 years: 2-5 drops per roller bottle
- 5-12 years: 5-10 drops per roller bottle
- 13 and up: 15-30 drops per roller bottle
As you can see, it doesn’t take much! Essential oils are so powerful and effective, a little goes a long way!
ARE THERE OILS I SHOULDN’T USE ON KIDS?
I am personally of the opinion that, as long as you are using high quality essential oils, you can use any oils on children that you would use on yourself. There are some oils that are extremely hot and can burn, and you will need to be cautious with those.
HOT OILS-USE WITH CAUTION:
- Clove
- Thyme
- Cassia
- Cinnamon Bark
- Oregano
WHICH ESSENTIAL OILS ARE BEST FOR CHILDREN?
There are SO many essential oils that are great for kids! But I definitely have a few that I use more frequently than others, and have become standard favorites.
LAVENDER-This oil is very calming and can help with sleep. It’s great for all things skin related, as well.
WILD ORANGE-Citrus oils are very uplifting, and I like to diffuse them in the house to help promote positive moods! LEMON and BERGAMOT are other favorites. For more ideas on using citrus oils, check out my post 10 RECIPES USING ESSENTIAL OILS
ON GUARD-My favorite immune boosting blend. If people are feeling under the weather or we have been around a long of other kids, I will bust out my bottle of ONGUARD to help keep everyone’s immune systems boosted.
SUMMARY
- Dilute essential oils properly before using them on children
- Avoid eyes and ears
- The 3 best areas to apply oils on kids are; along the spine, bottoms of feet or area of concern
- Only use high quality oils that have been properly sourced and tested
What is your favorite essential oil to use on children? I’d love to hear your experiences!
Are you ready to get started using oils in your home? Get the Essential Oil FAMILY KIT or listen to my FREE CLASS
