No matter how hard you work to keep your children healthy, they’re going to experience sickness from time to time. While having sick kids is no fun and can be quite discouraging, how you react and what you do during times of sickness can make all the difference in your child’s overall wellbeing.
As a parent, you are in charge of your child’s health. You don’t have to be a doctor or nurse to take charge of your child’s health naturally. All you need to be is willing to learn and do it.
To support your kiddo’s health, you’ll want to make an effort to feed them healthy foods, limit their exposure to toxins, and support their bodies with traditional and alternative wellness practices, like using herbs and essential oils, when they do get sick.
Today, I’d like to share 10 of the best essential oils you can use for your little ones to help them when they are sick, even if it’s as simple as a scrape or a burn. I’ll also share a few essential oil recipes you can use when you need them!
Ten Best Essential Oils For Children
The following list contains essential oils that are helpful for common childhood ailments. However, you will want to research each individual oil to find the appropriate age recommendation before using them on your child.
- Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea tree oil is an antifungal and antibacterial essential oil. You can use it for cuts, scrapes, burns, bug bites, and even as a bug repellent.
- Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender oil has antiviral and antibacterial properties. Use it to soothe and calm emotions and help with sleep as well as for cuts, scrapes, sunburns, and to stimulate the immune system.
- Chamomile Essential Oil
Chamomile oil is a digestive aid and is good for babies with colic or constipation. It, like lavender, is known for its calming properties, and it’s also an anti-inflammatory essential oil and is suitable for ear infections. This one can cost a pretty penny, though, so use it wisely!
- Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint oil is also a digestive aid and can be used to help with colic. It help cool fevers and acts as a decongestant with colds. (Make sure to dilute this oil well… it’s strong!)
- Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Eucalyptus oil is most well-known for its use as a decongestant for respiratory disorders. It also works to cool fevers and has antiviral and antibacterial properties.
- Rose Otto Essential Oil
Rose Otto oil is known for its use with hay fever and asthma. If your little one suffers from seasonal allergies, this is a great oil to have on hand, but it, like chamomile oil, is costly. Have you ever thought about how many roses it takes to make an ounce of oil? A lot!
- Citrus Essential Oil (orange, grapefruit, mandarin, tangerine)
Citrus oils are mood-enhancing oils, and they smell wonderful! An interesting tidbit is that they’re known to calm overstimulated children, so really, they’re a mood-balancing oil!
Safety Note: Expeller-pressed citrus oils should not be used when UV exposure is likely as they can cause burning of the skin. Instead, look for steam-distilled citrus oils as they do not cause phototoxicity.
- Frankincense Essential Oil
Frankincense… yes, the same thing that the wise men brought as a gift to Jesus… is good for infections because of its antibacterial properties and is often used when respiratory congestion is present.
- Sandalwood Essential Oil
Sandalwood essential oil is a great oil for sore throats, earaches, and use as a sedative. Because sandalwood is at-risk of being overharvested, be sure you’re purchasing properly-sourced oils from companies who care about sustainability.
- St. John’s Wort Essential Oil
St. John’s Wort (the entire herb) is primarily known for its mood-enhancing and hormone balancing properties, but when it comes to St. John’s Wort essential oil, it can be used for childhood ear infections.
How To Use Essential Oils
Essential oils are fairly simple to use. All you need to use essential oils is an essential oil of your choice and a carrier oil of your choice.
Safety Note: Essential oils are concentrated and should NEVER be used undiluted on your skin, no matter what those big MLM companies say. :)
A carrier oil is basically what you will dilute your essential oil with. You can use any oil that is suitable for your skin and absorbs well. Some common carrier oils are jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil, and even olive oil (although it can be a little greasy).
Most recommended essential oil dilutions for children are range from .5% – 5%. The total amount of essential oils to be used will depend upon the age of your child, the essential oil being used, how much skin the oil will be applied to (surface area), and why you’re using it. I always recommend doing some research to find the appropriate dilution for the oil you want to use. One of my favorite books for using essential oils for children is Aromatherapy for the Healthy Child by aromatherapist Valerie Worwood.
When it comes to essential oils, my go-to brand of essential oils is Plant Therapy, but I also use Edens Garden and Mountain Rose Herbs from time to time as well.
5 Simple Essential Oil Recipes for Children
- Congestion Steam
2 drops of eucalyptus essential oil in one quart of hot water. Close eyes and position face over the bowl (close enough for comfort) with a towel draped over bowl and head. Inhale steam deeply for 3-5 minutes. Be careful of hot water and burns!
- Nighttime Massage Oil
12 drops of lavender essential oil in one ounce of sweet almond oil. Massage into skin before bed to promote a restful night’s sleep.
- Cuts & Scrapes Healing Salve
6 drops tea tree essential oil and 6 drops of lavender essential oil mixed with one ounce of melted coconut oil. Allow to harden and apply as needed.
- Earache Oil
6 drops of St. John’s wort essential oil and 6 drops of chamomile oil to one ounce of jojoba oil. Rub 2-3 drops around painful ear 2-3 times a day as needed. (It is not recommended to put essential oils directly in the ear canal.)
- Energy Bath
Place 12 drops of a citrus essential oil with one ounce of sweet almond oil. Add to bath water and bath as usual.
So that’s it! Which of these essential oils are you going to try first?Meagan Visser is a Registered Nurse turned herbalist and the founder of GrowingUpHerbal.com, a lifestyle blog about living life naturally. She lives in the Southern Appalachian Mountains with her husband where she homeschools their four boys and works as the Blog Coordinator for the Herbal Academy. You can connect with her on her blog and on Instagram.
how informative and interesting! thanks for sharing such helpful info!
You’re so welcome Caralyn. Thanks for your comment!
I definitely want to try the lavender oil to help my son sleep at night! He wakes up painfully early and can’t get back to sleep, then has gray bags under his eyes all day. (And funny aside–I went to college in the Appalachian Mts. of E. Tennessee, in Johnson City!)
Ohh, me too… ETSU! What was your major and when did you graduate?? I was Nursing and I graduated in 2006. Good luck with the lavender. I LOVE lavender linen spray!
I use lemongrass and citronella in homemade bug spray for baby :)
Oh good idea! Thanks for sharing!
At what age can you start doing this?
With the right oil and dilutions, you can even use on newborns: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFi_k-T8sRU
Great article! Very helpfulf!
I am using tea tree as anti-fungal on my 9 year old son feet. I only put 3 drops of tea tree in a spoon of olive oil. Maybe it is not enough tea tree… For adults, this oil is great for acne and oily skin.
That’s a great anti-fungal Olivia. You could try adding some lavender oil to it. It also has anti-fungal properties. I use both of them in my Herbal Yeast Cream & it seems to work well for people. Good luck!
I would love to start using more essential oils. Can you (or anyone) recommend a specific brand?
Also, I have heard that EO’s can be toxic to cats. Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated. In general I’m thinking applying to the kids skin with a carrier oil should be fine but I should probably avoid any type of vaporizer into the air?
Thanks so much.
Karen
Great questions Karen. As far as a brand goes, I buy mine in bulk from Camden Grey, but that’s because I’m using them in my products. If I buy them in smaller amounts I use Now. I’ve heard great things about Young Living and about Aura Cacia.
As for EO’s being toxic to animals, yest they can be, but they can be toxic to us too in large doses. Like any med, I’d keep them put up, away from from animals and kids. Now you can use them on animals. A lot of people use them as a flea deterant although I don’t know a whole lot about that. I’m sure you can find a good amount of info on Google though.
You’re right about using a carrier oil when applying EO’s to the skin. As for using a vaporizer, I’ve heard of people putting them in a vaporizer, but I think you have to have the right kind of vaporizer. I’ve heard that EO’s can somehow burn the motor up in them. I personally would use it to help with congestion, but I’d only use a little… unless for some reason I found out that that was a big no-no. As of now, I’m not aware of there being any contraindications for this.
Curious why the NOW brand is so much cheaper than the other???
I’m not sure. It could be that they’re mass produced and therefore cheaper. They could use cheaper herbs. I’ve not really looked into it. I’ve heard that brands like doTERRA and Young Living (basically the more expensive ones) are better quality, double distilled, or safe for internal use. That’s probably the price difference you’re getting. I’d definitely recommend looking into how they’re made and how much you’ll be using it for.
I make my own mixes for any possible ailment you can think of with DoTERRA and they are amazing!! They are pricey but it’s because of the way they distill them to make them safe to use and don’t affect your organs like the cheap oils do. Email me at Sandrasessentialoils@gmail.com if interested in purchasing any
Thanks for this, no need to reply to my other comment.
Have you guys ever heard of doTERRA essential oils? They are steps ahead of the competition. They offer Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade oils. They are the only brand that goes the extra step of mass spectrometry testing by a 3rd party to provide oils that are beyond organic, free of all pesticides, fertilizers or other foreign contaminants. You can check out their web page here: http://www.doterra.myvoffice.com/mtoils If any one has any questions, feel free to leave a message on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/melissa.loughney
I love this! Essential oils have always scared me a little, unless their use was completely spelled out for me. I have been using tea tree oil, but I am hoping to start using more. I could probably use an energy bath right now!
Good for you Brenna. The easiest way to start is with something simple and something for yourself. The more you use them and the more you learn about them, the more confident you’ll become! Go you!!
Awesome article! Very informative! Thanks for all the different recipes.
You’re so welcome C!! Thanks for coming over and commenting! I appreciate it!
Tea Tree Oil Saved my Foot when i had a bad gouge that got infected once the stuff is amazing !
Awesome testimony Chris! I love TTO… it’s one of my must-have oils!
My 6 month old won’t sleep more than 2 hours at a time, so I am thinking about looking for lavender oil to mix in with the sweet almond oil I have at home. What is the minimum age? He also has bad excema, so would it be okay to rub oil over it? Thank you.
Hi Aarti… lavender oil is one of the mildest essential oils out there. Supposedly you can put it on the skin without diluting it although I’d never recommend doing that. You can mix the lavender oil with your sweet almond oil, but if you kid has allergies to nuts I wouldn’t use that oil. If he’s okay with almonds then it should be no problem. Always test a small area first.
I’ve had good results by using Chamomile essential oil in Jojoba oil. Jojoba oil is very similar to the oil your body produces and chamomile essential oil has anti-inflammatory properties with help with eczema. Chamomile must be diluted though and you’ll need to rub a little on the underneath side of your baby’s wrist or on some of his eczema to check for a reaction before you put it all over. Some people are allergic to chamomile because it’s part of the ragweed family! It will help with sleep too!
Good luck! I’d love to know how it works out for you!
Very nice info here Meagan!!
Thank you! This was just the article I needed. I was in a healthfood store the other day just staring at the display of essential oils, waiting for the oil fairy to come down and tell me which ones to buy. She never showed up. This is a great guide!
Welcome!!
Never purchase the ones in drug stores those have synthetic fillers and will affect your organs that’s why they are so cheap…you get what you pay for my mom always says
I love this article! I’ve bookmarked it and refer to it often! Thank you!
I use a few oils for my cloth wipe solution that I love. Some Dr. Bronner’s soap with a tblspn of apricot oil, a drop of lavender oil, couple drops of tea tree oil and a cup of water. Works great and is nice/mild on her skin.
Sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Meagan! Very interesting article.
I am considering making my own baby wipes and most of the recipe call for tea tree oil and /or lavender oil to avoid mold – but I read these 2 oils, used frequently, may have an estrogenic effect which I am not comfortable using on my baby boy.
Any suggestions of what I could use instead of those oil to give some scent to the wipes + have the antifungal property? Maybe Lemon? Sandalwood?
Thanks
Hummm Mika. I’ve not heard that, and I know a lot of natural mama who use this. I’m thinking that if that were true, the amount of oil you use wouldn’t be enough to cause much problems here. Those two oils are two of the most common and best out there. If you did decide to skip it, just to play it safe, maybe try Chamomile or Rose instead. They’re a bit pricey, but you don’t need to use a lot of them. Chamomile is anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory. Best of luck. I’m gonna look into what you said though. Thanks for the heads up!
Thank you so much for this article!!!!
Pingback: 5 Uses for Peppermint Oil | Nature Moms Blog
Pingback: The 10 Best Essential Oils To Use For Kids | Purpose & Prosper
Is there a place to find a good price on essential oils online that are fairly priced.
What I do is buy the ones I use a lot of in bulk. But if you’re looking for small 1 or 2 oz bottles, try searching Amazon or Vitacost. They usually have good deals.
Is there any good places you could recommend that I could find in bulk? I have gone to some stores but I have no basis for what is a good deal, there was a site introduced in this thread and it seems pretty pricey. Any help is appreciated.
I get a lot of oils from different places depending upon where it comes from, what others say, and cost. If you Google “bulk essential oils” or “wholesale essential oils” you can then search for prices and such. HTH!
I wouldn’t recommend buying in bulk because I have heard from people buying on famous sites but they don’t work as well as buying from the actual company and buying them in the drug stores those have synthetic fillers and can affect your organs
I mix oils in 2 oz bottles email me if interested Sandrasessentialoils@gmail.com
I make personal mixes already mixed in coconut oil if you would like to purchase ones from me…I make mixes affordable for people so that they don’t have to spend so much on bottled oils and mostly so new users won’t have bad side affects from mixing them wrong
This is so helpful. Pinning!
Thanks!
We Made the switch a few months ago to essential oils. It has been amazing for our family. So grateful to learn more. We use doTERRA. Due to their third party testing on the oils and their purity. We have dealt with asthma, fevers, colds, stomachs viruses and burns. Would use it for everything, and we will never go back to the over the counter medicine.
Thanks for sharing. I have a friend who’s a consultant for them!
I’m pro-doTERRA, too. LOVE THEM! :)
Is it safe to use Tea Tree Oil for young boys? I thought there was a controversy about it?
Safe Mama wrote a great article about that:
http://www.thesmartmama.com/revisiting-lavender-and-tea-tree-oil-breast-development-in-young-boys/
From my understanding, Tea Tree Oil is a very safe oil, but I’ll have to read the article below. It’s always a good idea to dilute your essential oils in some carrier oil, and 1% dilution is most common for babies… 2% for older children.
Do you have a particular manufacturer that is good or ‘trust’ worthy and has good product? For the carrier oil is one better than the other based upon what your using it for? like for one thing above i see melted coconut oil for another sweet almond oil..
Coconut oil will harden up unless it’s in a warm environment whereas sweet almond oil stays liquid all the time. I mainly decide what I want from the oil based on it’s properties and the use I’m going for. For basic skin things I like sweet almond or jojoba oils. They’re absorbed well. As far as manufacturers of essential oils, I’ve heard really good things about doTERRA and Young Living oils. I like NOW oils and Eden’s Garden oils.
WARNING… This is actually some evidence that lavender oil and tea tree oil can cause problems in babies! Heard this from Silent Spring Institute!
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/index.cfm/ hormone disruptor
That’s only synthetic lavender – not pure lavender
I’ve used lavender essential oils with my babies several times. There are no issues at all. Maybe you should do some more research.
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jan2007/niehs-31.htm
PLEASE READ!
Great list. Thanks!
http://teatreeoilhq.com
What can you use for head lice with essential oils
Tea tree oil!
http://naturemoms.com/blog/2012/04/25/all-natural-head-lice-remedies/
“Essential oils high in menthol and/or 1,8-cinole – Eucalyptus and
Peppermint, for example – should be used with care around children aged six and under. The cooling sensation these oils provide can slow
respiration, or even stop it. These oils should never be used on or
around the face, although rubbing them into the bottoms of the feet is
considered safe (unless they put their feet in their mouths).
Not all children will have a negative reaction when inhaling
Eucalyptus or Peppermint, but since results vary from child to child,
the warning must be given.”
http://www.learningabouteos.com/index.php/2013/08/06/menthol-containing-essential-oils-and-children/
After reading this, I think I will try one of the citrus oils on my 6 year old probably in the bath tub. He get frustrated easily and his mood can change in a matter of a second due to the smallest thing. So if I give him a bath in the evening, will it work for him the next day as well? Or should I give it to him diluted in the morning before he goes to school? How? Do you rub it on them or spray it? Thanks for your help!
Sandra I would add some to some epsom salts first and then add to the bathwater. Since oil and water don’t mix, this helps evenly disperse the oils. For morning time I would dilute and rub on the bottom of his feet. Let me know if you have more questions! – Naturemoms.com/eos
Eucalyptus and peppermint are not safe for children, and you want to be very careful about which type of tea tree oil you use with kids. Here’s a great resource on using essential oils safely: http://www.learningabouteos.com/index.php/2014/02/07/essential-oils-and-children/
What about using lavender on a hyper-active child? Some of the local parents are using essential oils on their special-needs children and seeing positive changes in behavior. I’ve got a child who tends to be so hyper he can’t really focus on what I say to him and I’ve been thinking about using essential oils. Any tips?
both my boys suffer from allergies as do I. Looking at Essential oils to help with the allergies and colds etc. Been using butterfly express oils and salt lamps. Hoping I can make a difference in them this year. But as i’m new to EO’s not sure what to use or how, hoping to go whole sale soon and a get a book to help guide me.
My baby was a prematured one and doctors have advised me to assure enough sunlight and oil message. I saw that you have mentioned something called “energy bath” on your post. Is that something that i can give to my 8 month old?
I’m relatively new to essential oils. My daughter, like many children with ADHD, has stomach pains caused by chronic constipation. We have opted to not medicate (as I don’t like introducing chemicals into young bodies that have not fully developed – side effect paranoia) but her stomach problems have got to go away! Any suggestions for essential oil blends for this?
Whitney, I am out of town…road tripping actually or I would send you a direct link but there is a blend called Digize that does wonders for me. Search for my post on Wheat Belly for more info but I rarely leave without this oil for my own issues.
My 8 year old granddaughter is having problems with her hormones at this young age. I think she is already going into puberty and is developing breasts. What essential oils should her mother get for her?
how do you mix the spider spray ?
I am BRAND new to this & need to know what your would recommend for my 5yr who has a stuffy nose & her ear just started to hurt this am but for now is fine. I have heard of putting oils on your skin would this be safe for her? Thanks
Hello my name is Mennette and I am new:) I have always used essential oils here and there. However, never as my first go too. My Son suffers from seasonal allergies and asthma. So. Zyrtec had always been the first go to. Ever since he was about 2 and now he is 6. He has always had behavioral challenges with an IQ of 130! We love our son and only want the best for him! I recently stopped the Zyrtec and a recent Flonase he was given. He was complaining of headaches! His behavior has improved!!!!! OMG!!!! What a change! He has been a different child! However, The allergies are still there:( I feel horrible for him. Help please. Any suggestions would be fantastic!!!
Hi Mennette, My son also have te same problem .Do you get the answer for u r question? Can you pls
No, I never did:( no one ever wrote me. I wish I could help you
Hi Meagan,
I am new to essential oils; although, I have been researching these as I make homemade soy candles and wanted to use the oils in my wax. My family and I have some health issues as chronic pain in 2 adults, seasonal allergies, etc. I would love to receive recipes for home remedies.
you are giving people unsafe information that can hurt their children..more then one of these oils are highly dangerous to children. people do your research eucalyptus highly dangerous and can cause seizures or worse..never take information from blogs and use it for your children, especially where essential oils are concerned.
What is good for ADHD and audio processing issues in 8yr old
I have a personal mix I have made for my friends husband that has ADHD and she said it works great on his concentration! If you’re interested in purchasing one then email me at Sandrasessentialoils@gmail.com
Look up Vetiver essential oil
I have a friend who’s daughter has symptoms of ADHD, in 3rd grade and started having numerous calls from her school about excessive talking, disruptive, and an inability to focus to complete tasks in class, not to mention the countless outbursts at home and the frustration she’s starting to feel like “out of control” and now being singled out at school.
I let my friend try an oil blend, to help focus. The blend contains 6 oils that have been studied and used traditionally for their abilities to promote calmness, focus, & a balanced state of mind. Many of the oils in this blend contain high levels of sesquiterpenes, which have demonstrated an ability to pass the blood-brain barrier to reach the cells of the brain.
I was so pleased to know that this blend worked for her, because sometimes I can go through several samples before we find the right blend! Her teacher has even noticed the change!
I have a son who has a few symptoms of ADHD, and I have a lot of essential oils here at the house. I have tried several different blends, but have had no success. I would love to try your focus blend. Can you email me? carrieannmann@gmail.com
Thank you so much for your time.
My 2 year old grandson eats lavender from the garden!! Is this safe??
Eucalyptus oil shouldn’t be used/diffused by children under 10. Peppermint isn’t good for kids under 6. This article popped up first on a google search. I know it’s old, but I had to comment.
I tried essential oils from Basilica Botanica and I love them! I’m an avid user but once I found these oils I have not switched brands ever since. Trust me on this one. I got mine via Amazon Prime, so convenient!
According to common Oil Safety standards and leading EO expert (Robert Tisserand) Some of these oils are not safe for kids. Peppermint is not safe for kids under 6 especially inhaling. Eucalyptus should not be used on Children under ten whether topical or diffusing.