14 Safe And Best Essential Oils For Kids

Winter is here, and the kids are excited! Although winter is fun, unfortunately, it is also the time for chapped lips and dry, flaky skin. And if you are thinking of using essential oils to protect your kids, you probably want to know more about the health and safety of doing so first! And, just like always, Momjunction is here to point you in the right direction. Read our post below and learn more about safe essential oils for kids and how it can improve your angel’s skin health!

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are the liquid extracted from natural resources of a plant including roots, bark, stems, flowers, and leaves. Essential oils are clear and do not emit any fragrance, as they differ from perfume or fragrance oils.

The aroma and chemical composition of essential oils offer effective psychological and physical therapeutic benefits to your kid’s body. Your little one can inhale the oil, or you can dilute the oil and massage your little one’s skin with it (1).

14 Safe & Best Essential Oils For Kids:

1. German Chamomile Oil:

• German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is a popular herb used to treat stomach disorders, relieve muscle spasms, and treat mild skin infections in kids.

• You can add a few drops of the essential oil in your child’s bath

• German chamomile oil relieves severe pain and promotes good rest.

• Some common conditions that German chamomile oil helps treat include congestion, eczema, acne, sore throat, insomnia, anxiety and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease).

• Using diluted German chamomile oil protects your little one from chickenpox, diaper rash, and colic.

• Start off with a few drops of oils in your baby’s bath, as the excess oil content can irritate your child’s skin. (2)

[ Read: Aromatherapy For Children ]

2. Peppermint Oil:

• The essential oil of peppermint can cure many of your kid’s skin infections.

• Peppermint oil relieves symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and indigestion in kids.

• Some of the common conditions that Peppermint oil helps relieve include indigestion, heartburn, colds, coughs, headache, muscle pain, toothache and allergic rashes.

• You can safely use peppermint oil for your child if he is three years and above. For babies, talk to your pediatrician before using the oil (3).

3. Lavender Oil:

• The essential oil of the flowers of the lavender is an excellent bug repellent for your kid’s skin and thereby protects her from the attack of mosquitoes, midges, and moths.

• Lavender essential oil induces sleep and is a good remedy for treating insomnia in children.

• Lavender oil calms the nervous system and the refreshing aroma relieves stress and exhaustion.

• Lavender oil is one of the most effective oil for the treatment of skin infections.

• You can apply lavender oil on cuts, stings, and scrapes (4). It can be the best essential oil for kids.

4. Eucalyptus Oil:

• Eucalyptus oil extracted from the tea bark is used in many over-the-counter cold medications to help relieve severe nasal congestion.

• Eucalyptus oil present in creams and skin ointments helps relieve muscle and joint pain.

• Some conditions that eucalyptus oil helps treat include bronchitis, asthma, whooping, tuberculosis, joint pain, respiratory tract infections, and bronchitis.

• For young children, eucalyptus oil does wonderful effects as a powerful decongestant and immune stimulant (5).

[ Read: Tips To Treat dry skin in children ]

5. Lemon Oil:

• Lemon oil is popular for its antibacterial, detoxifying, calming, antiseptic, disinfectant and sleep-inducing properties.

• Some common health ailments that lemon oil helps treat include asthma, obesity, stomach problems and skin disorders.

• You can use lemon oil in your kid’s room as an air freshener.

• The astringent and detoxifying property of the oil rejuvenates your little one’s skin.

• Lemon oil is calming in nature and helps your kid overcome anxiety, stress, and exhaustion.

• Due to the high Vitamin C content, the oil effectively boosts your child’s immune system

• Never apply the lemon essential oil for children directly, as it can lead to irritation (6). Lemon oil is offered as a safe essential oils for children.

6. Tea Tree Oil:

• The oil extracted from the leaves of the tea tree plant best known for its infection-fighting property.

• Some skin disorders that tea tree oil helps alleviate include acne, fungal infections, insect bites, stings, toothache, sore throat, and ear infections.

• You can add a few drop of tea tree oil in your kid’s bathing water to cure a cough, pulmonary inflammation, and bronchial congestion. It can be considered as one of the best essential oils for cough in children.

• Due to its effective healing property, the essential oil works great on cuts and scrapes, burns, and bug bites (7).

7. Frankincense Essential Oil:

• The essential oil comes from the bark of Boswellia genus trees, abundant in the African and Arabian regions.

• Frankincense oil promotes effective cell regeneration and keeps the tissues healthy. If your kid has dry skin or rashes, the oil keeps the skin moisturized and replenished.

• The strong astringent properties of the oil strengthen the hair roots, stops bleeding from cuts and wounds, and promotes quick recovery from cuts, acne, insect bites, and boils.

• Some common health ailments that Frankincense Essential Oil helps cure include digestive disorders, oral health problems like a toothache, cavities and respiratory disorders (8).

8. Thieves Essential Oil:

• Rubbing Thieves essential oil on the bottom of your sick kid’s feet helps him recover faster, and the oil boosts her immune system.

• You can dilute Thieves essential oil with 1 drop to 5 drops of carrier oil and safely apply to your baby’s teething gums.

• To prepare kid-safe surface cleaner, mix 10 drops of Thieves oil, 1 tsp. of witch hazel and small amount water in a container and use it as a natural spray cleaner for your kid’s toys and furniture.

9. Blue Tansy Essential Oil:

• Tansy is one of the most popular European herbs.

• The essential oil of Blue Tansy possesses effective anti-inflammatory, antiviral, hormone stimulant, antibacterial and sedative properties.

• The infection-fighting property of the essential oil protects your kid’s skin from poisonous insects and bug bites.

• It helps relieve respiratory and digestive disorders.

• This essential oils for children promotes good skin health and offers relief from dry, itchy skin, bruising, chicken pox spots, inflamed, and burned skin.

[ Read: How To Get Fair Skin For Kids ]

10. Cedarwood Essential Oil:

• The oil comes from wood pieces of the Cedar Wood tree grows abundantly in the cold and tropical regions.

• The essential oil possesses antiseborrheic, antiseptic, insecticidal, sedative and astringent properties.

• Due to the strong astringent property, you can safely apply the soothing oil to your kid’s cuts ad wounds.

• Cedar Wood Oil also used as protective health tonic improves overall health and wellness of your little one.

• Some common health ailments cured with the essential oil are acne, bronchitis, dandruff, dermatitis, oily skin and kidney disorders.

11. Copaiba Essential Oil:

• The essential oil helps your kid get relief from severe pain, protection against infection and improve the immune functioning.

• Due to the astringent property of the oil, it nourishes your kid’s skin effectively.

• It improves your kid’s skin appearance and removes marks of blisters, pimples, and rashes.

• Kids suffering congestive problem or respiratory disorder can safely use the essential oil.

• The cicatrizant present in the oil promotes healing of injuries at a faster pace.

12. Cypress Essential Oil:

• The essential oil extracted from the young twigs, stems of the cypress plant possess effective astringent, antiseptic, diuretic and sedative effects.

• The astringent property of the oil helps your kid recover from severe hair fall.

• Due to the antiseptic property of Cypress Oil, you can safely apply the diluted form of the oil on your kid’s cuts and wounds.

• Cypress Oil tones up the respiratory system and helps your kid recover from the ailments of asthma and COPD (9).

13. Mandarin Essential Oil:

• Mandarins are citrus fruits also known as Tangerines. The oil extracted from the natural citrus fruits is greatly beneficial for your kid’s health.

• The essential oil possesses effective astringent, nervous relaxant, sedative, and antispasmodic property.

• The antiseptic property of the oil protects your kid’s skin from the infectious germ and fungal growth.

• Mandarin essential oil boosts the immune system of your kid and aids in proper functioning of the respiratory, digestive, cardiovascular, circulatory and nervous system.

• Some common health ailments cured with the essential oil are constipation, diarrhea, cures skin disorders and relieves stress.

14. Sandalwood Essential Oil:

• The oil extracted from the wood pieces of mature Sandalwood trees possesses effective antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and disinfectant properties.

• The antiseptic property of the oil heals your little one’s wounds, sores, boils, and pimples.

• The fragrance of the oil keeps away harmful microbes and germs away from your kid’s body.

• You can use the oil effectively for small children, as it promotes healthy digestive, circulatory and nervous functioning. It is one of the best essential oils for children.

Interesting Facts About Essential Oils:

Here are some interesting facts about essential oils:

• Some essential oil contains molecular size pigments, which can easily penetrate your kid’s skin tissues.

• Essential oils possess lipid solubility properties and can affect every cell of your kid’s body within 20 minutes.

• Essential oils comprise of oxygen molecules that help transport vital nutrients to deficient human cells. When the cell lacks oxygen, your kid becomes more prone towards infectious diseases. By supplying the needed oxygen to the body, essential oils boost the immune system.

• Essential oils are extremely effective antioxidants that create an unfriendly environment for free radicals. Essential oils prevent the multiplication of free radicals and the spread of a fungal or bacterial skin infection.

• Essential oils possess antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancerous and antiseptic properties. The natural oil effectively destroys harmful germs and restores the balance of the body.

• Essential oils help detoxify your kid’s cells and blood.

• Some essential oils contain sesquiterpenes, which protect your kid from Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

• Essential oils help restore your kids emotional, physical, and spiritual health conditions.

Essential Oil Safety For Kids:

Here are some effective guidelines to ensure essential oil safety for your little one:

• Peppermint oil isn’t safe for kids, so avoid using it to treat anything. Moreover, ingesting the oil can lead to a sudden blockage of the heart, lungs and impose sudden apnea and glottal constriction.

• Don’t apply peppermint oil directly to your kid’s nasal or chest region. It elevates the risk of laryngeal and bronchial spasms, respiratory arrest, acute respiratory distress with cyanosis and sleep apnea.

• Mix the essential oil with a proper amount of carrier oil. The carrier oil serves as the base oil and dilutes the essential oil and protects your kid’s skin from direct contact with the essential oil, which otherwise can cause severe irritation.

• Never apply concentrated essential oil directly to your kid’s skin. You can mix 1-2 drops of essential oil in 1-3 teaspoons of a carrier oil like almond oil, avocado oil, coconut oil and olive oil.

• Restrict your kid from inhaling a large dose of peppermint oil as it may lead to dizziness, double vision, nausea, and confusion.

• Keep the essential oil away from your kid’s airways (nose and mouth), as it can cause severe discomforts. One of the best ways to apply essential oil is through rubbing the diluted essential oil beneath your kid’s feet.

• Avoid using a vaporizer containing essential oils in your home, if any of the family members suffers from respiratory disease.

A Word Of Caution:

Although essential oil seems to be beneficial for your kid’s health, you should restrict feeding the oil orally before consulting the physician.

When buying essential oils from an online store or local drug store, make sure that you pick branded quality products, and the bottles contain a dropper dispenser.

Keep the essential oil at a safe place and out of reach of your small children.

Never apply the concentrated essential oil directly onto your kid’s skin, as it can cause severe irritation. It is preferable to dilute the oil with the carrier oil and then massage it gently for better absorption.

Did you use any essential oils for your little one? Did it help or did your little one suffer from any side effects? Share your tips and advice with other moms here! Leave a comment below.

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