Are Essential Oils Safe for Kids?

This is one of the most commonly asked questions around essential oil use. We want our children to be safe. There is so much information online that it is overwhelming and feels so hard to discern what is true and “right”. Ask questions, do your research, be discerning - know that this is only a blog post written by a mom who has done her own research and made decisions for her family. I did hours of research in places such as: The Aromatic Plant Research Centre, Doterra Website, from Robert Tisserand’s work, countless research papers, my own experience with my family.

Do your research and make your own decisions.

So…with that - here is some more information.

Can I use oils safely with my children?

Yes. As with anything we use with our children, certain precautions must be in place. In this article I am specifically writing about Doterra products because of their purity, testing and quality. Be sure of the sourcing and quality of the oils you choose to use for your family as not all oils are created equal and though labels may claim “100% pure”, that is not always the case.

Our children can still enjoy the benefits of essential oils with the following safety guidelines in mind. Children experience all the emotional and physical benefits that adults can when using oils correctly and safely. As always it is a good idea to speak with your healthcare provider for any special concerns or circumstances.

Always supervise Children using Essential Oils

Age dependent of course, it is still important to keep an eye on our children when they are using oils. We allow our 4 and 8 year old to drop the oils into their diffusers at bed time - but we still watch our 4 year old because he can get a little enthusiastic with them! We have pre-chosen a few key oils for their bedroom like Serenity, Lavender, Cedarwood and Balance - so I always know what oils they have access to in their bedroom. We are comfortable allowing them to choose which oils from the Kids Kit Rollers to use as they have been pre-diluted for kids. Though our one year old loves the oils too, we don’t leave him alone with them ever.

Essential oils are very potent and strong and not all children understand dosage, sensitivity and dilution so best practice is to always supervise. There are some oils like oregano, lemongrass, cinnamon and even On Guard which are hot oils and require dilution - so those are not in reach of our kids without adult supervision.

Sensitivity Testing with Children and Oils

Because everyone is different and children have much thinner and more sensitive skin it is a good practice to do a spot test with essential oils. Use a new oil diluted in a carrier such as almond or fractionated coconut oil on an area of skin such as the bottom of their feet to see how your child reacts. Give it a few hours and go from there. We have learned that some oils, even very diluted are so potent they affect our daughter’s skin, so we dilute 50% more and all is well.

Avoid Sensitive Areas

Teach and model to your children proper and safe topical application of essential oils. Avoid areas such as: near the eyes, nostrils, lips, mouth and broken or injured skin (more on that later).

Sunlight and Essential Oils

Please remember that some oils are photosensitive. This can cause burning, redness and pain and can be severe. Be sure you and your children are aware of which oils are photosensitive and always avoid using them on any skin that will be exposed to the sun. Best practice is to wait 24 hours and use sun protection also. These oils include and are not limited to:

• Bergamot

• Lemon

• Wild Orange

• Cumin

• Tangerine

• Lime

• citrus blends (Citrus Bliss, Motivate, Elevation, On Guard, Forgive, Zendocrine)

Essential Oil Safe Storage

Always keep your essential oils out of reach of children as you would any other concerning product in your home. We keep most of our oils in a box in a cupboard in our home. There are a few oils we feel comfortable leaving in our children’s room but we have chosen those and our children are older. ALL OILS are out of reach of our baby.

You will notice that some oils have special child-safe caps on them - you can also purchase child-safe caps from Doterra in your account.

Dosage and Dilution

Learn how to safely dilute and use correct dosages with your children. As they are so much smaller than adults, it makes sense that they will not need as much oil as adults. Start with small doses (1 drop in 5ml of carrier oil) and go from there.

Best practice is to always dilute essential oils when using them with children as the oils are so powerful and potent. A very small amount goes a long way! There are many dilution charts and ideas out there - what we have chosen for our family is to keep it simple. Based on the child’s age the ratio is:

child’s age / 10ml carrier oil

So if my son is 4 = 4 drops of essential oil to 10ml carrier oil.

8 year old daughter = 8 drops of essential oil to 10ml carrier oil.

***please note that in our home for hotter oils which includes blends with cinnamon, oregano, etc - we halve the amount of oil so for an 8 year old we use 4 drops of On Guard in 10ml. Again, a small amount goes a long long way. This is also why we are fans of the Children’s Kit - as it is so beautifully mild and formulated for children.

Our favourite carriers for our children are Doterra’s Fractionated Coconut Oil and the Spa Hand and Body Lotion - I add them to my cart every few months as needed. This keeps things simple which is what I personally need with all these kids running around!

Diffusing Safely with Children

Simply, we use LESS essential oil. Start with 1-2 drops in your child’s diffuser and see how that goes. Depending on the size of the room you are using the oils in, know that less is always the best place to start. The oils are effective, potent and powerful and the room doesn’t need to reek of oil for them to work.

Doterra Essential Oil Workshops and Online Classes

There are none ongoing at this time, but I am happy to answer questions. Click here to purchase oils.