Precautions When Using Aromatherapy on Children (part I of II)

Being that children are quite delicate and highly susceptible to sensitization, one has to be very careful when using potent essential oil(s) on them. In Classical Aromatherapy, children (over the age of 6) are to receive essential oil blends that are half as potent than blends given to adults. This can be achieved in two ways. One method is to create a blend according to recipe given / provided and then diluting that finished blend with 2 times the amount of base / carrier oil. Otherwise if the recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of sweet almond oil, add 8. This way you can be sure the blend is mild enough. The other method would be to cut all recommendations for drop amounts in half. The base oil that you pick is also very important and warrants time and research. Gentle oils such as sweet almond and olive are fine on most children. Some children may have overly sensitive skin though, therefore any home brewed essential oil concoction should be tested via a patch test on the child first. This should be done on every batch prepared. Variants in ingredient potency can cause allergic reactions, perhaps not seen in the first patch test.

The next hurdle to overcome is picking essential oils that will not do more harm than good to the young child. Of course hazardous essential oils should never be used, on children or adults! Secondly, you want to make sure the essential oil you are using does not fall under the category of being toxic (many essential oils are mildly toxic but adults do not suffer ill effects when used properly), irritating to the skin or sensitizing . The latter being very important. Just as babies and young children should not be given certain foods, such as shell fish because they can build up an allergy to it and later in life never be able to come in contact without adverse effects occurring, the same is true with essential oils. Sensitization is a big problem with essential oil use and young children; lay people wishing to use essential oils on their children should be very mindful of this and choose essential oils wisely. In the next installment of this article, the specific essential oils that fall into this category will be discussed in addition to case studies done on the adverse reactions of certain essential oils on young children.

-MAM

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