Essential Infomation about Essential Oils

There are many essential oils but to get started you only need a few!

Ok yeah ...essential information on essential oils...haha, what can I say I'm in that kind of mood!!

I found a great article on the subject at Crunchy Betty.com (love that site!)
21 Things You Should Know About Essential Oils

Long article but so packed with information you really do need to know!


This is the list of Essential oils she recommends!
So far I have Tea tree, Lavender, Lemon and Sweet Orange. I really like all of them and am thinking to get the rosemary (great for memory) and grapefruit (I love the smell!)

Recommended Essential Oils to Get You Started

• Peppermint (good for lip balms, oily/acneic skin, and cleaning products)
• Rosemary (good for hair preparations, oily/acneic skin, and cleaning products)
• Sweet orange (good for all skin types and very soothing in room sprays for children)
• Rose geranium (good for all skin types, creating perfumes, and for use in homemade moisturizers)
• Tea tree (great for healing, getting rid of dandruff, oily/acneic skin, and cleaning products)
• Lavender (great for all skin types, for relaxation, hair preparations, and cleaning products)
• Lemon (great for lifting moods, cleaning preparations, and sparingly in toners and products for oily skin)

In Shirley Price's book, Aromatherapy for Babies and Children, she mentions 19 oils that are safe for children. These oils are:

• Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)*
• Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica)**
• Chamomile, Roman (Chamaemelum nobile)
• Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)
• Frankincense (Boswellia carteri)
• Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
• Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
• Lemon (Citrus limon)*
• Mandarin (Citrus reticulata)*
• Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
• Melaleuca-Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
• Orange (Citrus aurantium)*
• Rose Otto (Rosa damascena)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)**
• Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora)
• Sandalwood (Santalum album)
• Thyme (Thumus vulgaris CT linalol)
• Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata)

*These oils are photosensative; always dilute. To prevent a rash or pigmentation of the skin, do not use citrus oils when exposed to direct sunlight.

**These oils should never be used undiluted on babies and children.

 Essential Oil Uses for Babies and Children See the Common and Botanical Name Index for the botanical name of each oil listed below.

Colic: Bergamot, ginger, mandarin, marjoram, Roman chamomile, rosemary, or ylang ylang.
Blend: Combine 2 Tbsp. Almond oil with 1 drop Roman chamomile, 1 drop lavender, and 1 drop geranium. Mix and apply to stomach and back. Note: Burping the baby, and keeping the abdomen warm with a warm (not hot) water bottle will often bring relief.
Common Cold: Cedarwood, lemon, Melaleuca ericifolia, rosemary, rose, sandalwood, or thyme.
Blend: Combine 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil with 2 drops melaleuca (Tea Tree), 1 drop lemon, and 1 drop rose otto. Massage a little of the blend on neck and chest.
Constipation: Ginger, mandarin, orange, or rosemary. Dilute one of the oils and massage on stomach and feet.
Cradle Cap: Blend: Combine 2 Tbsp. almond oil with 1 drop lemon and 1 drop geranium or with 1 drop cedarwood and 1 sandalwood. Mix and apply a small amount on head.
Croup: Marjoram, ravensara, rosewood, sandalwood, or thyme. Dilute for massage or diffuse. Bundle baby or child up and take outside to breathe cold air.
Crying: Cypress, frankincense, geranium, lavender, Roman chamomile, rose otto, or ylang ylang. Dilute for massage or diffuse.
Diaper Rash: Lavender (dilute and apply).
Blend: Combine 1 drop Roman chamomile and 1 drop lavender with vegetable oil and apply.
Digestion (sluggish): Lemon or orange. Dilute and massage feet and stomach.
Dry Skin: Rosewood or sandalwood. Dilute and apply.
Earache: Lavender, melaleuca (Tea Tree), Melaleuca ericifolia, Roman chamomile, or thyme (sweet). Put a diluted drop of oil on a cotton ball and place on the surface of the ear; rub a little bit of diluted oil behind the ear. Blend: Combine 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil with 2 drops lavender, 1 drop Roman chamomile, and 1 drop melaleuca (Tea Tree). Put a drop on a cotton ball and put on surface of the ear, rub behind the ear and on the ear Vita Flex feet points.

Fever: Lavender. Dilute in vegetable oil and massage baby or child (back of neck, feet, behind ear, etc.). Peppermint (diffuse only).

Flu: Cypress, lemon, Melaleuca ericifolia. Dilute 1 drop of each in 1 Tbsp. bath gel base for a bath or diffuse.

Hiccoughs: Mandarin. Diffuse

Jaundice: Geranium, lemon, lime, mandarin, or rosemary. Dilute and apply on the liver area and on the liver Vita Flex feet points.

Rashes: Lavender, Roman chamomile, rose otto, or sandalwood. Dilute and apply.

Teeth Grinding: Lavender (rub on feet).

Tonsillitis: Ginger, lavender, lemon, or melaleuca (Tea Tree), Roman chamomile. Dilute and apply.

Thrush: Geranium, lavender, lemon, melaleuca (Tea Tree), Melaleuca ericifolia, rosewood, or thyme. Dilute and apply.
Blend: 2 Tbsp. garlic oil, 8 drops lavender, 8 drops Melaleuca ericifolia, 1 ml. Vitamin E oil. Apply to nipples just before nursing, or with a clean finger into baby's mouth.
For more information on the use of essential oils and aromatherapy for babies and children, see also the books Aromatherapy and Massage for Mother and Baby by Allison England, and Aromatherapy for the Healthy Child by Valerie Ann Worwood.