Guest post by Cherie Birks of At The Aroma Co Essential Oils

Hands up if you love essential oils.

Now hands up if you hate that gag-inducing goop that kids produce?

I can handle poos, spews and ooze, but boogies are my nemesis. *wretch*

Cue winter, when runny noses run rife, and coughs and colds take hold.

I’ve recently become one of ‘those people’ and bought my Home Essentials Kit from Cherie @atthearomaco.

Here she is with her top 5 oils to keep kids cootie-free this winter. *takes notes*

And because we all love a deal to keep our budget planning on track, Cherie has 20% off doTERRA starter kits until the end of May. 

Head over to @atthearomaco on Insta, or www.thearomaco.com to get your boogie banishing goods!

Winter is Coming

And no, I don’t mean the last series of GOT (#holdme), but the actual winter.

If you’re anywhere near the equator, you’ll not have had the pleasure of a Melbourne winter, with the wind so icy it’ll snap off a slightly erect nipple. Chink!

Many of us succumb to the perils of winter; coughs, colds, chest infections, throat infections, ear infections, and have kids with boogies so stringy, you could just about use them for shoelaces.

So why do our little babes’ bodies become more susceptible to picking up pathogens in winter?

Despite how many times we tell our kids to “stop licking the fricking *insert an inanimate object or another mammal here*,” it has to do with the immune system becoming sluggish in the colder months.

Since hell hath no fury like an overtired, under-caffeinated mother who’s been up all night with sick kids, here are a few natural ways with essential oils we can use to help protect our kids.

Diffuse On Guard

There’s a fairly solid theory that in winter we spend more time indoors breathing the same filthy air as everyone else.

When we inhale, airborne pathogens that someone else has hacked, gagged and sneezed into the air that we’re breathing, nestle into the moist back of our throat.

If our immune system is not up to scratch to kill off those cooties, they’ll set up camp and have a big moist orgy. That’s when we’ll eventually experience the ‘cold’ like symptoms as our body tries to eject them.

Adding 3-4 drops of doTERRA’s On Guard Blend of Wild Orange, Clove, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary essential oils into a diffuser, can help munch those pathogens like Pac Man before we’ve even had a chance to breathe them in.

Diffusing essential oils is the easiest way to use them. A diffuser is a small machine, that you fill with cold water and a few drops of essential oil, with an ultrasonic plate that vibrates at a high frequency dispersing the molecules of oils and water into the air as a microfine mist.

Not only is a diffuser a safer option than an oil burner with features like a timer, night light, and sensors to switch it off if it tips or is empty, but because it uses cold water, it protects the therapeutic qualities of the essential oils.

Breathe Easy Air

Ain’t nobody wants to slather their precious little people in petrochemicals, nix the Vicks if the kids are blocked up or wheezy.

doTERRA Easy Air is a blend of essential oils including, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Lemon,  and Cardamom, all incredible for their cooling and clearing properties.

Easy Air can be applied topically to the chest, back, or bottom of feet, or diffused at night time to calm the senses before a restful night’s sleep.

1-2 drops can also be used in the bath if you’re trying to steady a temperature. To make sure essential oils emulsify in the water, add them to a natural solution like castile soap, then add that to the running water.

Before using essential oils topically you’ll need to dilute them in a carrier oil as they are highly potent. doTERRA’s fractionated coconut oil is the perfect fragrance-free, natural carrier as it is the perfect molecule size to hold onto the essential oil it is paired with, and absorb into the skin leaving no oily residue.

Per 10ml of fractionated coconut oil, for babies use 1-5 drops of essential oil, for children use 5-9 drops, and adults can use between 9-25 drops. You can always apply this dilution more frequently, every 1-2 hours, rather than make it too strong for children’s sensitive skin.

Lavender Lullaby

One of the worst things about the babes being sick is just how miserable they are. Not to mention how hard it is for them to find rest.

Lavender is known as the Swiss army knife of oils. It can be used for anything from skin conditions to stress, mild pains and sleep.

Ah sleep, you know, that thing we used to get?

To help our mini me’s catch the z’s? We pop lavender in the diffuser, or diluted and applied to the soles of the feet.

My personal favourite is to pop 1-2 drops in the bath emulsified in a tablespoon of castile soap. I always remember being told by someone way wiser than me if the kids are cranky, send them to water.

The other way to use lady lavender is to whip up a pillow mist. It’s as simple as getting a little spritz bottle, filling with filtered water and adding 3-4 drops of lavender essential oil.

Tea Tree Tickle

He’s antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, and antiseptic. He’ll help patch up your toe jam, keep the nits at bay, and the germs out of grazes.

Tea Tree is incredible to pair with On Guard as a natural hand sanitiser. To a 30ml spray bottle, add 10ml vegetable glycerine, 5 drops On Guard, 5 drops Tea Tree, and top up the bottle with filtered water. Shake and spritz your filthy mitts.

The same two oils can make protective bath drops. In a jar, add 30ml of castile soap, 8 drops of Tea Tree and 8 drops of On Guard. Then add another 30ml of filtered water. You can add 10ml to a running bath after school, kinder, childcare, swimming, sports. Basically any contact with the outside world.

Fight it off with Frankincense

In my house, we’ve got a saying:

If it hurts, put an oil on it.

Sad? put an oil on it.

Stinks, put an oil on it.

And if in doubt, whip your frankincense out.

Frankincense works at a cellular level, strengthening, oxygenating, nourishing and protecting. Because of the way it metabolises, it helps amplify the properties of any other oil it’s paired with.

Much like Lavender, Frankincense can be used for anything from skin conditions to stress and anxiousness, busy brains, mild pains and sleep.

To protect kids on the go, grab a 10ml empty roller bottle. Then add 3 drops Frankincense, 3 drops On Guard, and 3 drops Tea Tree, topped up with fractionated coconut oil. Apply a swipe of this down the spine and on the soles of the feet. Perfect for before school, kinder, childcare or swimming.

Things to remember when choosing which oils that are right for you:

Choose oils that are certified pure therapeutic grade oils, stringently tested, ethically and sustainably sourced. You’ll always get what you pay for.

If you’re choosing a diffuser, ensure it is made of high-grade plastic that won’t disintegrate. Cheaper ones disintegrate with the use of oils as many oils can break down petrochemicals.

Ensure you purchase your oils through an experienced person or business. So that they are able to support you with up to date information, resources and lifetime customer service.

You can find more info and a complete recipe book for these oils and more over at www.thearomaco.com

ABOUT CHERIE:

Cavalier oil user, professional laundry dodger, and mother of dragons (ok, two rambunctious kids). Cherie Birks is a full-time doTERRA advocate with over 25 years experience with essential oils, anointing the masses from pretty Ballarat.