Must-Have Essential Oils for School-Aged Kids

Please meet Jenn Aubert, my dear friend and Kids Yoga Stories’ Head of Marketing, whom I consider an expert in all things health-related. I’ve been dabbling in using essential oils recently and asked her for recommendations for essential oils for kids at home and in yoga classes. Please note that Jenn is a respected DoTerra wellness advocate, but I’ve also used Young Living oils and Acacia oils found at Whole Foods Market.

I’ve been a huge fan of essential oils for years. Anything that can make my surroundings smell amazing and have beneficial properties is the bee’s knees in my book.

My love for all things oils has taken a back seat for a few years. I was deep into it when I was an acupuncturist in San Francisco. I would use essential oils on my patients to help support their healing process. Then I left the world of acupuncture, sold my practice, and moved my then-three-year-old and reluctant husband (reluctant about moving, not about having married me!) to Portland, Oregon.

My stash of oils were put in the back of the closet, along with my acupuncture needles and other tools for healing. About two years ago, I was reinvigorated by my love of oils, but this time it wasn’t for my patients or for my personal skin care regimen, though I still used my precious supply and oh-so-tiny bottles of Rose Otto and Helichrysum in my argon oil that I used daily. I had become super fascinated on how to amp up my love of oils to use on my son as he entered kindergarten! I’d always known essential oils were powerful, but it didn’t dawn on me that I could also introduce them to my family in meaningful and powerful ways.

I’m a researcher at heart, and I don’t make suggestions lightly without doing my due diligence. And I most definitely don’t follow trends and the latest fads. Essential oils have a long history in the healing art and wellness. These are my favorite uses for essential oils for school-aged kiddos.

(Please keep in mind I’m talking about kids over the age of five years old. Essential oils are incredibly potent and are to be used with the utmost care and caution. Please respect the potency of the oils and always keep them out of the reach of your children. Although they can be used for/on kids, it doesn’t mean that kids should be handling them!)

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Must-Have Essential Oils for School-Aged Kids

There are so many amazing and exotic essential oils available, but I’m going to keep my recommendations to ones that are the most familiar and that you may already have in your closet.

My rule of thumb with kiddos is diffuse and/or dilute. Meaning your best course of action is to use a diffuser or to dilute the oils in a carrier oil if you plan to apply them onto a child’s skin.

Remember, a little goes a long way, and all oils should be significantly diluted before going on your kiddo’s skin. Always use a carrier oil and do a test of the essential oil with a carrier oil on a small area before applying freely elsewhere.

1. Worry and Overwhelm

The beginning of the school year can really send your kids spinning. New faces, new teacher, new expectations, and typically more homework. It’s a lot for our little people to take in.

Essential Oil Remedy for Worry and Overwhelm:

Consider essential oils that aid in calming and grounding. Lavender and Frankincense are awesome choices.

Since the mornings can be rushed, I do one of two things. I find that placing a drop of Lavender oil (which is one of the very few oils you can use “neat,” meaning without a carrier oil, but I still recommend keeping this to a minimum with the littles) in my son’s hand and having him smell it right before we leave for school sets him off on the right track. If he’s too wiggly, I’ll drop it in my hands rubbed together and allow him to smell.

Alternatively, before socks and shoes go on for the day, you can take a little Frankincense (mixed with a carrier oil like almond, coconut, or jojoba) and rub it on the soles of their feet. There is a very potent acupuncture point on the bottom of the foot (if you point your toes, it’s where the crease shows up near the pad of your foot) that is highly grounding.

2. Trouble Focusing

I don’t know about you, but when my son comes home, he runs looking for the iPad. Even though he knows he can’t have screen time until Fridays, this future lawyer will negotiate and persuade relentlessly. Trying to get him to focus on homework can be tricky after a day at school.

Essential Oil Remedy for Trouble Focusing:

Lemon has been referred to as “the oil of focus.” Lemon is a wonderful essential oil for kids who are having trouble in school. It has been said to dispel confusion and to counteract mental fatigue due to too much studying. I recommend diffusing this oil in the room where your kiddo will be studying.

3. Problems Getting to Sleep

My son says his least favorite part of the day is bedtime. I think most kids fight going to bed because being awake is just so much more fun. However, developing good sleep habits now is a wonderful gift we can give our kids. Sleep is so incredibly important, and we all need more of it!

Essential Oil Remedy for Problems Getting to Sleep:

Lavender is a great go-to for so many things because it has a harmonizing effect on the nervous system and helps calm the mind. It is the first choice in the treatment of insomnia, especially when it’s due to anxiety or mental stress.

Diffuse several drops of high-quality lavender in a diffuser in your child’s room for fifteen minutes before bedtime. Also, you can place a drop mixed with a little carrier oil and rub the bottoms of their feet and their chest.

dōTERRA Serenity®, which is a lovely blend of Lavendar, Ylang Ylang, Vanilla, and more, is my nightly go-to for the whole house. It helps the whole family calm down and get ready for a good night’s sleep.

4. Keeping Germs at Bay

Just this week, my little guy started to have a small cough. Kids bring home all sorts of bugs from schools. And in doing so, they end up getting the whole family sick.

Essential Oil Remedy for Keeping Germs at Bay:

Lemon is a great oil to diffuse in the house to keep germs in the air at bay. You can also mix Lemon essential oil with vodka/alcohol and water to make a household spray to use on counter tops, door knobs, and the bathroom to keep the house fresh and free of icky bugs.

I especially love the following blends if you can get your paws on them:

dōTERRA On Guard® is a gorgeous-smelling mix of Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary. This blend is great at helping prevent colds. During the height of the cold/flu season, I mix a drop with a carrier oil and place it on my son’s chest and the back of his neck before he goes to school. This blend can cause skin irritation, so please test with a carrier oil.

dōTERRA Breathe™ with its emphasis on Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Lemon is my favorite to use on my son when he has a slight cough. Again, I mix it with a carrier oil and place it on his upper back, chest, and neck (acupuncture points used to relieve a cough and prevent colds/flus can be found here). I usually do this before bed to manage a cough and help him have a restful night’s sleep.

Essential oils have been used for centuries, and we’re lucky they have made a comeback.

You can do a lot with the foundational oils—Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint, and Frankincense—by blending and using these along with others that you love. I encourage you to read, explore, experiment, and enjoy the joys of essential oils for yourself.

Warning: Herbal and natural remedies are not meant to replace medical treatment or advice. The information on this page is not intended to treat or cure any disease or disability, and medicinal uses of these oils have not been approved by the FDA. Please consult your medical professional if you have questions.

About the Author

Jenn Aubert is an author, entrepreneur, and wellness advocate. Her first book, Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch! (Balboa Press, 2014), explores the mindset, motivation, and behaviors of successful female entrepreneurs and the role models in their lives who have influenced them. She is also the co-founder of LearnSavvy, an online community for women business owners with a primary focus on facilitated peer group masterminds, called Savvy Circles. As a former acupuncturist not willing to fully leave behind her wellness roots, she is a dōTERRA wellness advocate. Jenn currently lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and adorable son.