AROMATHERAPY BATH ……. the do’s and don’ts with little one’s

There are many benefits to an aromatherapy bath.  Most little ones enjoy regular baths and many parents choose to use essential oils.  Soothing, calming  Lavender and Camomile are noted for their relaxing properties.  They are the only two essential oils suitable for babies (over 2 months) and young children (under 3 years).

IMPORTANT POINT’S TO REMEMBER

• Undiluted oils should not be added to the bath

Essential oils are not water soluble which means they will float in a film on top of the water.

• Use milk or *vegetable oil to dilute essential oils into

Both milk and vegetable oils will disperse evenly throughout the bathwater together with the essential oil.  Nut milk, oat milk etc may also be selected.

*If using vegetable oil caution is required as the bath can be quite slippy

• Add the essential oil blend when you have finished filling the bath

If you add the oil blend when running the bath the essential oils will have vapourised out of the water!   While essential oil vapours will be inhaled via the respiratory system you also want them to be absorbed through the skin while soaking in the bath.

• Diluting Essential Oils

Quantity equals safety and while stressed out parents may feel like doubling up on the amount of Lavender they put in their fractious darlings bath, this would not be in keeping with safe use of aromatherapy.  Know  your dosage.

For an Adult 3% is the general maximum dilution.  

For Pregnancy, Elderly and Children 1% and less

For Babies (over 2 months) and young Children (under 3 years) only use Lavender and Camomile at 0.5%.

In 10ml of Carrier (this applies to all diluting for massage, body lotion or bath)

1% = 5 drops

2% = 10 drops

3% = 15 drops

Some companies use a very large dropper insert (sometimes I think it is so you fly through your bottle of oil).  The above quantities are for small dropper inserts which are safer as you can be accurate and confident when preparing children’s baths.

HOW MANY DROPS OF OIL TO MIX FOR A BABY’S BATH?

2 drops of Lavender or Camomile (or 1 drop of each) mixed with 10ml (approx 1 tablespoon) of vegetable oil or milk.  This is approximately a 0.5% blend which is the recommended dilution for Baby’s and Toddlers.

Only Lavender and Camomile oils should be used with Baby’s, over 8 weeks of age up to 3 years of age.

HOW MANY DROPS OF OIL TO MIX FOR A CHILD’S BATH?

5 drops of essential oil mixed with 10ml (approx 1 tablespoon) of vegetable oil or milk.   

A DESIGNATED MEASURING CUP OR TRAVEL BOTTLE IS IDEAL TO USE FOR MIXING 

ESSENTIAL OIL QUALITY

Not all essential oils are the same.  Quality and purity of an essential oil is directly linked to efficacy and safety.  

Consider the diverse quality in other markets such as honey, olive oil and wine.  As happens with other produce, essential oils can be adulterated and contain synthetic ingredients which may be harmful to the user.

Choose genuine, pure essential oils, organic where possible from a reputable supplier.

Do not use old oils (for bath, massage, inhalation) that you have had for a long time, especially if there is only a tiny bit left in the bottle.  

For most essential oils (not including citrus and pine), stored suitably, 3 years is a general guideline to ensure the oil is in good condition.  In some cases and oil may be in good condition after this length of time.

Store essential oils out of direct sunshine and in a cool place.