Aromatherapy for the Average Mom: A Safe place to start

Is it just me, or are you all of a sudden hearing about essential oils from everywhere? Friends, family, coworkers, everyone is talking about them and trying to figure out how best to use them with their families.  

I’ve been using them too, and being careful to do a lot of research before jumping into this world. I’ve learned a lot from Lea Harris of Using Essential Oils Safely, she’s a certified aromatherapist who wants to spread safety information without forcing people to choose a specific brand of oil. Here’s a little bit of what I’ve been learning.

What is an essential oil and why do I care?

Essential oils are super-concentrated versions of the oils that come naturally from different plants all over the world. Essential oils are made of different constituents that are helpful for many different conditions or ailments. There are tons of different essential oils.

As moms, the most important thing to do before purchasing an essential oil is to check and make sure it’s safe for all the members of your family. Kids under the age of 10, pets, pregnancy, and nursing babies all require a little extra research. There are so many different ways to utilize essential oils including laundry, cleaning products, lotions, bath salts, soaps, room sprays, carpet deodorizer, the possibilities are pretty much endless! It is easy to get overwhelmed by all the different oils and uses.

Let’s start simple

A good place to start is with inhaling essential oils, inhalation is the most effective way to get the therapeutic benefits of those essential oil constituents we talked about earlier. The most common way to do that is with a diffuser. 

According to a few different aromatherapists I’ve been reading from, diffusers are most effective for the first 30 minutes or so of diffusing. After that, your body becomes acclimated to the oil and they aren’t nearly as effective, so you’re essentially wasting your oils after too long.

I love the intermittent feature on the Jasmine diffuser, it runs for 10 minutes and shuts off for 20 minutes, it’s also small and quiet. Grab yourself some great kid-safe oils like lavender, bergamot, or grapefruit, fill your diffuser with water, add a couple drops and enjoy the aroma as well as the health benefits too!

Jenny Ditch is a mom of one toddler in Illinois who’s really enjoying using essential oils for her family’s pains, snotty noses, and stressful situations.