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Well over a year ago, I wrote about making your own Thieves oil blend that I call Medicine Woman. This blend is fantastic at building immunities, cleansing the air, and keeping germs away from my home, but after Robert Tisserand published his newest addition of Essential Oil Safety, we were warned against using essential oils with high menthol and cineol content in small children. This meant that the Thieves blend wasn't safe for use on children under the age of 10 because of the essential oils that are in it. With this upcoming cold and flu season, I knew I needed to make something that would be safe for use for everyone in our home!
Thieves oil is not safe for children under the age of 10 years
All of the anti-germ type Thieves blends of essential oils contain eucalyptus, rosemary, clove, cinnamon bark, and lemon. Peppermint, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oils are all avoided in younger children because they contain powerful chemical constituents called cineol 1,8 and menthol. According to Tisserand, these two chemical constituents cause small children to slow their breathing, sometimes to a dangerously slow level. It’s important to note that the brand of essential oil you choose to use, does not change this recommendation. All essential oils (no matter the brand or "purity") are made up of an extremely concentrated combination of multiple chemical constituents and therefore require a certain amount of concern with safety when using them. This is the reason that it is suggested to avoid the use of these essential oils (and others containing a high content of these chemical constituents) in young children. Peppermint is safe to use on 6+ years, but ALL eucalyptus and rosemary essential oils should be avoided until 10+ years of age. (It's important to note that the brand of essential oil you choose to use does not change this recommendation.) This is why I created Medicine Woman Jr., my child-safe version of the Thieves blend. You can learn more about essential oil safety for babies and children here.
Medicine Woman Jr.
Anti-Germ Essential Oil Blend
These blends can be adjusted based on your bottle size, but both of these recipes are made to fit in a 5 ml sized bottle. The fir needle essential oil in this recipe can be substituted for cypress, spruce (picea abies, picea glauca, picea mariana, picea rubens) or pine (pinus divaricata, pinus resinosa, pinus strobus, pinus sylvestris). The woodsy essential oils are all really great at helping combat congestion, coughs, and even are great expectorants!
6+ MONTHS BLEND
- 25 drops Cinnamon leaf essential oil
- 20 drops Lavender essential oil
- 25 drops Sweet orange essential oil
- 25 drops Fir needle essential oil
2+ YEARS BLEND
- 20 drops Cinnamon leaf essential oil
- 20 drops Clove bud essential oil
- 20 drops Sweet orange essential oil
- 15 drops Lavender essential oil
- 10 drops Fir needle essential oil
- 10 drops Frankincense essential oil
The many uses for Medicine Woman Jr. essential oil blends
There are many uses for these blends! Everything you would use your Thieves blend for, you can use this kid-safe blends for as well!
- In the diffuser - For the purpose of this blend, inhalation is the most effective method. Whenever you or your children have been around someone who is sick or someone in your house is sick, you can diffuse this blend in your diffusor. For babies under 2 years add 1-2 drops to the diffusor, for children 2+ years add 5 drops to the diffuser, for children 6+ add 10 drops in the diffuser.
- In a Body & Room Spray - It is great to have this spray on hand in your diaper bag or purse. You can cleanse the air around you, your hands, and even surfaces that you will be touching. Combine in a 2 oz. bottle: 2 Tbsp. witch hazel, 1 tsp. aloe vera gel, 1 tsp. vegetable glycerin (or other carrier oil), essential oils, and water to fill. For prevention use the lesser amount of essential oils, if your child is sick, use the max amount. For babies under 2 years add 3-6 drops essential oil blend. For children 2+ years add 12-24 drops essential oil blend. For children 6+ years add 24-36 drops essential oil blend.
- In a massage oil - Diffusion is the best method with this blend, but you can massage this onto the bottoms of the feet as well as the chest and back. Combine 1 Tbsp. carrier oil (coconut or olive is my preferred choice for baby massage) with the age appropriate essential oil blend. For babies under 2 years add 3-5 drops essential oil blend and rub the bottoms of the feet only, for children 2+ years add 6-8 drops essential oil blend, for children 6+ years add 10-12 drops essential oil blend.
- In an anti-bacterial hand gel - to 8 oz. aloe vera gel, add 1 Tbsp. witch hazel, and essential oils. Use on the hands as a moisturizing hand sanitizer. Not recommended for babies under 2 years of age because of their love of putting their hands into their mouths. For children 2+ years add 15 drops essential oil blend, for children 6+ years add 20 drops essential oil blend.
