If you haven’t heard, essential oils are a thing now. Honestly, essential oils have been always been around. The bible mentions several such as myrrh and frankincense. Those who were anointed with oil and such. Did you know you can buy holy oil from the store? As a little girl, my parents brought home oils from Africa for hygiene and blessed oils. So, I love the new knowledge of oils being shared today. If you are wondering about oils or new, I want to share this post as beginners essential oils guide for families with the oils available now.

Now, I know there are several oil companies out there. I am not here to sway you one way or another. We do use Young Living oils I want this essential oils guide to be for uses and types of oils you can use for your family. So, you will be able to have a basic understanding and hopefully you can have some oil staples (like pantry staples).

This is the Beginners Essential Oils Guide for Families

You can use oils in several ways:

ingest
inhale (aromatherapy)
topical
cleaning

For our family, we use oils fly either inhalation, topical and cleaning. The oils we ingest are the cooking kind (canola oil, extra virgin oil, etc.) This is a personal preference, but I won’t recommend ingesting honestly. That’s my two cents about it.

Inhalation of Essential Oils

Why Inhale Essentials?

If you think about, when you smell apple pie and your mom used to make apple pie, you feel happy. You have happy thoughts or memories. You may even crave pie or get hungry. Essential oils can have that type of effect on your senses. They can calm you down. Give you clarity and focus. Help with sickness and allergies.

How to Inhale

Diffuse (with a diffuser)
Inhale (from the bottom)

Favorite Essential Oils to Inhale

Rosemary

Rosemary is great for many things. Great for studying as it helps with concentration. Diffuse with kids when they are doing homework (For kids over age 10). This oil also helps relieve stress. What parent doesn’t have stress?

Lavender

Need some help getting your child to sleep? Diffuse lavender in the room before their bedtime and while they sleep. Those also helps if you suffer from insomnia. Lavender also helps with stress and reduces anxiety.

Lemon

There are so many things to do with lemon. If you need a quick burst to rejuvenate your self just diffusing lemon essential oil. Some say it even brings them to a happy mood. Create a relax and uplighting oil mix with lemon and lavender oil.

Topical Use of Essential Oils

Why Topical Use?

Some essential oils have benefits when used topically. It’s the second simplest thing to do next to aromatherapy. You can also mix oils together, dilute them and apply to certain parts of your body to get the quickest or more effective benefit.

Topical oil application that are referred as NEAT application do not require dilution. Apply these directly on skin. However, you may dilute if desired to spread the oil out or sustain the release or therapeutic benefit.
Oils referred as SENSITIVE application need to be diluted for young or sensitive skin.
Topical oil applications that refer to DILUTE application are best diluted before applying to your skin.

How Use Topical

Massage
Facial
Bug Repellent

Favorite Essential Oils for Topical Use

Rosemary

I have always used rosemary for scalp massage after shampooing & conditioning my hair before I had kids. It stimulates hair growth. Put 5 drops of rosemary oil on scalp and massage.

Tea tree oil (Melaleuca)

Tea tree oil is known for its antiseptic properties. People have used it for acne and hair treatments. I have used it for dry scalp and even for clogged tear ducts that I get in the summer time (must be carefully applied).

Basil

If you are fighting inflammation, pain or fatigue then basil oil should be in your oil cabinet. Mix with with eucalyptus and carrier oil and make vapor rub. Mix basil oil, coconut oil and frankincense oil to help fight an ear infection. Use basil and coconut oil and massage aching muscles.

Cleaning Use of Essential Oils

Why use oils for cleaning?

One of the number one reason is the safety. I can’t say you can one percent stay away from chemicals but if you can reduce where you can then why not?

How to Use for Cleaning

Disinfectant Spray
Carpet cleaning

Favorite Essential Oils for Cleaning Purposes

Lemon

Add a few drops of lemon to your steam mop . Or add 3 drops to vinegar for a better and lemon scent cleaner that you can use in your kitchen or anywhere else in your home. Add a couple drops of lemon essential oil to your dishwasher for spot free dishes.

Thieves

This oil has a beautiful aroma to it. It neutralizes and purifies the air when diffused. Add to baking soda and use as carpet deodorizer.

Thyme

Thyme is herb that is an oil that is effective in the kitchen. Use it against salmonella to clean counters and cutting boards. You can use it to make homemade dish soap.

Essential Oils Guide – Oils Safe to Use with Children

Bergamot
Black Pepper
Blue Tansy
Cedarwood
Clary Sage (don’t handle if you are pregnant)
Copaiba
Coriander
Cypress
Frankincense
German Chamomile
Geranium
Ginger
Grapefruit
Juniper Berry
Helichrysum
Lavender
Lemon
Mandarin
Neroli
Palmarosa
Patchouli
Petitgrain
Roman Chamomile
Sandalwood
Siberian Fir Needle
Spearmint
Spruces
Sweet Marjoram
Sweet Orange
Tangerine
Tea Tree
Vetiver

Love this article and want more? Read about the uses for lavender oil for the family. If you are interested in signing up to get Young Living oils, you sign up through our affiliate link – sign up here.