Winter can be a wonderful season full of holiday cheer, beautiful snow, hot chocolate, Christmas lights and so much more! However, the cold weather also brings sniffling noses, coughing and germs-a-plenty! As we all know it’s the latter that seems to have a bigger impact on our day-to-day living, especially as winter progresses! But there are some great winter essential oils that can help keep the whole family healthy.

Plus see how to keep the family entertained both indoor and outdoor this winter.

Winter essential oils to Support Family Wellness

Using Essential oils to support your family’s wellness is really quite easy but it can be overwhelming if you aren’t sure where to start. But first, you’ll need some basic safety tips.

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Essential Oil Safety & Children

Dilution: Essential oils are quite potent so it is extremely important that you Dilution Ratios before using them with children!

To dilute essential oils you will want to use a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil, regular melted coconut oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil or in a pinch you can even use olive oil from your kitchen!

Dilution Ratios for Children:

Infants: Dilute 1 drop of essential oil into 1 Tablespoon of carrier oil of your choice.

Children 2+: Dilute 1 drop of essential oil into 1 teaspoon of carrier oil of your choice.

I recommend that you apply the oils to your child’s feet and then put socks on top as this will help to reduce the risk of them getting it on their hands and rubbing it in their eyes.

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Wonderful Ways to Use Essential Oils this Winter 

Skip the chemicals found in over the counter vapor rub and make one of your own! Not only will you know exactly what’s in your vapor rub but you will also be able to make it at a fraction of the cost of store bought products!

To make your own you will need coconut oil, beeswax & of course essential oils! You can get the recipe to make your own vapor rub here!

These drops are similar to the idea of Halls or Vicks cough drops but without the weird taste! Before I go on, you should know that there are varying opinions about whether or not you should ingest essential oils. It is important that you do your own research to decide what is best for you. Currently, I ingest oils in cases like this with throat drops but I don’t make my own essential oil capsules. I would recommend reading this post I compiled about the debate of ingesting essential oils and do your own research as well!

Sorry for that digression! If you are interested in making your own throat drops you will need sugar, honey, & essential oils. These are definitely softer & a bit of a different texture than store bought throat drops but they definitely work well! Get the recipe to make your own essential oil throat drops here.

Best winter essential oils for the whole family

Winter Essential Oils For Children Under 6:

• Cypress– This is a great oil to have on hand especially to help with congestion! Simply dilute the oil as discussed above and apply it to your child’s chest. This would be a good option to use if you are making vapor rub for little ones!
• Cedarwood– Perfect for helping your kids to relax and unwind after a long day! Simply add 1-2 drops to your diffuser with 70ml of water to help your whole family unwind!
• Lavender– If you have children and you can only purchase one essential oil then I would definitely suggest lavender! It can help with relaxation, soothing sore bellies, soothing skin irritations and so so much more!
• Tea Tree– Another great oil to have on hand for any skin irritations that may arise! Tea tree is also good to use in natural cleaners around your home!

Essential oils for winter to use with kids Beginning at Age 6

• Peppermint– Once your child is 6 or older you can start introducing peppermint (diluted). Peppermint is great for helping to relieve both chest and nasal congestion. I recommend applying this to your child’s chest or feet as you want to make sure it doesn’t get in their eyes… I had this happen to me once (read about all of my embarrassing essential oil experiences here) and it was painful to say the least!

Which winter essential oils to use for illnesses for Children Age 10 & Up (and adults)

• Eucalyptus- This is one of my favorite essential oils to use year round. Adults can use any of the oils listed so far but when it comes to congestion, this is my favorite. Simply rub it on your chest or even take a deep breath in through your nose (just smelling the bottle) and you will already start to feel your breathing open up. When I want to open my airways I put a few drops on the shower floor. The combination of eucalyptus and steam brings a lot of relief! You can learn more of the many benefits of eucalyptus essential oil here!

Please note these are just the minimum age to begin using the various winter essential oils. As the children get older they can use any of the aforementioned oils, same goes for adults! 

I hope this post has helped to shed some light on ways your family can use essential oils to naturally support their health & wellness this winter!

Chantal has a passion for spreading awareness and sharing information about essential oils, mental health and chronic illness on her blog Painted Teacup! When she isn’t blogging Chantal enjoys spending time with her husband and their fur-baby, working as a social worker and helping her husband with the family virtual assistant business! Check out Painted Teacup and take a minute to follow Chantal on Pinterest & Facebook!

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