Using Essential Oils for Teens

Teenager - Yes, there's an oil for that!

I am a parent of a special needs kid who also happens to be a teenager.  Some days it's hard to know whether I'm helping the special needs kid or the teenager.  Some days it's both.  I don't blog a lot about my child's special needs.  It seems like it would be an invasion of her privacy as you can never really get rid of stuff on the world wide web and you have no idea when one day it's going to come back and bite you in the butt.

Regardless of special needs or not, today's teens have it hard and face an incredible amount of pressure.  Not only are they preparing for their future, but they have to make it through some of the most awkward times of their lives.  Throw in hormonal changes and it's no wonder they are over-stressed and tried.   

I thought I'd share some of the essential oils I use to support my teenager.

EMOTIONS

We all have emotional ups and downs and this is really something teens struggle with.  They’ve got a lot going on and a lot of pressure.  Sometimes they just need a little extra support to make it through the day. 

One really great oil for this is JOY

Joy is a blend of bergamot, lemon, palmarosa, ylang ylang, mandarin, rose, geranium, jasmine, Roman Chamomile, and coriander.

This uplifting blend creates a magnetic energy and brings happiness to your heart.  Literally, it’s amazing.  I dab a drop over my heart every day, you can apply it to your wrists or behind your ears.  It smells amazing if you diffuse it with orange tangerine.  Because it is very floral – it makes a great natural perfume.  In the case of my teen- who’s sensitive to strong scents like this one – I will add Joy to a roller bottle with a little orange essential oil and some carrier oil and give her that – I find just having it diluted like that helps.

 

If you have a teen that just cannot let go – Release might be a good oil for them.  It has a relaxing aroma that helps facilitate the ability to let go of anger and frustration – it can also promote harmony and balance when it’s diffused.  It’s often used along with Joy – as it’s pretty powerful.  

ENERGY

 One of the toughest jobs I have in a day is getting my teen up for school.  Even though we homeschool, I like to get the day started reasonably early and I find that when I diffuse something like Citrus Fresh (which is a blend of citrus oils and spearmint) it actually helps everyone get moving in the morning. 

If you don’t have citrus fresh – try lemon or grapefruit – Do a little experiment – hold the bottle to you – take a big sniff – and see how that oil makes you feel.

The tough part will still be getting the teen out of bed but once they’re up – you’ll probably notice that they become more alert quicker.  It really helps set the tone for the day. 

Another way I support my teen's energy levels is with Ningxia Red - this yummy antioxidant drink that combines the wolfberry superfruit with 100 percent pure essential oils.  With my daughter – I decided to get consistent with it and started giving it to her every day.  I bought a box of these as little packets.  I noticed a change almost like right away. Suddenly, my daughter went from being pretty inactive to wanting to go downstairs and exercise on the WII.  She went outside for walks and jumped on the trampoline.  I was amazed. 

  

Ningxia Red may also help improve mental clarity, supports the digestive system, immune system, and our brains.  It’s a great part of starting the day off right nutritionally.  It can be drunk on its own or you can add it to a smoothy. 

The little snack packs are convenient to toss in your kid’s lunch.  They are great frozen too.  I also know some people like to make them into little fruit gummies, which is kinda cool. 

 SKIN SUPPORT

Some teens are really lucky and this barely affects them but other’s need a little more support.  You definitely want to stay away from those toxic skin cleansers and stick with a more natural product. 

Tea Tree Essential Oil, Melrose, Lavender, and Frankincense are all amazing oils for supporting skin.  You can add a drop of any one of these oils to some jojoba oil and apply. 

 

A simple DIY foaming facial cleanser would be:

¼ cup of castile soap

¼ cup of distilled water

2 tsp of jojoba oil – almond oil would work too

2 tsp aloe vera gel –

8-12 drops of essential oils – like lavender, frankincense

Add that to a foaming pump bottle and give it a little mix.  You can find those at the dollar store or on Amazon.  They’re great because they are re-usable.

So there are a lot of different blends that you can use with essential oils depending on what the skin type or issue is.  Really easy to google – essential oils for skin types – that will help you narrow it down. 

You can do the same thing for toner and a moisturizer.  Lots of great DIY recipe out there.  Or if you’re not the DIY type – Young Living has the Art Skincare Line – which is ready to go – to help tackle those issues.  Young Living also has a face wash called Orange Blossom which smells amazing.  

HORMONES

Teenagers are full of raging hormones.  A couple oils that can help with this are:

 Peace and Calming – is a blend of ylang-ylang, tangerine, patchouli and Blue Tansy – can act as a calmative – and enhance relaxation.  This would be great to apply to the bottom of their feet before bed to help with that wind-down period.  A  few drops can even be added to an Epsom salt bath at the end of the day for relaxation or combine it with Citrus Fresh – for a bright, invigorating scent that’s perfect for mornings or before school.

Dragon Time – is a blend of soothing and calming oils including clary sage – to help support women’s emotions during those special times of the month.  It’s helps support healthy emotions during our cycle and can be used on both mature and young women.  Works great rubbed over your lower back region or used in a compress on your abdomen.  Dilute it with a carrier oil for a nice massage.  It also has fennel, lavender, marjoram, yarrow and jasmine and it definitely has a very licorice smell.  

BRAIN SUPPORT

Another way to help support our teens is by giving them a boost in their learning.  Clarity Essential oil – is helpful in promoting a clear mind, mental alertness and bringing focus when you need it. This would be a great oil – to roll on just before test time.  Each of my children actually has a bottle of “brain boost” that they roll on before they start their school day and can apply it as they go along.  They often don’t really apply it more than once though unless they feel the need for an extra boost.

ODORS

This is kind of funny but we have to say it – those growing bodies come with new smells.  I use purification essential oil to help combat those odors.  I put it in a spray bottle with distilled water and I use it to spray their rooms instead of those chemical air fresheners. I keep a spare bottle in the bathroom to attack that room on a need to basis.

It’s also great to spray sports bags – clothing – inside their shoes – gym bags -that kind of thing.

If your teen is athletic -swims at the pool or is in gyms – it’s a great idea to help support their foot health by applying a drop of thieves to their feet every day.  Helps prevent some of those yucky foot issues we can get from being in public places.

And those athletic teens may need some muscle support after the game. Panaway is a great blend to use on your achy muscles after any sports activity.   Sometimes you don’t realize how much you’ve worked those muscles until later.  We actually use this after gymnastics .

IMMUNE SUPPORT

I’d also recommend using Thieves essential oil as part of your wellness routine.  It helps support your immune system – Getting sick less – means less missed class time – less missed social time. 

How about you - are you using essential oils to support your teen?  Let me know in the comments how. 

For more information on getting started with essential oils - check out my post here.