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Back to School with Essential Oils

By Roberta Dulay August 19, 2016
As the days start growing shorter, our focus begins to shift from summer fun to getting ready for my kid to go back to school.  Naturally, as a mom, I want the best for my child, and that includes helping him to get the most our of his education.

I've been using essential oils for a number of years, but it was just a few years ago that I discovered how essential oils can help my child naturally to calm down, to sleep better, to take the sting out of mosquito bites, heal owies more quickly, and much more. We now use essential oils in our home for a myriad of purposes, from cooking and cleaning to freshening the air, setting the mood, supporting my diet and weight loss goals, and facilitating restful sleep, to name a few uses.  I've replaced my toxic dryer sheets with wool dryer balls infused with Lavender and Lemon oil, and I diffuse oils in my home to clean and freshen the air.  
In the course of learning about essential oils, I also learned that specific oils can be used to help students calm down and focus, study more effectively, and remember more while taking tests. These are the oils I hope to share with you today.

First, though, a few basics, in case you have not ever heard of, or used essential oils.

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are aromatic plant compounds, extracted from the leaves, stems, flowers, roots and bark of various plants.  The resulting essential oil is a highly concentrated form of the plant, which may be used aromatically, topically, and in some cases internally.  
Disclaimer: essential oils are not drugs, and as such are not regulated by the FDA. This article should not be used in lieu of medical advice, it is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. If you have a medical condition that is either undiagnosed or for which you are undergoing treatment, please see the advice of your physician before exploring what essential oils can do for you and your family.

Here are a few of my Favorite Back-to-School Oils:

1. Peppermint essential oil - for alertness and mental clarity
2. Rosemary essential oil - for memory and retention
3. Balance - a blend of oils to help ground and balance. This oil is a wonderful way to get the benefits of Frankincense for under $20. Pair with Lavender for a grounding mood balancer that works aromatically or topically (and smells wonderful too).
4. On Guard protective blend - because face it, school is a germy place, and commercial hand sanitizers contain triclosan, which is bad for you, and also cause your body to absorb more BPA.
5. In Tune focus blend - to help with studying and focus in the classroom.

Wake Up, Ready to Take on your Day

Diffuse Wild Orange, Lemon and Peppermint oil in your kitchen in the morning. Not only will it help to clean the air and leave your kitchen smelling fresh and clear of old cooking odors, these oils actually help to elevate your family's mood and wake up their brains, making it easier for everyone to start their day.

Chill and Focus

Lavender, Vetiver, Frankincense and Patchouli oils have properties which are both calming and help you to be more grounded and able to focus.  In Tune focus blend contains oils that are traditionally used for promoting calmness and focus, easing stress and helping to improve concentration.  I like to apply this blend to the back of my son's neck before school, while my friend 's teacher keeps a bottle at her desk and lets the child have it during the day.

I have also made rollerball blends for concentration for my friends using other oils to specifically address focus and concentration, or you can make your own rollerball bottle blend specifically tailored to work for your child's age and circumstances. For example, I make a blend specifically for my friend's 9-year-old girl using 6 drops each of Vetiver, Frankincense, Rosemary, Lime, plus 3 drops each of Black Pepper and Ylang Ylang. Ylang Ylang is both calming and  supportive of hormone balancing, which in this particular girl's case, helped her to feel calmer and less emotional during the school day.  The lime and black pepper oil were to stimulate mental alertness; the frankincense and vetiver are grounding and help with focus.

Remember More

Did you know that Rosemary can improve your brain's performance? Studies have shown that Rosemary can help stimulate and improve memory and concentration. Whether your child is learning about history or memorizing verb conjugations, diffusing rosemary in the room during homework time can help with recall and retention.  You can also add a few drops of Rosemary and Lemon essential oils into a spritzer bottle with water, and use that in their morning hair grooming rituals (bonus - it smells great, and also improves your mood!).

Be Alert

Lime, Wild Orange and Peppermint essential oils can help with alertness. Need a quick afternoon pick-me-up? Try placing a drop of Wild Orange and a drop of Peppermint oil in the palm of your hand, rub them together, cup your hands and take a deep breath, inhaling the essence of the oils. 

DIY Hand Sanitizer

Face it, schools are germy places. So many kids, some of whom are just catching, or getting over a cold, all in one place, and touching all of the same surfaces that your child is touching today. You can make your own DIY hand sanitizer using just a few simple ingredients:  aloe vera gel, On Guard protective blend, and optionally, lemon, tangerine, wild orange or lime essential oil (depends on what you would like the resulting gel to smell most like -  my favorite is Tangerine oil, followed by Wild Orange or Citrus Bliss).  
In a 1 ounce glass or BPA free plastic bottle, add
•10 drops of On Guard protective blend
•6 drops of your choice of citrus oil
•10 drops of water (to help thin the aloe vera gel)
•Fill the bottle 3/4 way with aloe vera gel and shake well to combine.

How Can I Learn More about Essential Oils?

There are lots of ways to learn about essential oils, both online and in person, and the most important advice I can give you is to do learn about them from a knowledgeable and trusted source.  If you would like to learn more about Back to School with Essential Oils,  visit essentialclass.com to enroll for a free online class, or download my free Oils Primer smartphone app for recipes and a handy mobile reference guide.

About the Author:

Roberta Dulay is a social media marketing professional and a single mom, living on a homestead ranch on the north central plains. She is an avid oils user and a doTERRA Wellness Advocate. You can reach her on facebook.com/rdulay or connect with her on Twitter.com/robertadulay