School’s in! Leaves are donning autumn hues. Dusk and dawn steadily pinch light from both ends of our days. Surely as year-end holidays approach, seasonal colds & flus will threaten when temperatures drop. And with worries about current disease variants, it’s important to know essential oils bolster immunity!
Elementary school teachers, along with preparing classrooms and coursework, fortify themselves for common illnesses which impact their students every year. One friend, an elementary school teacher, asked if therapeutic essential oils bolster immunity? He wanted to help support his students’ health, assist with focus & concentration for learning & taking tests, settle them down in the mornings, and perk them up from after-lunch ‘sleepies.’
Absolutely! Essential oils and essential oil blends have the potential to do all that and more.
I’ve assembled a list of individual essential oils, which are appropriate for elementary school classrooms and for families at home. Several of these serve dual purposes of being anti-infectious AND calming, or aiding concentration AND being relaxing…so read through the descriptions to see what you may be interested in trying out.
Preventing Illness by Bolstering Immunity with Essential Oils
Versatile ANTI-INFECTIOUS Essential Oil Blends for Aromatic Diffusion
*See diffuser notes at the end of the article
CITRUS ESSENTIAL OILS
In general, citrus essential oils are enjoyed by children and adults alike. Rich in the powerful antioxidant, d-limonene, essential oils from Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange, Mandarin, and Tangerine, support our immune systems and overall health, while promoting a sense of well-being, creativity, and feelings of joy.
They make great air purifiers! Citrus essential oils are antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, working as effective disinfectants & insecticides.
HOW TO USE: For aromatic use.
– Diffuse at home or in the workplace. Or inhale directly from the bottle. (Avoid touching and contaminating the uncapped dripper nozzle of the bottles.)
– Citrus oils may also be used to remove chewing gum & adhesives from your fingers or surfaces.
CAUTIONS:
– May damage plastics / painted surfaces. (Test a small area, first.)
– Keep ALL essential oils out of children’s reach.
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FOREST TREE / CONIFER ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils, steam distilled from the needles and bark of forest trees, take you back to nature with their relaxing, refreshing scents of aromatic conifers – fir, pine, and spruce. Inspiring and invigorating, refreshing our senses while relaxing the body with a steadying, calming, balancing effect on emotions. These wonderful essential oils can help overcome feelings of frustration, despair, while supporting feelings of trust and confidence, and encouraging a more positive awareness.
Essential oils to consider: Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea), Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica), Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menzeisii), White Fir (Abies grandis), Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Spruce (Picea mariana).
HOW TO USE: For aromatic use. Diffuse or inhale from bottle. (Avoid touching and contaminating the uncapped dripper nozzle of the bottles.)
– Diffuse at home, in classrooms, and the workplace. (These essential oils are antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, and make good disinfectants.)
CAUTIONS:
– Keep ALL essential oils out of children’s reach.
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ESSENTIAL OILS FOR RESPIRATORY HEALTH
Essential oils from trees in the cypress and myrtle families are particularly supportive of respiratory health and are wonderful to diffuse during winter. These are trees like Cypress, Eucalyptus, and Juniper that when you are near them, automatically inspire a deep breath of their refreshing aromas.
Essential oils to consider: Cypress (cupressus sempervirens), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), Lemon Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora), Eucalyptus radiata (Eucalyptus radiata), Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), Myrtle (myrtus communis).
HOW TO USE: For aromatic use. Diffuse or inhale from bottle. (Avoid touching and contaminating the uncapped dripper nozzle of the bottles.)
– Diffuse at home, in classrooms, and the workplace.
CAUTIONS:
– Keep ALL essential oils out of children’s reach.
– Do not use near fire, flame, heat or spark.
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ESSENTIAL OIL DIFFUSERS
It’s best to use a quiet, fan-driven diffuser rather than a heat-dispursed model or light-bulb ring. Heat destroys essential oils’ volatile therapeutic molecules and alters the wonderful aromas. There are so many designs available at varying price points. When reading reviews, take note of the area each diffuser will cover adequately as classrooms may require two diffusers to be effective.
Here are two sites with diffuser reviews:
The 9 best Essential Oil Diffusers of 2021
The 14 Best Essential Oil Diffusers to Buy in 2020
I use two different diffusers in my home. A waterless one may be safer and more convenient for the classroom. Here’s a light-weight, hand-size ScentBall diffuser that either plugs into an outlet or runs on 4 AA batteries (convenient for the car or camping trips). This particular diffuser comes with 5 absorbent pads to use for the essential oils. I write the name of the essential oil or blend in pencil on the back of the pad, so each pad is always used for the same essential oil / blend. It’s a good idea to buy sets of extra pads when you purchase this type of diffuser.
When using the diffuser, put 4-10 drops of essential oils on the pad. EOs evaporate at different rates (ie. vary in volatility). As you use the oils, you will learn how much to apply depending on the length of time you plan to diffuse and the area to be affected.
RESOURCES:
Essential Oils for Focus & Concentration: Outstanding Teachers Classroom Aides (Part 2 of 3)
Essential Oils to Settle Down & Calm: Outstanding Teachers Classroom Aides (Part 3 of 3)
