If you are on social media, it would be difficult for you to have not heard about essential oils. Relatively unfamiliar to the masses a few years ago, they have exploded onto the scene in recent years, even in homes that don’t normally practice natural remedies. I personally have been using essential oils in my home for a couple of years now and have been very pleased at the results. I have tried a variety of brands, but now use Plant Therapy because they meet my requirements for oils that are high quality and affordable. I also adore their heart for education and safety.
As with any new thing that we implement, I believe it is important to properly educate ourselves so that we are using essential oils properly, effectively, and safely. I have been a bit concerned recently with certain practices that have been floating around the internet, especially in regards to usage on children. While in the research mode, it can be down right confusing to know what sources are reliable and what sources are not at all. I have found myself confused and unsure on best practices for using essential oils in my own home and I am pretty sure I am not alone.
To my surprise, I was given a HUGE opportunity to interview Robert Tisserand, one of THE leading experts in aromatherapy and essential oil safety, and ask him my burning questions regarding essential oils and best practices. While I’m a huge advocate for herbal remedies, natural wellness, and non-toxic living, I don’t pretend to be an expert on these kinds of things. I much prefer to get reliable information from real experts, which is why I’m thrilled to have Robert share his expertise with us today! What an honor! I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. I learned so much.
Q&A with Robert Tisserand
How important is the organic label when choosing oils? Are there certain oils that you would recommend purchasing organic?
Certified organic essential oils are free from biocides (herbicides and pesticides, and who wants biocides in their essential oils? A few essential oils are biocide-free, but are not certified organic because of the high cost of certification. However, the point of certification is that you know for sure that the oil is organic – taking someone at their word doesn’t always cut it. It’s also worth knowing that biocides only hang around for so long, and if the plant is harvested several weeks or months after spraying, the biocide may be totally gone by that time. Even if it hasn’t gone, the levels of biocide in an essential oil are vanishingly small – a few parts per million. So logically speaking, there may not be much difference between organic and non-organic essential oils, and of course there are other important quality issues. Currently, there’s no solid evidence that the type of cultivation affects the oil’s composition in any meaningful way (though future research may show this for some plants). However, most of us don’t approach this logically, and the thought of even a few molecules of pesticide is worrying. And if a farmer has gone to the trouble and expense of having their crop certified organic, this does communicate something – a caring attitude, a love for and belief in nature. And we respond to that! Well, if we can afford the extra cost.
Note from Tara: Here is my favorite organic essential oil starter set.
What’s your opinion on ingesting oils? Is it ever appropriate for in home use?
If you are buying a ready-made preparation intended for ingestion – usually in the form of capsules – then that should be fine, so long as it’s used as directed and for a specific problem. Generally speaking, taking essential oils in water is not a sensible way to go. Because essential oils don’t dissolve in water, you get some undiluted oil droplets in your stomach. Because of this, there is a risk of stomach irritation, and it also means that the essential oils are only poorly absorbed (even distribution is very important for absorption). You can of course make you own capsules containing essential oils along with vegetable oil, and if you absolutely and totally know what you are doing, then go ahead. But if you don’t, then don’t. This has nothing to do with quality or brand of essential oil, it’s about safety, and dosage. With ingestion, various risks increase, including gastric irritation, interactions with conventional medications, and fetal damage in pregnancy. And long-term, depending on dose and frequency, there’s a risk of accumulation in the body, possibly leading to systemic toxicity. You may not notice anything, but some types of toxicity do not announce their presence in the early stages.
What are the best places to apply oils on kids? Is one location more effective than another?
It depends where the problem is. With very small children it makes less difference – their bodies are so small that application to the feet or the shoulders still leads to about the same amount of inhalation, unless of course you cover the feet in socks. But generally, apply the oils where logically needed. Applying to the feet is often mentioned for children. This is perfectly fine and is a relatively safe option, so long as you know that the feet don’t absorb oils any better than the rest of the body – if anything slightly less absorption will happen. Mostly, think back or stomach.
I know all oils should be diluted. What dilution is best for small children? How often can you reapply?
My recommended dilutions for children are:
Age Whole body Local use
Up to 3 months 0.1% 0.2%
3-24 months 0.25% 0.5%
2-6 years 1.0% 2.0%
How often you apply depends a bit on the problem and the age of the child, but a general guideline would be 3-4 times daily.
Note from Tara: Here is a handy dilution chart if the above means nothing to you. 
Carrier oils can be found here. I typically use sweet almond and fractionated coconut oil.
I frequently hear recommendations of using peppermint and eucalyptus oils on children for congestion. I have also read that these oils are not safe for kids. Are they appropriate for children? If not, why? Are there other oils that you recommend for congestion in children other than these?
These are two of the most effective essential oils for respiratory infection and congestion, but too much can be quite dangerous, especially for infants. (“Eucalyptus”, includes E. globulus and E. radiata.) Because of the 1,8-cineole in eucalyptus and the menthol in peppermint, these oils can slow breathing, and cause neurological problems, but there are safe and effective levels of use. For children of 3 and under, peppermint is best avoided altogether, and eucalyptus can be diffused, or used topically at up to 0.5%. For children aged 3-6 both oils can be diffused, and used topically at up to 0.5% (peppermint) and up to 1.0% (eucalyptus). Other oils that are useful but safer for children include pine, spruce and rosalina.
Note from Tara: I use many of these in Plant Therapy’s KidSafe line on my little ones. They were actually formulated by Robert Tisserand himself! Germ Destroyer and Sniffle Stopper are great safe oils for little ones instead of peppermint and eucalyptus.
Are some essential oils hormone disruptors for children?
A few essential oils (anise, star anise, fennel) are estrogenic, and these should be avoided altogether in children under 5, and in pregnancy, breastfeeding and estrogen-dependent cancers.
Is there any concern for daily use of essential oils on children? Should they be used when needed only or are they safe for preventative use as well? What about daily use of diffusion of oils around children?
Very low levels of diffusion, so the essential oil is barely noticeable, are fine anywhere, for any length of time. This would be just a few drops per 24 hours. More than that should only be used intermittently, and only when needed – either because the child is sick, or because someone else in the household is sick. Intermittent means 30-60 minutes on, then 30-60 minutes off. Programmable diffusers are perfect for this. Intermittent diffusion is much more effective, as well as being safer, than continuous diffusion. If a child gets repeated respiratory infections, one after the other, then the child may need help from a practitioner. Children have very strong immune systems, in fact a child’s immune system needs to be challenged to become strong and to remain strong. Daily protection using essential oils, over many weeks or months, may always not be a good thing. “Use when needed” is a good general guideline.
Note from Tara: Essential oil diffusers can be found here.
Wasn’t that awesome? I’m so happy to have some clear answers to essential oil concerns I had. I hope you walk away with more essential oil knowledge under your belt than before you read this. If you would like to browse Plant Therapy’s KidSafe oils that Robert Tisserand helped developed, you can view them here. I have five of the blends myself and love knowing that all of the oils are appropriate and safe for my kiddos.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Plant Therapy. Opinions are my own and answers from Robert were from his own expertise. I’m proud to work with few companies that I believe in and love to share with my readers.
Fantastic! He sounds so much more reasonable than some aromatherapists make him out to be. I am so glad to have found your blog.
Thanks for reading Sarah! I was a bit surprised by a couple of his answers but found them very informative.
Wait, I’m more confused, but very interested! I’ve never used oils on my kids but now I want to… It seems like they would totally benefit from them. So if I purchase this particular brand, I’d rub it on their stomachs/backs when needed (or every 24hrs at most)?
Heather, sorry you’re more confused.
I use this brand Plant Therapy because I think they are a great quality company and an affordable price. This information though applies to all brands of essential oils. I would use Robert’s recommendations for dilution depending on age of your children. Some oils also shouldn’t be used on very small children. What I like about Plant Therapy’s KidSafe line is that all of the oils in that line are appropriate for children, so there’s no guess work and research to make sure they are safe for a kid.
All oils, regardless of brand, need to be diluted with a carrier oil like coconut oil or sweet almond oil before applying to the skin. Robert explained that on kids you can apply them topically on the feet, stomachs, backs, etc, but said for the most part they will be most effective on the stomach and down the back. I hope that clears up your confusion. Let me know if you need further clarification.
What research is sited for this? I’ve seen so many published research articles on pubmed.gov that are contrary to much of what is sited by robert. I would love to see the research that he uses.
Which part exactly are you referring to out of curiosity?
This man is a world expert who literally writes the books on oil safety.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0443062412/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile
RT is an author and the leading safety expert in aromatherapy and essential oils. You can look at his latest safety book for references.
Sound, sensible advice from one of the world’s leading essential oil experts… and great questions!
Thank you for this! I’ve seen SO much going around by people who sell but know nothing about the safety of the oils (other than what they’ve “heard”). So great to hear from Tisserand himself.
Great post/interview! I do find it really interesting that he says peppermint and eucalyptus can be used on kids (3-6) if diluted enough (which in reality is probably how much I would dilute anyway)… all we ever hear is to not use them ever on kids under the age recommendations (6 for peppermint, and 10 for eucalyptus I believe)….I’m curious as to why that is never mentioned if Tisserand says it’s ok. Is it not in his book and thus people just go by the age rule or is it that everyone has decided that it’s easier to just mention the age rule and say nothing about diluting those oils enough?
I don’t know Brittany. That was the one question that I was really surprised by his answer.
Tisserand recently adjusted the age use for peppermint & eucalyptus. In my opinion, unless people are really really careful with the dilution ratios it’s better to use kidsafe options (like Rosalina, which is a great sub for eucalyptus).
I tend to lean to the more conservative side myself, Colleen.
Brittany, in his book the recommendation is age six. I can’t speak for everyone but I can speak for Plant Therapy
and the reason we often say not under 6, is because we are talking to the general mass of people. When we do personal consultations, we might be able to give the correct dilution and recommend some of these oils. But since there are concerns with these oils for younger children and there are other oils that can work often just as well, we choose to use a general statement of not using these oils under six. I hope this helps clarify at least our reasoning behind it!
Hi Tara, this interview was wonderful!! Thanks! I have had one burning question and wonder if you can help me with it, perhaps based on the interview. What do you think about putting EO’s up inside one’s nostrils, with a carrier oil diluting? I like and respect what he said about internal usage possibly building up over time without us knowing; so I am cautious. But I find this to be a very effective practice for me; so I’d rather keep doing it, if only I had a better sense if it is safe. Again, thanks for this great post! Will share and pin! 😉
Good question, Megan. Let me see if he might be able to jump on the comments section here and answer a few of these question.
Thanks, Tara, I’ll check back! 😉
Hi there! Lucky you! Interviewing the most thorough researcher in the world about essential oil safety, The person who wants to know about references should check out Mr, Tisserand’s enormous and well-researched reference guide/book, Essential Oil Safety where a plethora of studies are collated and interpreted. Great book, highly informative and the bomb as far as EO safety goes! Cheers!
Just curious if any links you shared in this post are affiliates of any kind? Do you profit from any of them?
The links are not affiliate links. Plant Therapy does not have an affiliate program. I do not make money if people buy from Plant Therapy. As I wrote in my disclosure, this post was sponsored by Plant Therapy, meaning I either receive product from them or a small monetary compensation for advertising. I only endorse a handful of companies in this manner and they are only companies that I use in my own home and love. Let me know if you have any more questions.
THANK GOD finally an article with BALANCE! Essential Oils are effective but there are too many people getting their info from one source and disregarding the CAUTIONS from established aromatherapists and herbalists! Thank you for this interview! If people want to experiment on themselves, that’s one thing, but not on children!
Terrific interview, great to get it from the horses mouth so to speak. I’ve been going with what I think may have been an overly cautious approach (which is better than risky approach when it comes to kids though I think!) and not diffusing (or using topically) eucalyptus blends around them. From reading this it is is safe to diffuse even with under two year olds? This would be great as my little 18mth old is sick and I don’t know how long it will take for the kidsafe blend I have ordered to arrive from the U.S. Thanks
I don’t know what he would say about that exact age honestly. He mentions 3 and under, it can be diffused, but I would still use a bit of caution. If you did diffuse it, I would do it very intermittently like he suggests and probably not right next to them. I’m a bit conservative in my approach too and I usually err on the side of caution as well. I hope your little one feels better soon. Steam showers work well too and don’t even need essential oils.
Thanks Tara, I have diffused only intermittently during the day around him as unfortunately my diffuser just seems to keep going until it runs out (3-4hrs) so can’t really leave it on overnight for him. The good thing with these oils is there are so many safe alternatives like white fir for euc or the kidsafe blends- just annoying when you don’t have them on hand! Thanks again : )
I have always heard it was better to diffuse(like at night before bed) 30 monutes before bed and turn the diffuse off before the child enters the room.. they get the benefits of the oils and not be harsh to react with them.. It is no different than the DR suggestion to not vacuum in the same room with your child since it leads to asthma… Hope this helps.. If it was lavender or something that can actually be used topically undiluted(which are very few) then I would allow diffusing in the room… but not let them sit in the room with Peppermint , Rosemary, or Eucalyptus- those I would do the child out of the room diffusing..
Thank you for this post. My daughters had a horrible cough and weve tried everything. I met an MLM rep yesterday and she introduced me to the oil world. I began researching after our meeting and feel overwhelmed and such fear at using something that could harm my daughter!! Your post was very helpful
I am panicking, I left my diffuser on with the door shut while my son was sleeping for a couple of hours on accident. It had thieves in it which contains the eucalyptus. Should I be concerned that it will cause lasting effects like slowed breathing? Or is this just when the oil is being diffused?
I am kind of panicking, I left my sons humidifier with essential oils in the little tray on while he was sleeping with the door shut on accident and when I went in there when he woke up I could really smell the oils and there was almost a cloud in the room and I could almost taste them. I had thieves in there (containing eucalyptus) at the time. Should I be concerned for the slowed breathing? And will it have lasting effects on him? *Concerned mama*
If he’s not experiencing issues right now I wouldn’t be concerned.
One can measure drops used in an ultrasonic diffuser because one adds them, but how can you tell how many drops are ultimately used in the Advanced aromatherapy diffuser?
I am so glad I stumbled upon this interview. What an incredible opportunity for you be able to
interview Robert. Thank you so much for this extremely interesting and helpful post. With so many
people now selling essential oils, it is so important that the correct information is available.
And so important that the people selling essential oils don’t just rely on the information provided by the
company they are buying from.
What would a few drops every 24 hours be? I’m wondering how many drops I should is in my diffuser to be able to use peppermint oil around my 4 and 5 year old. I have been nervous to diffuse it at all, but would like to try, just not sure what is meant by a few drops. Thanks!
thank you for this article.. so basically its not good for children {ages 10 and 12} to use oils every day example the oils to help the kids to not get sick during school? applying every morning down the back prevent sickness. JUST use as needed. for the challenge of their immune. so should i stop using this method every day?