Essential Oils for Children: Review of Rocky Mountain Oils
Preceding this post is my write up about tricks to boost immunity in toddlers. Read that post to get a context of what is written here. As you can guess, essential oils is one of the ways to boost a toddler’s immunity.
Essential oil is preferred by those who believe in Naturopathy, with it branded as “natural” and “non-invasive”. I almost bought Young Living’s Thieves for Evangeline, my then 17-month old toddler. It’s a popular choice, among mothers in Singapore, to boost immunity and minimise chances of hand foot mouth disease (“HFMD”).
But why didn’t I buy that? Was it a right choice to choose Rocky Mountain Oils in the end? Read on.
Why Rocky Mountain Oils and not Young Living?
Before I continue, I want to clarify that this is in no way an expert opinion piece. The following comparison is written from my perspective as a mother who is for the first time learning stuff about essential oils and deciding on what to buy for her child. I did cursory research on both companies before making a purchase decision.
With that, here are four main reasons why I bought Rocky Mountain Oils (“RMO”) instead of Young Living (“YL”):
1. Positive Research Results on Quality
Initially, I was hesitant about RMO. I didn’t know anyone in Singapore using it, in person or based on online review. Among positive reviews of RMO with US users, what made me sit up and consider RMO as a serious contender to YL was a detailed research and write up: wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/natural-remedies/announcing-the-best-essential-oils-company-and-a-great-sale.
According to website, RMO is founded in 2004, and now a leading non-MLM seller of 100% pure, natural and authentic essential oils. This 100% statement is verified by GC/MS test results from a third-party, independent lab on all of the essential oils. Customers can find individual batch code at the bottom of each bottle and input that number into the website for GC/MS test results.
I concluded that essential oils of RMO seem more superior to YL, if not of the same quality. At least I feel safe using RMO’s oils, and after I joined their affiliate program, I realised the company is more established than I thought it to be.
2. Lower Pricing
RMO’s ‘Immune Strength’ has a similar blend as ‘Thieves’. So I did a price comparison between these two. Convert RMO’s US pricing with a lousy exchange rate and it’s still cheaper than YL. I haven’t factor in RMO shipping though.
There’s no one nor shop selling RMO products in Singapore. Thus the only way is to ship from US. Even though it has free shipping on domestic US orders, it’s risky to use a third party “Ship-for-me” for oils, a possible restricted item for such service.
There’s also free international shipping for orders above US$199. However, a bit steep for first timer like me, who want to buy only a few products to try out. For all products I bought for about US$90, including a heavy bottle of fractionated coconut oil, the shipping came up to be US$25.25 (S$35). Direct shipping from the US to my doorstep in Singapore.
I added the total shipping fee of S$35 to the prevailing discounted price of RMO’s ‘Immunity Strength’ 15ml bottle. The price works out to be around the member price of ‘Thieves’ (15ml): S$57.00. If without discount on RMO, the price is lower than ‘Thieves”s retail price of S$75.00. (Price reference from thieves.sg).
And of course the more bottles or products you buy from RMO, the average cost becomes lower.
3A. Convenience: Essential Oil Kits
Firstly, RMO has put together bestsellers and essentials in kits designed for beginners, mothers and children. These kits save you the mental effort to think of what to get. It is like an introductory course to a world of knowledge. A few kits for you to consider buying:
- Starter Kit with Diffuser: Ideal for beginners. Kit includes droplet diffuser and six 5ml (mini) essential oils.
- Mom’s Essential Kit
- Mom’s Starter Kit (fewer bottles than Essential Kit)
- Kids Line Complete Kit
- Kids Daily Kit (fewer bottles than Complete Kit)
3B. Convenience: Kids Line of Essential Oils
Secondly, RMO has a Kids Line that takes the guesswork out of diluting. These essential oils have been diluted at a two percent dilution and is safe to apply topically on children who are two years or older. These diluted oils are stored in rollerball bottles for easy application.
So hassle free. So great for mummies who want to try out but don’t want to be so invested in essential oils yet.
I specifically want to get ‘Immunity‘ (kid’s version of ‘Immune Strength‘). This blend is made for children and has similar therapeutic properties as ‘Thieves’. However, Evangeline was still underage to use this. Darn. So in the end I still had to dilute ‘Immune Strength‘ myself for 17-month old Evangeline.
This brings me to the next question, why can’t I use it below two years old? Will share the answer in the section titled ‘Using Essential Oils on Children’.
4. Proper Guide to Essential Oils
As a beginner who knows nuts about essential oils, RMO’s website gave me more guidance on the use of essential oils than YL’s. Also RMO is clearer and more upfront about safety use, especially on children. It’s stated on every product page. Moreover, I feel that RMO’s website is more user-centric while YL seems more business-centric.
I reckoned that this is due to the multi-level marketing (MLM) model of Young Living. Perhaps the company is relying more on the seller than the website to communicate safe use and important information? But what if I buy products through online platforms like Shopee, which replicate the lack of information on YL’s website?
In any case, essential oils can be dangerous and must be out of reach from children. Severe burns can happen when children play and cover themselves with these oils. If you want to read more about essential oil safety, a recommended reading by Wikipedia is this book by Robert Tisserand – Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals.
Using Essential Oils on Children
Diluting Essential Oils
Since I can’t use the pre-diluted ‘Immunity‘ for Evangeline, I planned to dilute ‘Immune Strength’ based on the easy-to-read dilution guide on RMO’s website.
For infant (6-24 months), it’s 1 drop essential oil to 2 tsp of carrier oil (10ml bottle).
Speaking of which, previously I didn’t know the need to dilute essential oils before using them on my toddler. Mothers using ‘Thieves’ didn’t explicitly mention that they have diluted the essential oil before applying on children. Did they even dilute?
I also couldn’t find dilution instructions for children on YL’s website. With an intentional effort to google for it, I found a blog post by YL. But what?! As a beginner, how would I know to search for dilution rates or scour the blog for such information. Shouldn’t the instructions be easily accessible on their website?
Hot Oils NOT for Children
As I was reading RMO’s Dilution Guide, the following excerpt stopped me in my (eyeball) tracks.
“Please consult with an aromatherapist or medical professional before using essential oils on children under two years of age.
Hot oils such as Cinnamon, Clove Bud, and Oregano should be diluted to 0.5%, and should not be used on children under ten years of age.“
RMO’s Dilution Guide
Cinnamon and clove bud not for under 10 years old? ‘Thieves’ is the blend of Clove, Cinnamon Bark, Lemon, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary essential oils.
On ‘Immune Strength”s product page, there’s a mention of this: “Avoid topical use and direct diffusion with children under the age of 10 years.” At least this makes it easier for me to check on the safety guidelines. Unlike on all RMO’s product pages, ‘Thieves’ product page is not clear and upfront about the safe use for children.
These pertinent things I should know but would not have known if I just bought YL’s ‘Thieves’ online. Oh well, with the popularity of ‘Thieves’ among Singapore mummies with young children, I had assumed it’s safe for their use and would buy without research. But now, I am not so sure.
Diffusion
If I can’t apply essential oils topically on Evangeline, the best method I discover is to diffuse. Diffusion is believed to be the safest way to use essential oils**, especially around kids. This is assuming no allergies nor specific health issues.
Do implement safe diffusion practices though:
- Diffuse in an open, well-ventilated area.
- Keep children out of the direct line of mist. (I assume this is direct diffusion.)
- Diffuse in 30-60 minute intervals with ample break periods for safe and effective use.
**Essential oils not recommended for topical application or diffusion for under 6 to 10 years old: Cornmint, Myrtle, Nutmeg, Peppermint, Sage, Vitex Berry, and Wintergreen for children under 6.
Review of RMO
Purchase and Blend
In the end, I bought these essential oils: Immune Strength, Lavender Greece, Flu Time (Bolster), and Joint Support. The first three for Evangeline. I also carted Fractionated Coconut Oil as my carrier oil.
Lavender is good for adults too – check out this cheat sheet.
The blending process is what I dread the most. The buying of blending supplies and the act of blending. For your reference, I made a blending supplies list at the end of this article. I got them from Shopee (China sellers), which are cheaper than you can get from RMO.
Surprisingly after the initial hassle of gathering all the supplies, the blending process of essential oil with carrier oil is not as hard as I thought.
Diffuse and Effect
So far, I have diffused ‘Immune Strength‘, and ‘Lavender Greece‘ for Evangeline. It’s been one to two months since we started, not long enough for a solid verdict, but will still share my thoughts about them.
But first, here is my diffusing pattern. I don’t diffuse daily. I set a one hour timer and start to diffuse 15-30 minutes before her bedtime. This is my own idea of easing her into the smell and power of the essential oil.
When we first started to use the essential oils, Evangeline was still recovering from a cough. It was quite a long drawn recovery. Hence, I used ‘Lavender Greece‘ and she got better soon after. I don’t know if it’s because she was already recovering after such a long time or it’s the effect of lavender.
Next, we tried ‘Immune Strength‘ to prep her against the playgroup’s viruses. She didn’t fall sick except that diarrhea from she got from something she put in her mouth over the weekend. So I also don’t know if her immunity is already built up from all the breastmilk she took when she was younger, or it’s the from the essential oil.
Let me know how they worked for you! Leave a comment below. 🙂
Promotions
RMO runs promotions occasionally. Will update you when I get to know of any. Watch this space!
Beginner’s Essential Pack
As I mentioned previously, here’s my list of blending supplies and diffuser I got on Shopee. I got the dropper bottle for the diffuser, roll on bottle for my Joint Support oil, and mist spray in case I decided to spray the essential oils in air and furniture. Just for reference:
- Muji Style Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser: S$17 – S$19
- 20pcs Plastic Clear Mini Funnel: S$2.24 + S$0.99 shipping
- Amber Glass Dropper Bottle (5-50ml):
- 10ml: S$0.71*
- 15ml: S$0.71*
- 10Pcs Amber Roll On Glass Bottles (5ml/10ml): S$3.22* (10ml) ]
- Glass Bottle Mist Spray (10/15/20/30/50/100ml): S$1.25* (50ml)
- Measuring spoons (I already have these)
*S$0.99 shipping fee shared among these items.
For further savings, use Shopback. If you have no Shopback, signed up for it via these links: Shopee, Lazada via Shopback App. You will get S$5 cashback instantly when you purchase through Shopback.
Let me know your experience with RMO or essential oils below. Leave thoughts and suggestions on the use of essential oils too!
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Affiliate link means I’ll get a small commission if you make a purchase. There’s NO extra cost to you. I appreciate your support to maintain this website, so that I can share more tips with you. Thank you!
Did you consider buying essential oils from Hysses since it’s based in Sg?
Thanks for the suggestion. Will look into it! 🙂
Hi – I’m keen to get oils from RMO as well. The last time I tried to do that, some of the oils couldn’t be imported unless I pay a hefty fee. How did you import the oil?
Hello! I got direct from RMO, but I don’t recall having any import fees tho. Probably because I didn’t buy alot? If I’m not wrong, once you hit a certain amount, you need to pay the GST/import fee.