Remind yourself and your kids of the importance of play, curiosity and experimentation. Start with something as simple as a hair oil.
Here are a few ideas for some scents you can add into any hair oil treatment to make your own luxurious potions.
Mix and match, and delight in the creative play time that can be pampering and beautifying for the whole family!
Last month we discussed what oils to work with in the article DIY Hair Oils for Parents and Kids as different treatments for various hair types and conditions. This month, we are diving into how to make those bases come alive by using essential oils that not only smell great, but can also treat the hair and act as mood boosters. Read on!
Essential Essential Oils
* Rose – commended for its anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties, it also stimulates, cleans, and helps regulate oil production. Its alluring and complex scent can calm and refresh.
* Vanilla – its rich scent can affect hormone levels, so use sparingly and avoid altogether with pregnant or nursing women and young children. Touted as a mood booster, a relaxer and even an aphrodisiac, the smell of vanilla has a reputation for making you feel good.
* Spearmint – a gentle member of the mint gang, spearmint is more calming than its cousin peppermint. Spearmint is refreshing and uplifting and also touted as an antibacterial and antifungal.
* Peppermint – with a long history of medicinal usage, people have always been drawn to the cooling and invigorating qualities of peppermint. Applied superficially, it increases blood circulation, balances oil production and is alleged to combat lice and dandruff.
* Tangerine – sweet and light, this scent tends to bring a smile. Just remember that citrus can increase your skin’s sensitivity in the sun, so wash off before direct sun exposure.
* Tea Tree – while anyone with diabetes should avoid topical application to avoid rashes and skin sensitivities, the rest of us can enjoy the cleansing, refreshing scent and tingle of tea tree.
* Rosemary – rosemary can affect hormones that cause your uterus to contract, so it should be avoided during pregnancy. Because not enough is known about rosemary, it should also be avoided around infants and young children. Small amounts, consciously applied can soothe and awaken and even, many claim, encourage hair growth and discourage graying.
* Ylang Ylang – there are no studies on ylang ylang and pregnancy and nursing, so steer clear until more is established. Most others are free to savor this flower’s scent and its purported stimulating properties from hair growth to heart rate to amour…
* Lavender – lavender should probably be avoided by pregnant, nursing, and pre-adolescents as it is a known hormone disruptor. (Isn’t it crazy that plants can chemically influence our brains?! I’m fascinated by the way life on earth interacts.) In defense of lavender – its name comes from the Latin lavare, to clean, and it is well-regarded for its tendency to calm and soothe.
Being present offers some of the greatest gifts known to life on earth. And what gives us more pleasure than sharing with our children, enriching our future? Practice defining what you want and working to create it.
These should all be safe for children and pregnant and nursing women in small amounts, but always speak to your practitioner before taking anything out of the ordinary when you are pregnant or nursing or if you have heart problems. Avoid any allergens and stop using anything that causes irritation. Please refer to the Green Beauty Team disclaimer.
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