I made a massage oil for my daughter who has congestion from a cold (no fever at any point). She’s 12, nearly 13.
Essential oils (EOs) = lemon, grapefruit, orange, rosemary, eucalyptus radiata. I used my freshest, newest EOs for maximum therapeutic action. I mixed it with sweet almond oil and a squirt of vitamin E (~1T total oil). I used a half-ounce amber glass bottle and somewhat followed a recipe I created a few years ago based loosely upon a blend a dear friend used for me during a therapeutic manual lymph drainage session when I had a cold and congestion. (She is certified at highest level in aromatherapy and teaches, etc).
I used about 2/3 of the mix on my daughter’s feet/ankles in two rounds. During the first massage on each foot, I focused on the base of each toe and really massaging the foot and ankle, using just a small amount of oil. During the second round on each foot, I focused on slathering a nice thick coat of oil on and then I put cotton socks on her. With all the residue on my hands, I massaged my own feet and also put on cotton socks.
I call it Purify…
Lemon-5
Grapefruit-5
Orange-5
Rosemary-1 (normally more than E. radiata, but the bottle was a pain tonight and I gave up, lol.)
Eucalyptus radiata-3
Total = 19 drops
Carrier oil suggested: sweet almond oil – 1 Tablespoon
I wanted to add Black spruce EO, but my daughter declined. I’ll add one drop to the remaining amount for my second slathering before bed.
She’s sleeping soundly already.
I’ve made this recipe many times. Each time I use slightly different ratios of EOs. It all works for me. For daytime use, I add 2 drops peppermint (in all my ratios, least amount). Peppermint stimulates most folks, so avoid at bedtime.
For proper dilution, use the number of drops appropriate for your situation (0.25-0.50 percentage for ages 3-6; 0.5-1% for ages 6-12; 2% for sensitive, elderly, face, etc; 3% for average person or acute situation in other categories, short-term; higher dilutions as appropriate). I went a little higher than generally recommended for a 12 year old (3%) because it is an acute situation and this is the first topical application of EOs for it. I’m comfortable with that.
For littles, you can skip the E. radiata, or substitute E. dives or a spruce or a pine. I personally cannot handle E. globulus and just don’t use it. Rosemary is contraindicated for epilepsy. We have 80 degree weather right now (February 2014), so I feel compelled to mention, “Please avoid the sun wherever this is applied due to the citrus EOs.” You are responsible for knowing what is okay for your situation.