Essential oils for chicken pox (and why I became an aromatherapist)

How using essential oils for chickenpox encouraged me to train as an aromatherapist

In this post, I’m excited to share how I was introduced to aromatherapy, how I used essential oils for chickenpox and got incredible results. From there, I began using essential oils regularly around the house for all kinds of things, practically cut out doctor's bills, and I’ve never looked back.

I’ve included some super simple recipes:

A first aid remedy for kids,
A dabbing lotion for chickenpox to ease the itch almost instantly,
A calming bath oil for healing those pesky spots.

Prefer to listen instead? Here's the podcast:-

I was so inspired by an aromatherapy workshop

It all started when my friend asked me to go along with her to an aromatherapy workshop way back in 1992. I was fascinated by the power of essential oils, their many uses and how easy and safe it was to use them.

After the workshop, I bought a book called the A to Z of Aromatherapy by Patricia Davies, it's a fantastic book, easy to read, and packed with information.

I started using essential oils in the house:- in burners to lift mood and purify the air, in cleaning products, I added them to creams and shower gels, etc. And of course I used them for my children.

One of the first aromatherapy remedies I made was a first aid remedy for children that was very gentle and effective.

First aid remedy for children (for children aged one year and over)

You'll need:-

15 ml of witch hazel. Witch hazel is painkilling, anti-inflammatory, and a good antiseptic. It's actually a good first aid remedy on its own.
1 drop of Lavender essential oil (it's painkilling, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and antibacterial)
1 drop of Chamomile essential oil (either Roman or German) Chamomile is anti-inflammatory, and painkilling. It also has an unusual property, it's anti-allergic, making it really helpful for nettle rash and insect bites and stings.
1 drop of Tea Tree essential oil. Tea Tree is antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and anti-inflammatory.

How to make it:-

Combine the ingredients in a dark glass bottle and use as required.

Shelf life - the first aid remedy will last for at least 3 months as long as it's stored in a closed dark glass or ceramic container and kept away from light or heat (a press or drawer is ideal)

You can of course make more or less than this amount but always use the proportions given, i.e. one drop of essential oil to a teaspoon (5 ml) of witch hazel.

Cautions:- don't use Lavender or Chamomile for pregnant women, and don't use Tea Tree for sensitive skin.

I got amazing results for when I used essential oils for chickenpox

Shortly after I started using oils on a regular basis, my daughter, who was 4 at the time, got chickenpox. I brought her to the doctor, who confirmed that it was chicken pox. He told me that, judging by the number of spots, it was going to be quite a severe case, and I should be prepared to have a very sick little girl on my hands for at least a week.

My first port of call was my Patricia Davis book, I looked up "essential oils for chickenpox" and I made up two remedies, a bath oil and a dabbing lotion.

The bath oil, with warm water, gave her great relief. The first day I used it, she was very cranky and objected to having her clothes taken off and being put into the bath. The poor little thing was so miserable, she would have objected to anything!

I only managed to give her one bath the first day, but I noticed that there was a big improvement by the next day.

After that, I gave her two or three baths a day, and she seemed to find them comforting and soothing.

I tried to encourage her to stay in the bath for at least ten minutes, and I made up all kinds of weird and wonderful games to keep her entertained!

I used the dabbing lotion whenever she felt itchy. Which, in the first few days, was a LOT! The dabbing lotion brought her almost instant relief.

These essential oil products for chicken pox were very powerful. From the first day I used them, I could see an improvement. Her mood got better. She didn't feel as sick as she had on the first day. She was a bit tired, but she was happy out, watching telly, and reading books.

I was really surprised about how quickly her spots cleared up. Generally, chicken pox spots start off small, they grow, they blister, and eventually, they disappear. And quite often, if the child is scratching as they are because it's tremendously itchy, they can leave a scar.

But as soon as I started using essential oils, my daughter's spots started getting smaller, without forming blisters, and disappearing.

Essential oils for chicken pox recipe one - Bath Oil to ease itching and pain (for children aged one year and over)

You'll need:-

15 ml extra virgin olive oil which is painkilling and anti-inflammatory. Do use the extra virgin oil, the pure and virgin oils have little, if any therapeutic properties.
1 drop of Bergamot essential oil. Bergamot is soothing and painkilling.
1 drop of Lavender essential oil (it's painkilling, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and antibacterial)
1 drop of Chamomile essential oil (either Roman or German) Chamomile is anti-inflammatory, and painkilling. It also has an unusual property, it's anti-allergic, making it really helpful for nettle rash and insect bites and stings.

How to make it:- Combine the ingredients in a dark glass bottle. Add a capful or two to the bath, and ideally give the child two or three baths a day.

Shelf life - the bath will last for at least 3 months as long as it's stored in a closed dark glass or ceramic container and kept away from light or heat (a press or drawer is ideal)

You can of course make more or less than this amount but always use the proportions given, i.e. one drop of essential oil to a teaspoon (5 ml) of extra virgin olive oil.

Cautions:- don't use Lavender or Chamomile for pregnant women, and don't use Bergamot on skin that will be exposed to bright sunlight or a sunbed within 48 hours.

Essential oils for chicken pox recipe two - Dabbing Lotion to ease itching and pain (for children aged one year and over)

This soothing blend of witch hazel, eucalyptus, lavender, and chamomile was perfect for dabbing on itchy chicken pox spots. You'll see it's almost identical to the first aid remedy, with the ingredients being used for similar reasons.

You'll need:-

15 ml of witch hazel. Witch hazel is painkilling, anti-inflammatory, and a good antiseptic. It's actually a good first aid remedy and great for soothing chicken pox on its own.
1 drop of Lavender essential oil (it's painkilling, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral.)
1 drop of Chamomile essential oil (either Roman or German) Chamomile is anti-inflammatory, and painkilling.
1 drop of Eucalyptus essential oil. Eucalyptus is anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and painkilling.

How to make it:-

Combine the ingredients in a dark glass bottle and use as required. For chickenpox this is likely to be multiple times a day!

Shelf life - the dabbing lotion will last for at least 3 months as long as it's stored in a closed dark glass or ceramic container and kept away from light or heat (a press or drawer is ideal)

You can of course make more or less than this amount but always use the proportions given, i.e. one drop of essential oil to a teaspoon (5 ml) of witch hazel.

Cautions:- don't use Lavender or Chamomile for pregnant women.

I got lots of requests for chickenpox products

I started telling my friends about using essential oils for chickenpox, and about the products I had made. And over the next couple of months, I got quite a few requests from people for the products. I was getting the most amazing feedback, people were telling me that their children were getting similar results to mine - they were getting mild doses of chickenpox, recovering quickly with little or no scaring.

The worst case of chicken pox I ever heard of.

My nephew, who was about six months old at the time, had an absolutely horrendous case of chickenpox. His mother, my sister-in-law, said she couldn't see the skin on his face because it is completely covered in spots and blisters. The spots seemed to be in his throat, ears, his rectum, on his scalp, absolutely everywhere.

I wasn't sure if my products would work for a case as bad as that. But, one of the beauties of essential oils is that, once you use them properly, and you're aware of any cautions, they're completely safe to use. And my sister in law was very open to using essential oils for chickenpox and trying the products I made.

She rang me a couple of days later to say that she was gobsmacked by how the oils had worked. Within a day, she could see the skin on his face again. He did still have spots, but there was an enormous improvement. And shortly afterwards the spots had completely disappeared, and he was back to himself.

I became an aromatherapist

Having got such great results when I used essential oils for chickenpox, among other things, I was completely besotted with them. I wanted to understand them on a deeper level, and I just loved the thought of becoming an aromatherapist. So I went off and did the aromatherapy diploma course, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Not just chickenpox!

After I qualified and started working as an aromatherapist, I continued to use essential oils at home for myself and the children. I used the essential oils in all sorts of ways in the house. I used them in burners because they lifted the mood, killed airborne pathogens, and freshened the air. I used them in cleaning products because they're very powerful antiseptics. And, of course, they just make the house smell absolutely beautiful.

Great for other children's ailments

I found essential oils to be wonderful for nappy rash, for cuts and scrapes, coughs and colds, if they couldn't sleep and lots more. They're wonderful as preventatives against all kinds of infection, and even against head lice!

Whenever there was a bug going around, I'd rub essential oils on the children's chests and on their backs, keep them burning in the house, and give tissues with some essential oils on them to smell in school. And they were really fortunate. They very, very rarely caught anything.

When my daughter was about 6, she came home from school one day, and she was in a bad mood and feeling very hard done by because her friend had had "that lovely yellow medicine" (an antibiotic) about 3 times this year and, she hadn't had it for over two years!

No doctor's visits for several years.

When I thought about it, I realised that none of us had actually been to the doctor in several years. My little boy went once or twice when he was a small baby, but then it was several years before he had to go back. And my daughter was similar. She didn't go to the doctor from the time she was about 4 until she was 12.

I hope you enjoyed this post, please feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what you thought of it,

Jenny x

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