Can Aromatherapy Help Kids With Special Needs?

Aromatherapy is among the most popular health and wellness trends, with many people incorporating it into their daily lives. But can aromatherapy help kids with special needs? We answer that question and more below.

Aromatherapy, Explained

Before we get into aromatherapy and children, what does aromatherapy mean? Aromatherapy is a word that gets thrown around a lot in health and wellness, but it’s definitionally using essential oils from plants for mental and physical healing.

Essential oils and aromatherapy have exploded in popularity over the past decade, as many people use aromatherapy to treat both physical and mental ailments, from anxiety to sore muscles. While aroma is in the name, aromatherapy doesn’t have to include inhaling the essential oils. Essential oils can also get absorbed into the skin through massage, but a diffuser is the most common vehicle for oil delivery.

The Benefits of Aromatherapy for Special Needs Kids

Many parents of kids with special needs have said that aromatherapy has helped in many ways with both physical pain and mental anguish. Some of the benefits attributed to aromatherapy include:

Relieving sore muscles
Boosting the immune system
Treating insomnia
Helping concentration
Soothing digestive track

Aromatherapy is less about the specific treatment benefits and more about promoting an overall soothing quality for the mind and body of kids, which many parents have said helps immensely. The pleasing fragrance of essential oil products like candles or wax melts is also great for creating a more comfortable and peaceful home atmosphere.

Why Choose Wax Melts Over Diffusers for Aromatherapy

As we mentioned, diffusers are the most common vehicle for aromatherapy, but there are many other options for parents, including wax melts.

They’re Cheaper

The primary reason that many people prefer essential oil wax melts to diffusers is that they’re much more affordable and offer better bang for your buck. Wax melt burners are typically inexpensive and take up less space. Since many wax melts already incorporate essential oils into their design, users get both aromatherapy benefits and a pleasing fragrance in the same package.

Plus, wax melts last much longer than essential oil diffusers. The typical diffuser will spray essential oil vapor for about 20 minutes, whereas a wax melt can burn and release essential oils and scents for up to 18 hours.

They’re Cleaner

Another benefit of wax melt burners that is great for parents is that they’re much cleaner than diffusers. Essential oil diffusers can become havens for bacteria and toxic mold if they’re not cleaned frequently.

Since diffusers deal with water vapor and mist, they add moisture to the air, which increases humidity, and we all know that humidity is a crucial factor in mold growth. Cleaning the diffuser often helps to avoid these problems, but wax melt burners don’t have to worry about mold growth, so it’s a much more convenient choice. A common mistake you’ll want to avoid when using wax melts is using paraffin wax, which emits black soot and pollution, which is not ideal for aromatherapy.

We hope our explainer has helped clarify some things about aromatherapy, essential oils, wax melts, and special needs kids. Keep reading the Talbert Zoo for more tips and information regarding parenting special needs kids.