The world is going ga-ga over essential oils. But, have you ever wondered if it is safe to use essential oils for kids and if they indeed benefit tiny tots? The answer is yes, you can use the oil to treat myriad conditions in young children. Read on to know and learn about the many benefits of one such oil – Camphor Oil.

A large and evergreen tree grown in abundance in Japan and China, camphor (Cinnamomun camphora) grows to a height of about 100 feet. It is identified by white flowers and scented red berries. Its roots, stumps and branches give off essential oil which is extracted through the steam distillation process. The oil produced by this process is clear, with a strong and fresh scent with a woody fragrance.

Camphor oil is beneficial to the human body for various reasons, so it’s not surprising that many people include it in their medicine chests. It works well on itchy skin, nasal decongestion and a range of other ailments such as joint pain and cuts, burns and wounds. For these reasons, it can also be used for any problems children encounter.

Read More: 15 Must Know Home Remedies for Baby Heat Rash

Here are a few salient ailments you can use camphor essential oil for your children:

Camphor for the skin

Camphor is exceedingly helpful for curing various skin conditions, such as:

1. Itchy skin

If you find your child scratching his hands and legs, give him some relief with camphor essential oil. This oil is known to relieve problems of itchy skin as the compound in camphor activates the nerve endings, producing a soothing sensation. Your child will stop scratching himself, proving that camphor essential oil works to get rid of skin itching, irritation and redness.

2. Acne

Camphor essential oil helps tighten the skin and revitalize it. Your teens can benefit from this immensely. This oil also gets rid of the main cause of acne–a build-up of bacteria–and works as an efficient anti-infection agent.

Camphor also works wonders on oily skin, thereby making it the go-to remedy for acne. For this, camphor essential oil can be mixed with tea tree oil. Dip a cotton swab in the liquid and apply it on your teen’s acne-infected skin. Camphor essential oil also has anti-inflammatory properties, which helps reduce the outbreak of pimples. This oil also reduces the pain and swelling of acne, so relying on it can give your teen a flawless complexion.

Read More: Home Remedies for Treating Baby Acne Quickly and Naturally

3. Burns and wounds

Camphor essential can heal burns and wounds too. It also gets rid of the pain associated with burns and wounds, and lightens scars too. By using it regularly, your child’s scars can disappear. All you need to do is to make a thin solution using the oil and apply it on his wounds and burns.

4. Gets rid of eczema

The terrible itching of eczema can be brought under control by camphor essential oil.

5. Toenail fungus

Camphor essential oil’s antibiotic nature helps destroy the toenail fungus and lets your child’s toes breathe uninterruptedly.

6. Cracked heels

Cracked heels aren’t just an ugly sight but a sign that your child isn’t looking after himself well enough. In fact, his peers could laugh at him for this, which could undermine his self- confidence. If your child has cracked heels and that’s chewing you up, let your child soak his feet in a solution of camphor essential oil and water. Then, scrub his feet and apply a moisturizer on them. He will never have cracked heels again, again due to the cooling and antiseptic nature of camphor essential oil.

7. Skin rashes

Camphor, when dissolved in water, and applied on skin rashes can actually make them vanish after a couple of days of repeated use. Camphor particularly is good for skin rashes that occur due to excessive heat and perspiration. Needless to say, camphor’s anti-inflammatory property is the reason behind its work against rashes.

8. Bacterial and fungal infections

Cool and calm camphor is used in many skin ointments that are used to treat a whole range of fungal and bacterial infections. The antifungal and antibacterial properties of camphor has made it a must use ingredient in the cosmetic industry.

Camphor for respiratory problems: Camphor essential oil helps cure respiratory problems, such as:

9. Coughs and colds

If your child has a cough and cold that won’t go away, perhaps you can use camphor essential oil to clear the congestion. It does this by projecting its strong fragrance that opens up the congested respiratory tract. To use camphor essential oil, combine it with sweet oil in equal proportions and rub it on your child’s chest.

Read More: 7 Essential Oil to Treat Whooping Cough in Children

10. Nasal decongestant

Camphor essential oil’s strong and deep aroma serves as a strong decongestant. So, helps bring relief to children suffering from congestion in the larynx, lungs, nasal tracts, pharynx and bronchi.

Camphor essential oil for the hair: Whether you have weak hair, hair loss, dandruff or lice, camphor essential oil can sort you out very soon. Here’s how:

11. Strong and healthy hair

Camphor essential oil treats hair loss and dandruff and can also strengthen the hair. Experts state that a mix of camphor and coconut oil can produce a head of healthy hair.

12. Stimulates hair growth

If you want your kid to have strong and thick hair, combine camphor essential oil with other essential oils and massage your child’s hair with it. Now, he’s sure to have thick and lustrous hair.

Read More: Top 11 Oils for Baby Hair Growth

13. Better hair texture

Pollution, city dust and strong heat can make your child’s hair look dry and lifeless. Periodically, massage your child’s hair with camphor essential oil and watch it becoming soft and tangle-free.

14. Kills lice

If you’re wondering why your daughter keeps scratching her hair, why don’t you check for lice? If she does have lice, try using anti-lice shampoos. They don’t work, move on to using camphor essential oil mixed in water and let her bathe in it and wash her hair too. Camphor essential oil is excellent as a disinfectant and cleaning agent. It can easily kill lice and prevent nits from developing.

Conclusion

For all the many benefits kids can reap from using camphor oil, as a parent you should remember that it’s toxic and can be fatal if taken orally. Even taking a slight ingestion of this essential oil could end up in your child feeling extremely thirsty, vomiting, having fever and perhaps he might be poisoned.  So, whenever you use camphor essential oil for your child’s ailments, remember to keep it away from his mouth.

Resources:

http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/amazing-benefits-of-camphor-for-your-skin-hair-and-health/#gref

https://simplyearth.com/blogs/stories/camphor-essential-oil-white-uses-benefits