Who doesn't like a good foot massage? A nice rub is especially relaxing before bed. Massage oils and balms made with essential oils massaged into the bottom of feet at bedtime helps to induce sleep as well as fight infection.

Did You Know ~ Our bodies are able to absorb a phenomenal amount through the skin on the bottom of our feet. In fact an old remedy for coughs is to rub the bottom of the feet with olive oil, put minced garlic on top of the oil and then put socks over the whole thing. Within a very short amount of time the person's breath will smell of garlic! The garlic then helps to fight infection from the inside of the lungs out as the person breathes.

Creating Foot Balms With Kids ~

What is better than squishing and squeezing a bag of gooey goodness? This is just what we did recently at preschool. The kids each created their own sleepy time foot balm in a little baggie for mixing. Originally we were going to use tins to put the balms in but what fun is that?

Materials ~

Shea Butter
Coconut Oil (optional)
Relaxing Essential Oils, Some Examples Are ~

Important Note: These essential oils are generally considered safe for kids from age 2 and up. If your child is very small and may get into the foot balm or otherwise misuse it, please store it up out of their reach when you are not in the room with them. Essential oils are not safe to use internally.

Instructions ~

Place a big spoonful (about a tablespoon) or two of the shea butter and coconut oil in a baggie.
Let the children smell the essential oils and pick out a couple of their favorites that make them feel relaxed and sleepy.
Add these essential oils to the shea butter/coconut oil blend. Because this is a really loose project with no exact measurement for the shea butter/coconut oil blend, I errored on the side of too little essential oil, to be safe, rather than risk using to much. So I used up to 6 drops of essential per baggie. This means that if the child choose lavender, cedarwood and ylang ylang for the essential oils, I put 2 drops of each oil in their baggie for a total of 6 drops. See Essential Oils for more information on using them herbal preparation safely.
Seal the bag shut tight!
Now for the fun part... Mixing it all up! It is the child's job to mix up all that goodness by squishing it around to their heart's content!

To Use ~

At bedtime rub a little bit of the balm on the bottoms of your child's feet. This is a great time to connect with a little massage and conversation or lullaby. Then cover your child's feet with socks. Off to slumber land they go!

More~

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