Parent like a pro: 12 essential oil hacks for mom and dad

Kids come with a lot of silliness and smiles—and boy, do they love slime! But they also come with messes galore. So while you’re balancing feelings of elation and frustration, use these essential oil tips to make your parenting job a little easier.

YL tip: Don’t have kids? These tips are incredibly useful for when you need a little help adulting too.

1. Garbage glow-up: Put a few drops of Purification®, Jade Lemon, or Citrus Fresh on a cotton ball and stash it at the bottom of your dirty diaper pail to combat odors.

YL tip: Don’t have babies? The same trick works for stinky gym bags or sports equipment too.

2. Demystify degreasing: Soak a microfiber cloth in water and add a couple drops of Lemon essential oil to clean up on the stove after making mac-n-cheese.

3. Play without pests: Don’t get bugged while adventuring outdoors. Use Citronella-infused lotion before heading out on a picnic, hike, or bike ride.

4. Sun’s up, study up: When you pull out the workbooks, math sheets, and chapter books, diffuse three drops of the sharp scent of Peppermint.

5. Dryer do-over: Forget to change your laundry from washer to dryer? Infuse a washcloth with Grapefruit or Bergamot, let the oil dry, then throw it into the dryer with the clothes for a refreshing scent.

6. “Clean” in a cinch: Why the quotation marks? Because when we say clean, we mean throw your go-to fresh-scented oils into a diffuser to fake a full scrub-down.

7. Wake up your way: Before kiddos can pull you out of sleep with screaming, set your alarm, get up calmly, and take a big drink of Peppermint Vitality-infused water for a quick, refreshing wake-up in the morning.

8. Sprint from stinky shoes: From toddlers to teenagers, keep the stink out of your kids’ (and your) shoes. Sprinkle a mix of baking soda and several drops of Thieves® into shoes to keep fresh.

9. Mix up morning muffins: Bring those mini chefs into the kitchen and take your family recipe up a notch by adding Lemon Vitality to your classic blueberry or poppyseed muffin recipe.

10. Make sense of your mane: Simplify hair care (yours and your kiddos’) with this DIY detangler: Combine ½ cup Lavender Conditioner, 1 1/8 cups warm distilled water, 3 drops Cedarwood essential oil, and 3 drops Frankincense essential oil. Spritz throughout damp tresses and comb through.

11. Glow on the go: Mommies on the go don’t have time for touchups. Help your makeup stay all day with this DIY setting spray enhanced with skin-loving essential oils.

12. Button up bedtime: Scrambling to get those wiggly warriors in bed? Create a monster spray for an easier and much more fun nighttime routine.

Still overwhelmed by parenting? Rely on family-friendly essential oil blends and find even more hacks here.

Which tip are you going to try first?

Tell us in the comments below!