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We can all use some help winding down from the day, little ones included. This simple homemade lavender sleep balm can be a wonderful addition to your bedtime routine. It promotes calmness, relieves stress, and encourages a good night’s sleep. Plus it’s all natural and easy to make.

The Witching Hours

We recently did a major overhaul of our preschooler’s bedtime routine. It’s an understatement to say that it wasn’t working well. Almost every night devolved into a spiral of nagging and pushing boundaries and lost tempers and tantrums…not our best moments.

So we went back to the drawing board and worked together as a family to create a new action plan. Incorporating some positive parenting ideas and personal experience, we created a little chart that everyone agreed to and we hung it on the wall.

Along with this new plan, I wanted to introduce a ritual of applying a sleep rub. Honestly creating a lavender sleep balm has been on my “someday maybe” list for a while and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it out!

My kids excel at many things, but they are not “great sleepers” in that they tend to wake up frequently. As much as I love my boys, once I have successfully gotten them to sleep, I would like them to stay that way. My hope is that with the new calmer routine and aid of a relaxing lavender sleep balm, more peaceful nights are coming soon. It’s only been about a week, but I can report that they have both been sleeping for a longer initial stretch of the night.

Here's What You'll Need

Ingredients:

14g Virgin Coconut Oil (solid)
11g Jojoba Oil (or other liquid oil of your choice)
4g Beeswax Pellets
1/8 tsp Vitamin E Oil
4-7 drops Lavender Essential Oil (.5- 1% dilution)

Equipment:

A clean container (like an empty mint tin or small jar or pot)
A double boiler OR a small heat proof bowl and saucepan
A spatula or spoon
Optional but useful: A kitchen scale

What Is All This Stuff?

Coconut oil is great for the skin and many of us already have a jar (or tub) in the pantry. It’s rich in nourishing fatty acids and is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, antimicrobial, and reduces inflammation.

Jojoba oil is my favorite carrier oil and I always have a bottle on hand. It’s is anti-fungal, antimicrobial, and wonderfully moisturizing. But any liquid carrier oil could be used instead for this recipe. Sweet almond, grape seed, olive oil, sunflower, etc. Use what you have and what you like best.

Beeswax makes this recipe balmy and prevents melting in warmer temperatures. I like to buy the pellets because it is easier than chipping off chunks from a wax brick.

Vitamin E oil contains antioxidants which help prolong the shelf life of our lavender sleep balm. That being said, this recipe is all oils and no water, so it will keep well anyway. The vitamin E oil will help give it an extra boost- plus it’s great for skin. It’s kind of optional, but I think it’s a good idea.

Let's Talk Lavender

And the star of the show is, of course, the lavender essential oil. Even if you’ve never owned a little brown bottle of essential oil, I’m guessing you know a thing or two about lavender. This amazing plant has long been hailed for its aromatherapy properties for calming and stress relief. And it promotes sleepiness! Here is a great article with a bit more science-y info about lavender.

Lavender oil is widely considered to be safe for most people, including children and babies. The key is proper dilution. For children between 3 months and two years old, .5-1% is considered a safe concentration of essential oil. (source) Here is a handy chart and calculator to help you figure out your dilution if you scale your recipe up or down.

A little disclaimer: While this information is accurate to the best of my knowledge and based on best practices, I am not a doctor. Please check with your health care provider if you have concerns about whether using lavender, or any oil, is appropriate for you or your children.

Let's Make Lavender Sleep Balm!

This, and most DIY body care recipes, is a little easier with a kitchen scale. I have this little one and it works great! However, if you don’t have one, don’t panic. I will give you the approximate conversions to teaspoons and tablespoons in a printable card at the bottom of this post.

First, we need to melt the solids. Combine coconut oil, beeswax, and jojoba oil in a double boiler or a heat safe bowl that fits on top of a saucepan. I have a small metal bowl that I reserve for making DIY’s like this one.

Next, heat an inch or two of water in the saucepan to a simmer and set the bowl on top. Gently stir until everything is melted.

Now remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool just slightly before adding lavender oil and Vitamin E. Stir to incorporate.

Working quickly, pour the mixture into your prepared container. Let cool on the counter until completely set or transfer to the refrigerator if you’re impatient like me.

How Do I Use Lavender Sleep Balm?

I have incorporated this lavender sleep balm into our bedtime routine. I like to rub a little on my boys’ feet when they put their jammies on. And maybe a little on their back or chest, too. Beside the aromatherapy benefits of the lavender, the simple act of a gentle foot massage helps us to have a sweet moment of physical contact at the end of the busy day.

Another useful thing about lavender is that it is anti-inflammatory, which make this balm excellent for any itchy dry patches. My littlest guy tends to get chapped cheeks in the cold weather and I have been using a little balm to soothe them. It would also be helpful for bug bites.

I am generally so exhausted that I have no trouble going right to sleep, but I have been using it, too, for good measure. Plus I just love the way it smells. I have also taken to carrying a little container in my bag with me during the day. When I start to feel my stress level rising and my patience slipping away, I rub a little on my temples or even right under my nose. And breathe. Deeply.

I think we can all use a little more lavender in our lives these days. I hope this sleep balm gives you and your littles a moment of peace and many restful nights. Let me know what you think!

Yield: 35 mL or about 1 oz