Essential oil diffusers provide wonderful aromatherapy for relaxation, meditation, and wellness. These therapeutic oils have ancient roots where various blends of plants, flowers, herbs, and natural materials are burnt or ground to create teas, oils, and ointments to treat many types of conditions and to promote overall good health.
Today, various oil diffusers provide the same benefits of essential oil aromas, which are easy to use and enjoy.
The Basics of How Essential Oil Diffusers Work
Diffusers emit essential oils into the air so that you can absorb, inhale, and enjoy the benefits of oil aromas, which send a wonderful scent into the air that’s calming and soothing after a busy, stressful day.
From burning incense and lighting a scented candle in your home, aromatherapy diffusers consistently release your favorite essential oil blend. There are several types of diffusers, based on your preference and environment.
Types of Essential Oil Diffusers
When you consider which type of diffuser to use in your home, you’ll find each type offers several advantages and unique benefits. While all oil diffusers offer aromatic benefits, each one offers specific features for your surroundings.
Reed Diffusers
A reed diffuser uses evaporation to emit the aromas of essential oils into the air. This type of diffuser works by inserting long, thin wooden sticks into a glass jar or container with essential oil. These sticks are made of porous wood so that they absorb the oils.
The heat inside the room extracts the scent of oils through evaporation, which releases the aroma throughout the space. You may find the fragrance is more potent in a warmer environment, which produces perfume.
These evaporative diffusers are easy to use and don’t require a heat source. It’s essential to set the heat level in your room to get the most out of these oil diffusers, though if the conditions are too hot or humid, you’ll find the sticks dry quickly.
This type of aromatherapy diffuser is easy to forget, as once the twigs are dried, they might be pushed to the side and collect dust. It’s a good option if you want a natural diffuser for a day or several hours.
Aromatherapy Nebulizer Diffusers
A nebulizer diffuser works like a spray by heating the air in the bottom of the diffuser with a coil or light. This process increases pressure in the air to rise, which collects the essential oil, which continues to rise and release at the top with a mist spray. The air pressure in nebulizing diffuser forces the oil to emit a fine mist, which is released at high speed through the nozzle.
These types of electric diffusers are easy to use with a compatible outlet and do not require carrier oils or water to work. If you’re looking for a robust, stronger scent, nebulizers are ideal, as they offer a more concentrated fragrance, though you’ll likely run out of oil if you use them often.
Ultrasonic Oil Diffusers
Ultrasonic diffusers are powered by electricity, and a vibration plate at the bottom of the device releases scent using sound waves, which create silent oscillations.
These ultrasonic waves are quiet and rise through a blend of water and essential oil to atomize and produce a vapor that’s sprayed into the air.
Electric diffusers are popular in offices, workspaces, and homes, as they are eco-friendly and don’t require much maintenance to enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy.
Pottery Diffusers
Pottery diffusers were used in ancient times in Greece, India, and Egypt. They use heat to release the aroma from essential oils, similar to how reed diffusers use evaporation.
The pottery diffuser has a hollow interior where you can insert a tealight, or candle, which serves as a heat source to release the scent of the oil blend.
There are many pottery designs and glazed ceramics that include decorative shapes and holes, with a dip on top where you can add water and essential oil. This heat diffuser heats the oil on top from below, inside the pottery, to release the fragrance.
It’s a beautifully designed diffuser that adds to your home’s decor while diffusing your favorite essential oil blend. You can add any type of oil or combination of oils, including frankincense, lavender oil, lemon oil, and other aromatic blends.
The only drawback of using the pottery diffuser is the lack of control over how much heat reaches the oil, which can vary from too little to too excessive, which can overheat or damage the essential oil’s properties.
Additional Options to Enjoy Essential Oils
You can enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy in many ways, alongside a diffuser or in different ways around your home:
- Clay masks work well with essential oils, as well as massage oils, body lotion, creams, and skincare products that benefit your skin and hair
- Cold and hot compresses
- Facial steamers
- Pure essential oils or dried herbs, plants, or flowers in the bath
- Sprays and spritzers used to scent a room temporarily or as a perfume
These methods offer aromatherapy benefits that your skin absorbs through the air or topically, soothing and improving relaxation.
You’ll find many types of diffusers and products that contain essential oils, including quality oils that are pure and organic, at local health stores, specialty markets, and in some cases, in a supermarket. Many companies specialize in essential oil products, which can be ordered online.
The Benefits of Aromatherapy Diffusers and Using Essential Oils
Whether you use a candle diffuser, rear diffuser, or other types of aroma diffuser, you’ll enjoy the many benefits of aromatherapy, which include the following:
- Reducing anxiety and stress
- Improving sleep quality
- Pain management and reducing discomfort
- Relief from headaches, chronic pain, and sore joints
- Increase immunity
- Boosts mood and a sense of peace
Summary
Fragrance oil diffusion offers many advantages, and the variety of diffusers provides excellent options for any environment, whether a small room, office or a large public space.
Diffusers work with any type of essential oil or blend of fragrance oils, including fennel, ginger, clary sage, eucalyptus, geranium, mandarin, lemongrass, peppermint, patchouli, lavender, and many other popular aromas.
