Essential oils are a curiosity to many folks — they smell nice, but they’re just not sure what to do with them, never mind how to get the most from aromatherapy’s science-proven benefits (like antiviral, antibacterial and stress-reducing actions). So where to start?! Inhale! Breathe them in! By using a diffuser to accelerate the evaporation of oils in the air around you, not only does your place smell great, but its the best way to use the most sought-after uses of aromatherapy: immune system and emotional support. We’ll start with a quick review of the potential benefits of diffusing essential oils for your family, with specific notes for children, then look at the best diffusers for each use.

From The Lab To Your Home: Science-Proven Essential Oil Benefits

The body of research revealing the diverse therapeutic and medicinal actions of essential oils has grown exponentially in the last several years. Research abstracts (summaries of investigations) are freely available through the online database maintained by the National Institute of Health. Many essential oils have been shown to be antidepressants, stress-relieving, and sleep-improving. Other oils have been shown to be potent airborne antibacterial agents, while others have the ability to destroy live viruses. Some of these same oils actually improve the function of our immune system, and some can change our cells in such a way to make them more resistant to viral infection. ALL these benefits can be had by evaporating various concentrations of essential oils in your environment by using a diffuser. Essential oil diffusers do come in many styles, and some are better suited to certain applications than others. Here’s a review of the diffuser styles available to help you make the best choice for your needs.

Diffusers For Antiviral/Antimicrobial Action & Immune Support

In order to best disinfect the air in your surroundings, you can imagine you’d need a little bit more essential oil than what evaporates from an aromatherapy candle. To get this amount of output requires a “nebulizing” diffuser. To “nebulize” an essential oil means to make a very fine mist, which quickly and easily evaporates. Some diffuser manufacturers claim their diffusers make smaller droplets of mist than others, but the truth is they all will work. The droplets all “disappear” completely upon leaving the diffuser, without any residue around the machine. To best conserve your oils while still creating these therapeutic effects, you’ll want a timer system too — some come with them built-in, though the most versatile will be external, fully-programmable timers you can find online or in a hardware store.

Even the nebulizing diffusers come in a couple styles: Ultrasonic or Cold Air. The ultrasonic is a small ultrasonic humidifier, which makes a mist of cool water and essential oil together. The cold air style make a mist of only the essential oil, and of all the diffuser styles can output the highest concentration. Both these styles are regulated, allowing you to set the output to suit the size of your space and your therapeutic needs.

Diffusers for “Aroma”therapy: Anti-Stress and Emotional Support

Other styles of diffusers either gently warm the oils or use a fan to blow over the oils to evaporate them. Their intention is to get the oils in the air so you can enjoy their aromas — and while this sounds simple, its actually therapeutically meaningful: The “smell sense” is the only one of the five senses directly wired to the control center of the brain (signals from the other senses travel through “switching stations” first). The result is that the body reacts to a smell without us thinking about it. Certain smells can lower blood pressure, slow heart rate, and help us sleep more deeply. Some users report feeling happier or calmer when inhaling particular scents, and other scents make the mind sharper — improving test scores, reducing errors at work, and improving the efficiency of studying for school. A fan diffuser will blow air and evaporate oil from a cotton pad, and warming diffusers will safely (i.e. ok to use around children) and gently use heat to also evaporate oils from a pad. Both these styles are good choices for smaller areas, like a bedroom or living room.

Conserving Your Oil Supply: Use A Timer For Best Results

The best way to use the least amount of essential oil for your needs is to use a timer — either built-in to the diffuser or a readily-available appliance timer. For ANY application, whether simple aromatic use or medicinal needs, one need only be exposed to the diffused oils for a few minutes at a time. Aromatically, your “smell scent” will become quickly accustom to the aroma, and you’ll start to think the diffuser isn’t working anymore. Running the diffuser for only a few minutes every half an hour lets your nose “forget” the oils are in the air. The same principal works for disinfecting the air and immune-system support — there’s no need to over-saturate the air with essential oils. They are so potent that there’s no need to continually diffuse a high concentration for these results.

Selecting The Best Oils For Your Needs

All essential oils have naturally different chemical make-ups. That’s what gives them their individual aromas and their individual therapeutic actions. For an uplifting, pleasing atmosphere, the “evergreen” oils are very nice: Fir Needle, Spruce, and Juniper Berry. These are excellent antidepressant aromatics too, along with the citrus oils: Bergamot, Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit and the like, plus Rose and other uplifting flower-scents. For calming and better rest, Lavender is the first choice; when folks aren’t a fan of this popular floral oil, Sandalwood and Ylang Ylang are great choices. For all the purposes, its important to use oils you or your family actually like the smell of! There are MANY oils to choose from, and by sampling a few, you’re sure to find something everyone enjoys.

For immune support and air-cleaning, there are many oils highly regarded for their antimicrobial actions. Bay laurel is very nice, and scientifically shown to be an effective anti-viral. “Plain” Lemon and Rosemary oils are excellent antibacterials, as is Lemon Tea Tree (very potent), Lemongrass, and Eucalyptus Radiata (shown specifically to help our white blood cells function better). Most oils that are sharper and brighter will be effective, but be careful as there are some herb-oils that are too strong to diffuse, like Oregano and Thyme, along with the spice oil Cinnamon. In any case, use your judgment with the aromas: if they seem to intense, they are — and either switch to a different oil or turn down the diffuser output. Also be aware that children are MUCH more sensitive to essential oils than adults — adjust your use as necessary, and consult a reputable guide to using essential oils with children.

In Conclusion: Diffusers Make Aroma-Therapy Simple

Getting started reaping the many proven benefits of essential oils is exceptionally easy to do with a diffuser. One machine, a few oils and away you go! Not only will you be supporting your family’s health and happiness, but you’ll soon have friends and neighbors commenting on how great you smell (the oils tend to very pleasantly linger around you for awhile, and you’ll be surprised at all the great reactions you’ll get). The start-up costs are very low; just be sure not to skimp on the oils themselves. Only true essential oils will have the important medicinal benefits — and these oils do smell the best. Use your intuition in your selections, and you’re sure to make the most of your venture into aroma-therapeutics.

Cacao, the ‘food of the goddess’. To learn more about this high vibe fruit and various other musings see the authors blog, ‘Organic Medicinal Herbs‘.

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