Essential oil diffusers, of all types, are everywhere, and offer many health benefits
Everywhere I look, over the last few months, I’ve noticed essential-oil diffusers: at spas, yoga studios, boutiques, office spaces, friends’ homes, even bathrooms! Over the holidays, as we entertain friends and family, I expect they will become even more popular. And that’s a very good thing.
According to Hope Gillerman, founder of H. Gillerman Organics and author of Essential Oils Every Day (Harper Elixir), diffusing essential oils into a room is more than just a way to spread luxurious scent; It is medicinal. “Unlike room fragrance and scented candles, a diffuser pushes a concentrated, breathable mist into the room that improves your mood, helps you sleep, cleans the air (especially useful when someone in your home or office has a cold or flu), calms your nerves and helps you to breath deeper. And 70 percent of the essential oils you inhale goes into your lungs, your blood stream, your brain, your lymphatic system and ultimately throughout your whole body.”
Since diffusing can use a lot of oil (it can take five to eight drops compared to one to two drops when you inhale from your palm or a tissue), it can be a more costly way to use essential oils than inhaling directly. But diffusing can help neutralize odor-causing germs and microbes that pollute the air in your home, says Gillerman.
Because essential oils are antiseptic, they can, literally, clear the air, and also help you train your nose to become more sensitive. The more you slowly and fully inhale air that contains an essential oil, the more its scent will remind you of what healthy air should smell like, says Gillerman. Over time, your senses will become more attuned to pick up any toxic or unhealthy fragrances. “This may sound like a negative, but being conscious of harmful off-gases and potentially toxic or unhygienic odors in your environment will help you choose better products for your children to play with, for your pets to sleep on, and for you to use throughout your home. It will be easy for you to avoid plastic-smelling drapes or a slightly moldy antique rug,” says Gillerman.
Diffusers come in many forms—steam vaporizers, candle diffusers, heated stones, nebulizers and sonic-style. Everyone has their own personal choice, though sonic diffusers have become very popular. According to Gillerman, they disperse a cold mist by dropping essential oils in a small reservoir of water. “Most turn off automatically and are very safe to use,” she says. “Unfortunately, the sonic is usually equipped with a plastic reservoir—no way around that—so always wipe your reservoir clean between use and fill with filtered water before dropping in your oils.”
Diffuser Safety
• The key to using a diffuser is to only leave it on for 30 minutes at a time, any more than that is no longer beneficial.
• To avoid overdosing, a diffusing cycle should not be repeated in less than two hours.
• For sleep, always diffuse as a preparation for sleep—not during.
• Do not diffuse in a room with an infant, a cat or someone with asthma or allergies.
• Consult your doctor before using a diffuser in proximity to someone with breathing issues.
• Diffuse with the purest non-GMO or certified organic essential oils.