My first introduction to Essential Oils was at the yoga studio where my yoga teacher diffuses oils during our practice. I did not really understand the benefits of the oils, I just liked their lovely aroma and so I became hooked!! Of course, now I use oils for all sorts of reasons i.e. in any way I can to improve the health and wellbeing of my those in my household.

But my favourite thing about the oils is to diffuse them throughout my home each day. I have to say that my oils have been a blessing over the past few months of lock down during the COVID-19 pandemic!

Why diffuse oils?

So first of all, why diffuse oils?

• Experiencing essential oils aromatically is a helpful way to influence our emotions  and our sense of wellbeing e.g. to lift us up when we are feeling down or to calm and ground us when we are overcome with stress and busyness. e.g. peaceful and grounding blends
• Diffusing oils can help to purify the air in our homes and get rid of bad odours. Lemongrass Oil is great for this.
• And, for our health- to clear airways, boost immunity and help us withstand the effects of seasonal threats including colds and flu. On Guard  is great for immunity. Eucalyptus Oil will help clear the head!

Of course, you need to know a little bit about the various oils and their properties to be able to achieve that emotional boost etc. But that’s OK because there is a lot of information available about this and we can help you navigate the road to everyday Essential Oil use for health and wellbeing!

How do you diffuse oils?

There are a few ways to diffuse oil – nebulizing with cold air, ultrasonic with water, evaporative diffusing and by heating. The most common type of diffuser available is the ultrasonic diffuser and it is the one that I choose but here are a few comments on the other types of diffusers too.

Nebulizing Diffuser

A nebulizing diffuser breaks down the Essential Oil into tiny particles through the use of a high velocity, pressurized air stream and jet nozzle. The oil is released as a fine mist and there is no alteration of the oil. Whilst there is an advantage in using no water or heat, these diffusers use more oil than other diffusers so can be expensive to use. These diffusers can also be noisy and may not be appropriate for night time use.

Evaporative Diffuser

An evaporative diffuser can work by blowing a fan through a pad or tissue that has oil dropped onto it. The oil evaporates and diffuses quickly, allowing the smaller components of the oil to be diffused first, followed by the heavier components. This may be useful in a situation where you don’t want water around e.g. in your car. They are also quiet and can be used at night.

There are also some simple ways to diffuse using evaporation without moving air. Diffuser reeds or sticks are used quite commonly for this. The oil is in the pot and the reeds help to diffuse the oil into the air.

Other more interesting examples include a porous rock or a natural wooden/seed pod type diffuser, lava beads, or felt pads inside a necklace. These are all simple and inexpensive ways to diffuse oils, wherever you are!  I leave the lava pot on the window sill in the bathroom and add 1-2 drops Peppermint Oil onto it each day to freshen the air.

Heat Diffuser

A heating diffuser includes a heating element that causes the oil to evaporate. Of course, the hotter the element the more the oil will be altered during diffusion. It is a silent way to diffuse your oils but remember your oils are likely to change when diffused this way.

Ultrasonic Diffuser

The ultrasonic diffuser uses water and electronic frequencies to create a fine mist from the Essential Oil and water. Ultrasonic vibrations are created by a small disk under the surface of the water which causes the oil to break up into tiny micro particles. Only a few drops of oil are needed and both oil and water are diffused, increasing the humidity in the room. This may not be good if you live in a humid environment but can be helpful in drier climates, particularly in the winter when there are heaters being used and the air is dry. These diffusers are quiet but some people may find the slight watery noise to be a distraction at night. I personally think of the sound as being my ‘white noise’ that helps me drift off to sleep.

What to look for in an Ultrasonic Diffuser

I have quite a few diffusers in my house, two upstairs, four downstairs and one for travel. I have a few comments to make about all of them that I hope will help you when you are making your decision about the right diffuser for you. But first I will tell you a bit about my diffuser journey!

Petal Diffuser

My first diffuser was a Petal diffuser. This diffuser has served me well and until recently was used every night in my bedroom. I have moved it to the lounge room now as I needed the stronger model in the larger room and have replaced the bedroom diffuser with a Brevi model (see comments below). The Petal diffuser makes a lovely bubbling noise that helps me sleep. It propels the mist well and can be used in both small and large rooms (up to approximately 30 sq metres in size). There is a light that can be turned off at night and the diffuser can be set for either 2 or 4 hours.

 

$20 KMart Special!

I was keen to find out what other diffusers were out there. First of all I went to K Mart and found a cheap diffuser (around $20) – here it is below. This wasn’t a bad purchase – it runs for up to three hours and can be set at half hour intervals. It has a light that can be turned on and off. The only downside of this model was that there was no ‘fill line’ inside or out and it took me a while to work out that if I overfilled it that there was very little mist. If I fill it to just under half of the receptacle’s capacity it produces a lot of mist but the mist does not travel far. It can wet the bench around it so it is best to operate this model on a large tray or glass plate. I have been using this for over two years and it is still going strong. I usually use this in a smallish bedroom – it is a quiet diffuser and suitable for night time use, particularly if you don’t like that gentle bubbling water sound!!

Milano Decor Diffuser – with a Light Show!!

My next diffuser purchase was influenced by my desire to introduce pretty lights into the equation. I love fairy lights and enjoy having a variety of lights around the home. This online purchase cost me around $30-40. The diffuser lights were constantly changing colour and the mist could be set to constant stream or intermittent, i.e. one minute on and one minute off. It runs for about 4 hours or longer in intermittent mode.

This diffuser has been used constantly in my lounge room for two years but I had to discard it recently after I heard it making a very loud noise just after I turned it on.

Overall I was happy with this model. However, I think the Petal provides a better stream of mist. it just doesn’t provide the pretty lights!

dōTERRA Brevi Diffusers

The Brevi diffuser has been offered at Mother’s Day and Christmas over the past few years. I have two, the one shown below was a Christmas offer and I also have a white/marbles one from Mother’s Day. I was attracted to these because of the lights and also because it can be set for either 2, 5 or 10 hours (the latter is the result of intermittent mode – 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off). This diffuser can be used in a room of up to 25 square metres.

I use this diffuser in my study and find that it is effective. I also have one in our dining room but because that room opens up into other large rooms the aroma of the oil is lost. These days I tend to run diffusers in all of those rooms though so overall I have good coverage.

It runs well over the 5 hours. I don’t bother using the 10 hour setting as there is very little oil left to diffuse after all that time.

In terms of cost, it was not bad value, around $40 wholesale, and $60 retail, but that price also included a bottle of oil.

Travel Diffusers

I have had two travel diffusers. The first one only lasted about 9 months. It rusted through and the water came out the bottom. The plastic was also quite thin and the components of the lid often came apart. The gray one below is a travel diffuser that runs from a USB connection. It works well in small spaces. It can be operated constantly or intermittently. It was a special offer as a reward for a large monthly order of oils.

There is a wide range of travel differs available, especially for the car. Some of these use the evaporative and heating methods and some use water. You should be able to purchase a travel diffuser for well below $50 but most are too big for my needs because we like to travel light.

I guess it depends on how important that extra pair of shoes is – can they be replaced with a diffuser?

Updated Petal 

My new favourite diffuser is the updated model of the Petal. It runs for 2, 6 and 12 hours, it is slightly bigger than the old one and has the capacity to work in a large room. It retails at $77 and $58, wholesale. I will be buying more of these in the future.

A few tips on safety and diffuser cleaning

A few things to be careful about with your diffuser:

• Be careful when filling and emptying with water. Make sure the water is kept away from the cord outlet and the controls
• Don’t tip your diffuser up when it has water in it and avoid carrying it when full.
• Use a jug to top up the water when possible.
• Make sure it is emptied and rinsed each day.
• Wipe it out if there is discoloration due to oil deposit.
• Diffuse with vinegar for 5 minutes at least once a month to clean out the system.

Summary of things to look for in a Diffuser

1. There are lots of ways to diffuse Essential Oils for Health & Wellbeing.
2. Think about where you will diffuse Essential Oils e.g. at home, in the car and decide the method of diffusing that is best for you.
3. Consider the size of the space where you will be diffusing Essential Oils. Don’t buy a small diffuser for a large room. You will be dissatisfied with the result!
4. If you do go for a cheaper model, make sure that it is sturdy e.g. think plastic construction.
5. Check the inside of the diffuser regularly to make sure it is clean and that there is no rust or damage.
6. Are you looking for intermittent diffusing?
7. Would you like your diffuser to be quiet?
8. Do you have pets? Check for suitability of oils with pets
9. Only diffuse pure oils.

What Next?

If you are ready to enter the world of essential oils and you decide to go the doTERRA way, I would love to help you get started and support you if you want some help. Here is how you can do this: go to my doTERRA website to find out about the range of oil and oil based products available for purchase. You can also sign up to become a member on this site. Once signed up you can purchase oils for wholesale prices! But if you would like some more information click on the Contact Me on the doTERRA website and I will respond to your questions.

We hope you will join us at Helpful By Nature by subscribing to our email list. We would love to hear from you, take your questions and provide answers if we are able.

 

 

Until next time,

Gillian (and Andrew)