How do I Choose the Best Essential Oil Diffuser?

The pleasant smell of calming essential oils is easily available to anyone. These fragrant and sometimes therapeutic oils most often are dispersed into the room by the use of an essential oil diffuser. Diffusers range from inexpensive types meant to disperse fragrance to more expensive aromatherapy models. Choosing the best diffuser depends on whether your planned use is aesthetic or therapeutic.

Dispersing essential oils into the air is a popular way to refresh a room, set a mood and mask unpleasant odors. There are several types of diffusers for this purpose. Most are inexpensive enough for you to place one in every room of your house. Many of them use heat to warm the oil and release the fragrance. The tea light, scent ball and electric warmers are good choices if you want an essential oil diffuser for these purposes.

The tea light diffuser uses a small candle beneath a bowl that contains water and your favorite essential oil blends. As the fluid is warmed, the fragrance is released into the air. This essential oil diffuser is inexpensive, but the open flame limits its practical use. Caution must be exercised if you have a home with pets, small children or someone using oxygen.

Electric oil warmers are easy-to-use diffusers. They can be used with or without water, depending on how strong you want the aroma. These carefree units are uncomplicated and easy to clean. They are a good option if open flames are problematic in your household.

An excellent essential oil diffuser for use in a small area is a scent ball. It is a portable plug-in, so it can be used to overcome strong odors anywhere there is an electrical outlet. This low-cost model uses scent pads that can be refreshed when the scent begins to diminish. It is a safe alternative if you have a busy household where another type of diffuser might be knocked over accidentally.

Essential oil diffusers for therapeutic use differ from their room-freshener cousins. Heating therapeutic-grade oils diminishes their effectiveness, so these diffusers operate without generating heat. Fan diffusers and nebulizers are two types of therapeutic diffusers.

Fan diffusers come in various sizes that can be used in large or small spaces. The fragrance is released and dispersed into the room when a fan blows over a pad soaked in essential oils. If you plan to switch between different types of aromatherapy oils, you can do it simply by changing the pad. There are battery-operated and plug-in models available, making this an excellent diffuser for use in places where there is no electricity available.

If targeted aromatherapy treatment is your goal, a nebulizer is the best choice. This is the highest-quality essential oil diffuser and the most expensive. It is capable of quickly delivering concentrated amounts of the best essential oils into the air. A glass chamber is filled with oil, and a pump converts the liquid into vapor. This is not a good choice if you desire absolute quiet, because the pump can be noisy.