The different type
The use of essential oils for purification, mental therapy and spiritual health dates back across many ancient civilizations from around the world. Scented oils were widely used in cosmetics and perfumes, as medicines, and even added to foods and wines to improve their taste and shelf life. Greek physician and botanist Dioscorides wrote about oils and their healing properties as early as the first century! Although there are a variety of applications, many of the benefits of essential oils (including purely their pleasing aroma) can be enjoyed simply through inhalation. However, to allow for oils to be inhaled and their benefits delivered, they must first be dispersed into the air via an oil diffuser.
Classic Methods of Diffusion
In ancient times, only crude methods of oil diffusion were possible. The simplest method was purely diffusion through evaporation. Oils could be absorbed into fabric, wood, clay, or even into one’s hair and left to slowly evaporate their scent into a small area. This method is beneficial as it can be easily done anywhere, however the scent does not spread through a very large area or emit much aroma.
Another method is diffusion using heat to spread the aroma. An example of this that is easily done at home would be to light an unscented candle for several minutes to allow some of the wax to melt. Blow out the candle and mix some essential oil into the melted wax before it has a chance to cool. Then re-light the candle and enjoy the new aroma. While the ease of this method is a great benefit, it comes with many risks. Of course candles themselves must be used with care, but essential oils themselves are highly flammable and create an added danger to heat diffusion.
Modern Methods of Diffusion
In modern times, there are many different types of oil diffusers that work through four different methods of diffusion: nebulization, ultrasonic or humidification, evaporation and heat.
Nebulizing Diffusers
Nebulizing diffusers work using a constant air supply source. A jet of air is blown over a small tube containing the essential oils. This airstream creates a vacuum effect that pulls the oils up out of the tube and sprays them into the air in a fine mist. Unfortunately this process can cause some noise. This type of diffusion disperses the whole oil into the air in the form of tiny droplets without diluting or otherwise altering the oil. For this reason nebulizing is often considered the best type of oil diffusion. Because nebulizing diffusers are so effective at spreading essential oils throughout the room, most are equipped with controls to adjust the air flow, as well as timers allowing the distribution to be moderated throughout the day.
LEARN MORE ABOUT NEBULIZING DIFFUSERS
Ultrasonic Diffusers
Ultrasonic diffusers use entirely different mechanics but also result in a mist or humidification of the essential oils. An ultrasonic diffuser will have a small disk that vibrates rapidly in water that has been infused with essential oils. This vibrationbreaks up the oil and water into tiny molecules that then disperse into the air. While turning liquid into vapor would typically require heat, this method accomplishes the change in state without any heat being required. Because the oil is first diluted with water and also relies solely upon the room’s natural air currents to disperse, tis type of diffuser works best for those only requiring a small amount of oil to be diffused throughout a room. However, the gentle sound of trickling water made by these diffusers can make it an appealing choice.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ULTRASONIC DIFFUSERS
Evaporative Diffusers
Evaporative diffusers are a more advanced form of the simplest method of essential oil diffusion. A small fan is used to blow on the oils that have been dripped onto a filter or other such surface. The blowing airfrom the fan causes the oils to evaporate faster than they would normally and disperses the scent into the room. However, one major drawback to this method is that the lighter portions of the oil evaporate and disperse more quickly than the heavier portions, making the delivery unbalanced, releasing the lighter components at the beginning of the process and the heavier towards the end. This fractioning may disrupt the therapeutic qualities of the oils. But beneficially, the use of the fan allows a quick distribution of the fragrance throughout the space as it does not solely rely on the room’s currents.
LEARN MORE ABOUT EVAPORATIVE DIFFUSERS
Heat
Heat diffusers work very similarly to evaporative diffusers but instead of air, they rely on heat to disperse the oils into the air. While heat diffusers suffer from the same drawbacks of evaporative diffusers, the potential fractioning of the oil,they work completely silently making this a popular choice of diffuser. The best heatdiffusers work with very low temperatures to slowly evaporate without altering the natures of the oils. Although basic forms of heat diffusion such as candle diffusion are still used today, there are many unique applications such as lamp ring diffusers that are set directly on the bulb of a lamp, using the bulb’s excess heat to diffuse the particles.
What We Recommend
While each type of diffuser has its own set of benefits and drawbacks, we typically recommend either Ultrasonic or Nebulizing diffusers. While nebulizers often produce better diffusion since they don’t require dilution in water, we find that ultrasonics are typically more affordable than their nebulizing counterparts. After that, it’s up to you!
Today essential oils are still commonly used for their many applications since ancient times, and they are becoming more and more prevalent in conventional medicine as scientists realize the importance of these basic substances. Essential oils can be dangerous when digested or used directly on skin without being diluted with a lotion or carrier oil, and most ancient methods of diffusion carry many risks.
How to Choose The Best Diffuser for You
The advancements in modern oil diffusers have created a fantastic middle ground that allows us to safely bring the benefits of essential oil diffusion into our homes. These essential oil diffusers are simple to use and can be placed throughout the house in places where you relax, bringing you a variety of health benefits at a very low cost. Check out our buyer’s guide which also includes a top 10 list of diffusers to choose from.
