Oil warmers may look like a humidifier, but they do no necessarily act like one.
While a humidifier increases the level of humidity in the air, an oil diffuser breaks up water molecules and essential oils into small particles. It releases these particles into the air, and the air carries them throughout the room.
Diffusers are one of the most popular ways to use essential oils. They give your home a pleasant smell and provide several health benefits to you and your family.
The oils purify the air by removing any kind of seasonal threat, and they can even uplift your mood.
Does This Really Work?
A lot of us have heard about the benefits of essential oils, but it can seem a little farfetched. Can breathing in a nice scent actually make us any healthier?
Yes, it can.
Many scientists have proven that essential oils can have a positive effect on both physical and emotional health conditions. You can use these oils as a natural medication, beauty products, or a method of relaxation.
Here’s how it works.
When you smell essential oils, your brain gets stimulated. Depending on the particular components of the oil, your mood and emotions start to shift. You can feel anything from a strong sense of calm to a new bout of energy. In other words, essential oils are natural mood modifiers.
They can even help you get to sleep at night.
Studies show essential oils reduce stress and anxiety and give people a higher quality of sleep. In many cases, it reduces the time it takes to fall asleep as well.
So all these essential oil benefits aren’t made up or overexaggerated. They do work. The hardest part of incorporating these oils into your everyday life is picking the right kind of diffuser.
Types of Diffusers
There are several types of essential oil diffusers out there, and they all come with their own features. Choosing the right one comes down to how you want to use your diffuser and your personal preference.
Here’s a quick list of the most common types of diffusers to you know what you’re looking at when you start shopping.
Ultrasonic Diffuser
An ultrasonic diffuser uses water to disperse the essential oils throughout the room. After mixing a few drops of essential oil into the water, the diffuser will release the liquid into the air as a fine mist.
This diffuser uses a smaller concentration of oil, which can be beneficial for people who have trouble with higher amounts. In turn, this means you use less oil every time you turn the diffuser on. It’s also quiet, so the noise won’t distract you as you’re working or trying to fall asleep.
You do have to clean this diffuser more than other models, and it doesn’t work well in large spaces.
Nebulizing Diffusers
This type of diffuser doesn’t use any water. A nebulizing diffuser pulls the essential oil out from the bottle, which leaves a strong concentration in the air. This allows it to fill large spaces, but it can be overwhelming for people who don’t like powerful scents.
A nebulizing diffuser is also loud and expensive. You have to spend extra money on the diffuser itself, and you go through a lot more oil a lot quicker than other diffusers.
Heat Diffusers
A heat diffuser is similar to a wax heater, but it warms up essential oils instead. This diffuser is inexpensive and quiet, but it does have a higher risk of accidents. If you have a lot of young children in your home, you may want to pick another type of diffuser to avoid burns.
This diffuser also evaporates the oil faster than others. The warmth breaks down some of the therapeutic qualities, so the oil loses some of its benefits.
Evaporating Diffusers
This diffuser uses a fan to blow over a cotton pad infused with essential oils and sends the oils into the air. It’s inexpensive, simple, and a good diffuser to bring along with you during trips.
However, is has trouble distributing oils in an even way, and you have to change the pads more than you might want to. Like heat diffusers, an evaporating diffuser doesn’t deliver as many therapeutic benefits from the essential oil.
How Do You Plan to Use the Diffuser?
Is this something you’ll use in your office as you work? In meetings with clients? In your home? As something to help you sleep? As a nightlight for your child?
The answers to these question might change the features you need on your diffuser.
For example, if you want to use a diffuser in your office, you’ll want something that can fit on your desk. If you want something to help you get to sleep at night, it will need to be quiet and shut down on its own. If you want to use it as a nightlight for your child, it’ll have to light up.
Diffusers come with a lot of different features, so make sure you figure out exactly what you’re looking for before you buy anything.
Where Do You Plan to Use Diffuser?
What size room are you planning on using the diffuser? Depending on the type of diffuser you get, it may not work well in a large space. If you want to fill your living room with essential oil benefits, you may need to get a larger diffuser.
You can also buy two small diffusers and put them on different sides of the room. A single diffuser is a good option for smaller rooms, like bedrooms or offices.
What Is Your Budget?
While many diffusers are affordable, there are some, like nebulizing diffusers, that can cost a lot of money. But if you don’t have a lot of wiggle room in your budget, you can find diffusers for under $20.
Just make sure you don’t sacrifice quality for cost. A cheap diffuser may not take as much money out of your wallet, but it may not work as well as others either. In fact, it may have a shorter lifetime and cause you to spend more money in the long run.
How to Pick the Best Oil Warmers for You
Figuring out how and where you want to use your diffuser will help you pick the best one for your needs. And don’t spend too much time focusing on the cost. It’s more important you get a diffuser that’ll suit your needs. The benefits that come with it will pay for themselves once you start using it.
Interested in learning more about oil warmers? This article explains the difference between diffusers and humidifiers.
The post Oil Warmers 101: A Guide to Choosing the Perfect Essential Oil Diffuser appeared first on Unhumid.