How to Diffuse Essential Oils in 11 Ways

Essential oils have been used for thousands of years for different purposes – health, emotionally uplifting, spirituality, relaxation, and cosmetics. They’re now getting more and more popular amongst people in these times and that’s very exciting!

Essential oils can benefit different areas of life. Moreover, diffusing them offers advantages that can significantly improve our quality of life! That’s why learning how to diffuse essential oils is simply essential if you want to find a new way of living!

How to Diffuse Essential Oils

Here are some of the oil diffusing methods that might come to use at your home! Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. At the end of the day, it’s up to you what way you choose to do it.

1. Diffuse Essential Oils

This method is, in fact, one of the simplest and easiest ways to diffuse the oil. All you have to do is place 2-3 drops of essential oil on a tissue.

You can either keep it close to your nostrils and just breathe, or keep it near your ventilation point. You could tuck it in the car vent too.

Advantages

• Very cheap.
• It requires no equipment.
• You can use it anywhere and at any time.
• Keeps you alert while driving if you tuck the tissue in the car vent.
• Great for quick uses at work, bus or plane.

Disadvantages

• Won’t keep the aroma around for a long time.
• Doesn’t reach far distances, therefore not very practical in that sense
• Not environmentally friendly.

2. Diffuse with Your Pillow

This method mostly works for those who want to use essential oils just before sleep so that they can get those sweet dreams! All you need to do is simply add a few essential oils to your pillowcase.

Advantages

• A very simple way to use essential oil.
• Works very well at night.

Disadvantages

• Might get your pillowcases dirty.
• It only really works for night time.
• Cannot disperse the aroma far away.

3. Diffusing with Candle Light Holders

Simply get a ceramic or stone container that you could fill up with warm water (at least one cup!). Put a tea lite candle under it and heat it up.

Afterward, add around 8-10 drops of essential oil to the water. When your water starts boiling, essential oils will be carried away with steam. Your room will simply smell fantastic!

Advantages

• Easy to make.
• A cheap way to diffuse essential oils.
• Looks cute and funny.
• Candle lights give a romantic atmosphere to a room.

Disadvantages

• Hot water can be dangerous around kids and pets.
• Candles will eventually run out, you’ll need to regularly get new ones.
• You’ll have to add fresh drops every hour to keep the aroma around.
• The whole arrangement can easily break, so you need to be careful.

4. Use a Diffuser Necklace

If you’re a big fan of necklaces, this method might be just for you. They either come with pads or lava rocks that you put the essential oil on. 

Afterward, you either secure the pads inside the locks or attach them to an anchor on the bracelet. They all work slightly differently but the idea is pretty much the same behind all them.

Advantages

• Both beautiful and functional.
• Just there under your chin and you can easily breathe it in. 
• Makes a nice gift.
• You’ll smell like your essential oil!

Disadvantages

• Needs to be refreshed often.
• Won’t keep aroma for a long time.

Learn how to make your own diffuser necklace at Don’t Waste the Crumbs.

5. Use Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser

A nice piece of technology that uses sonic waves to produce mist in which essential oils are broken down into small particles. Interestingly, ultrasonic diffusers were first developed as foggers that convert water into mist. 

Nobody even had the idea that they could be used with essential oils. People mostly bought them because of how attractive they looked.

Advantages

• It doesn’t need a lot of oil to keep the aroma in the room, only about 1-5 drops.
• Easy to clean.
• No need for any special liquid other than water.
• A nice decoration in your home

Disadvantages

• No way to adjust mist intensity.
• Larger models might be a bit louder.

6. Diffuse with a Nebulizer

In case you don’t know how to diffuse essential oils, a nebulizer will make it very easy for you. All you have to do is add the drops to it and it will do the job.

This type of diffuser uses nebulization to achieve evaporation. It forces essential oil to break down into particles and then spreads them all around the room with vapor.

Advantages

• Doesn’t alter essential oil composition.
• The produced molecules are tiny and can easily find their way into the lungs.
• Great for those with respiratory problems

Disadvantages

• Better models with timers cost over $50.
• Uses up oils quite quickly, so you’ll need a lot of them.
• Thick oils could block the device; therefore, you’re limited with what oils you can use.
• The glass part is easy to break.
• To keep the glass clean, you’ll need to run alcohol through it every now and then

7. Diffuse with Room Spray

That’s a super-easy way to get that essential oil aroma into your room. I’m sure you’ve seen your mother do it before or even you’ve done it before. Just perhaps not with an essential oil.

All you have to do is fill a spray with distilled water, add 5-6 or 10-15 drops of essential oil to it and just spray around. You might want to test your invention with fewer drops first and see how it feels.

Advantages

• A quick way to mask odors.
• Easy and simple to use.
• No need for electricity and you can carry it with you anywhere.
• A cheap way to spread that aroma around.

Disadvantages

• If you’re going to use plastic bottles, essential oils will deteriorate quickly.
• Glass bottle might easily break, heavy to carry around.

8. Use a Plug-in Electric Diffuser

All you have to do with this one is just plug it into a charger unit or your wall and add 1-2 drops of essential oil to the pads. It gently warms up essential oil and helps its particles to disperse.

Advantages

• Very cheap.
• Portable, you can take it whenever you’re traveling around.
• Easy and simple to use.

Disadvantages

• You’ll need to have new pads whenever you want to change the aroma.
• You will need electricity for it to work.
• You’ll have to regularly add essential oil to those pads to keep that aroma going.

9. Use a Fan Diffuser

A fan diffuser simply blows air across a pad with essential oil. Nothing fancy but works. You’ll need around 5-10 drops of your oil. Start with fewer drops first.

Advantages

• Perfect for those living in warmer climates, the air will cool you down and spread the aroma.
• Easy to use and quite simple.

Disadvantages

• It can be loud and annoying to some of you.
• Evaporates oils very fast – in 15 minutes or so.
• Works mostly with heavier essential oils.
• Pads need to be replaced quite often.

10. Use Stuffed Animals

I know that often diffusing essential oils specifically for the health of your kids might not be so easy. Therefore, you can cheat and add a few drops of a chosen oil to your baby’s toys.

Better, if you are creative and like to make your own toys for your children, you could try making ones stuffed with rice. Essential oil aroma can never hurt your kid!

Advantages

• Perfect for those with kids.
• Easy to use.
• It can encourage you to get your creative juices going.

Disadvantages

• Aroma goes away quite fast.
• Might stain the toys a little bit.
• Works mostly with heavier essential oils.

11. Use a Facial Steamer

If you’re looking for a way to cleanse your skin and clean up those lungs, using a facial steamer might be exactly what you need. Add a few drops of essential oil to the water and enjoy the experience. Obviously, not all of you have actual facial steamers. 

Therefore, you can just boil some water in a bowl, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil and start breathing in the steam. You could also cover your head with a towel so that all steam is directed straight to your face.

However, be careful as you may burn your skin if the steam is too hot. Let yourself breathe and stay safe. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. 

Advantages

• Very easy and fast to diffuse.
• Great for skin and your lungs.
• Relaxing experience and therapeutic.

Disadvantages

• Aroma goes away quite fast.
• It cannot really spread the aroma to the whole room.
• Not everyone enjoys getting their face all sweaty.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to diffuse essential oils, what method are you going to use? Do you have any preferences of your own? Which method works best for you? Perhaps you have any tips of your own?

 Just comment below with your questions and thoughts, and we’ll make sure to answer and ponder with you! Have a lovely day and take care! Keep on diffusing those essential oils!