As the owner of an aromatherapy company, I get asked all the time: "How do I get started using essential oils? Well, one of the simplest and rewarding ways of doing this is getting into the "aroma" part of aromatherapy -- the inhalation and enjoyment of the scent of the oils themselves. This in fact is a gateway to utilizing the whole realm of therapy available from pure essential oils. Once you get familiar with the oils and the way they smell by diffusing their aromas, you'll be more apt to investigate the powerful medicinal aspects of aromatherapy and its many application techniques. "Diffusing" an essential oil simply means evaporating it into the air. In aromatherapy, this most often implies the use of a tool or machines to more rapidly release the oil into your environment than if you just left a bottle open in the room or sprinkled a little oil the carpet. Now leaving a bottle open or sprinkling a little oil on a carpet is a perfectly good way of enjoying essential oils! But sometimes you'll want the smell to be stronger, and for may therapeutic (health-supporting) applications, you'll want a much higher concentration of essential oils in the air than these methods provide. Here's where the diffusers come in. The least expensive diffusers work very well for bringing aroma into the air. They often use heat to evaporate essential oil -- others use a small fan -- and both these types often have a small replaceable pad onto which a few drops of essential oil are placed. These diffusers have the advantage of low cost and ease-of-use, though they generally are only for small spaces, like a single bedroom or small office. More advanced diffusers, called ultrasonic diffuser, are like small ultrasonic humidification units, built to diffuse essential oil along with a mist of air. They are well-liked, particularly in dry environments -- the ultrasonic diffusers are also made to fill a somewhat larger space with aroma. There are other simple, inexpensive 'low-tech' methods of diffusing essential oils. These are as simple as candle warmers -- where a candle gently evaporates a few drops of essential oil floating on a small bowl of water above a tea-light candle (don't forget the water! So many people report these devices burn their oils, but they've put them just over the heat!). A Reed Diffuser is also common, which evaporates aromatic oils through bamboo reeds and slowly into the air. Though they do most often use a synthetic dispersion agent called DPG or dipropylene glycol, which most aromatherapists will not recommend using, as at some point the diffusion process requires one breathing in its vapors. The most advanced aromatherapy diffusers produce a fine, concentrated mist of pure essential oil, without water or heat. In medicinal aromatherapy practices, therapists will sometimes have their clients actually breathe the visible vapor of an oil or oil blend to help them get well. In Europe, one can find an apparatus that looks like an oxygen tent, though instead allows the patient to breathe in oils that are considered highly anti-viral or anti-bacterial. This employs what is called a "nebulizing diffuser" (this is not the same as an "ultrasonic nebulizer" in that no water is used). The nebulizing diffusers are wonderful in that they can be used in both small spaces, just for aromatic needs, or for larger areas where a high concentration of essential oils are desired in the air. At the same time, they can take a little more attending to -- needing the occasional cleaning -- and typically use precision glass pieces to make the fine mist of essential oil evaporate properly. Even so, the best of these available today are small, quiet, nice looking and easy to maintain. The choice of oils you can use in a diffuser is even more diverse than the kinds of diffusers available. It is really best to start with your desired reason for diffusing oils, then select your oils following this guideline. For general use, Citrus oils are very lovely, and combine very well to make your own unique scents. Try Lemon, Lime, Bergamot, Orange and Grapefruit together for example. Or the "evergreen" oils all blend together well: Fir, Spruce, Pine and Juniper create a very welcoming and warm atmosphere. Floral oils can be easily blended too, as can the woods and the herbs. Once you venture outside of blending oils from the same family, you'll want to pay a little closer attention to the ratios of each oil you use, as it's easy to make odd smelling recipes if you just start putting in "a little of this and a little of that"! On can always use a single oil at any time, particularly if you really enjoy one, but in the long run, blends can often be more interesting to the advanced aromatherapy user. Finally, if you're wanting to diffuse with specific therapeutic purposes in mind, you might want find some recipes from Aromatherapists created with your needs in mind. Lavender diffused during the course of the night (in very small amounts) can significantly improve sleep -- this would be considered a therapeutic application. To improve mental clarity, Rosemary has shown positive results in many studies, and is a lovely stimulating aroma. To support the immune system, some therapists recommend a blend of Rosemary, Thyme Linalool, Hyssop and Melissa. You can pick and choose among the immune supportive oils that sound best for your needs -- and the essential oils from herbs also seem to easily blend well together to create a fun and healing combination. And there we have it: an easy way to get started with aromatherapy. Diffusing essential oils can be done purely for the pleasure of the aromas, or for profound health effects when using therapeutic grade medicinal oils. There is a diffuser available for everyones needs and pocketbook; and your homemade blends, or pre-mixed formulas can be enjoyed by everyone using these wonderful tools.
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Diffusing essential oils is one of the primary methods of utilizing their therapeutic effects. Here's a primer on the different styles of diffusers and how to get the most from them.
The author has made available much information about aromatherapy, such as using essential oils to relieve pain, and other application techniques for pure and natural aromatics.
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