Diffusing is a favorite way to use oils aromatically. Using a diffuser, to reduce the essential oils to tiny particles and project them into the air, is a great way to both freshen and improve the quality of the air and to absorb the oil particles into your body through your nose, where they find a quick route to your brain, and enter your blood stream through your lungs. Diffusing also, to a lesser extent, results in the absorption of essential oils through the skin – especially for animals who readily absorb tiny essential oil molecules through hair follicles.

Aromatic use of essential oils is a great way to…

• support the immune system
• support the respiratory system
• support deep sleep
• calm anxious, stressed, or chaotic people and environments
• support emotional well-being
• support intellectual clarity, strength, and stamina
• eliminate odors
• digest mold spores
• eliminate germs in the air and on surfaces

Diffusing essential oils is a FANTASTIC way to offer general support for the bodies in your family (large, small, and furry!), because it can be done very gently, moderately, or intensely, and because it’s easy to do successfully!

So, all of that said, what’s the best diffuser to use? Well, that depends – let’s take a look.

As you can see in the diagram at the top of the page, there are a number of different types of diffusers. Choosing the right diffuser for your application is as important as choosing the right essential oil! Click here to read my Blog post Diffusing with Purpose If you want to retain the therapeutic benefits of your essential oils, NEVER USE A METHOD OF DIFFUSING THAT INCLUDES HEAT. 

So let’s explore the differences…

Ultrasonic Mist Diffusers

Ultrasonic Mist Diffusers provide a gentle diffusing experience by combining the technology of a humidifier and a ultrasonic fine vapor diffuser into one. The ultrasonic technology breaks the mixture of essential oils and water into millions of microparticles and disperses them into the air in a fine water-based mist.

Pros of Ultrasonic Mist Diffusers

• Gentle, relaxing diffusing experience
• Most are very quiet, some provide white or colored lighting to accentuate the mist
• Help to increase the humidity in dry indoor environments

Cons of Ultrasonic Mist Diffusers

• Not a healthy choice for environments with 50% or higher indoor humidity

Best ‘fits’ for Ultrasonic Mist Diffusers

• Babies rooms, across the room from the crib, with the door left open, and with just a few drops of oil
• Children’s rooms
• Friends & Family Gatherings
• Offices & Waiting Areas
• Teen & Adult Bedrooms with indoor humidity under 50%
• Pet Areas – great to set on top of wire kennels for critters with health challenges Click here for Pets & Oils

Never use Ultrasonic Mist Diffusers in these Situations

• Environments where mold is present, suspected, or likely
• Environments humidity levels over 50%

Atomizing Diffusers

Atomizing Diffusers provide a powerful diffusing experience – this is the most advanced nebulizer technology, atomizing the essential oil into a micro-fine essential oil vapor, some able to produce particles as small as 1–3 microns.  An atomizing diffuser is the ideal diffuser for therapy because it can release a heavy concentration of micro-fine oil particles into the air, when used at a high setting, and the extremely small particle size allows them to remain suspended in the air for extended periods of time, and allows the body to more easily uptake them into the bloodstream through the mucas membranes of the nose and through the lungs.

Pros of Atomizing Diffusers

• Therapeutic size and concentration of essential oil particles
• Micron-sized particles stay suspended in air for the most extended periods of time
• No water/humidity is added to the environment

Cons of Atomizing Diffusers

• Can be too powerful for very sensitive individuals – although most Atomizing diffusers have adjustable settings to allow for a gentler therapeutic experience which, at low settings, can be used safely even with children and pets, by placing the diffuser on an opposite side of a well-ventilated room.
• Atomizing diffusers are usually not as quiet as other types of diffusers

Best ‘fits’ for Atomizing Diffusers

• Sick Rooms
• School Classrooms – support better attendance as well as learning, attention, and test taking!
• Germ Elimination
• Mold Remediation
• Environments where mold is present, suspected, or likely
• Environments where indoor humidity is typically 50% or higher
• Veterinary and Medical Environments

Never use Atomizing Diffusers in these Situations

• Children’s rooms with doors closed
• Near children’s beds even with doors opened
• Directly on top of wire pet kennels

Fine Vapor Diffusers

Therapeutically, Fine Vapor Diffusers fall somewhere between the Ultrasonic Mist Diffusers and the Atomizing Diffusers.  Fine Vapor Diffuers use a powerful pump and a glass nebulizer to disperse oils into the air in a micro-fine vapor, allowing them to remain suspended in the air longer than the Ultrasonic Mist diffusers, but not as long as the Atomizing diffusers.

Pros of Fine Vapor Diffusers

• Gentler than the Atomizing diffusers
• More therapeutic than the Ultrasonic Mist diffusers
• No water/humidity is added to the environment

Cons of Fine Vapor Diffusers

• They work best in a room where the air has nice natural currents, as the mist kind of gently ‘falls out’ of the nebulizer rather than being ‘pushed out’ forcefully with higher air pressure. Placing a Fine Vapor Diffuser up high helps the disbursement of the oils as well.

Best ‘fits’ for Fine Vapor Diffusers

• Children’s Sick Rooms
• Environments where mold is present, suspected, or likely
• Environments where indoor humidity is typically 50% or higher

Never use Fine Vapor Diffusers in these Situations

• Babies’ rooms with doors closed
• Near babies’ cribs/bassinets

Travel/Portable Diffusers

Portable diffusers are a great way to bring diffusing everywhere you go!  Most portable diffusers use a simple wick technology – place the essential oil on the wick and forced air pushes the oil particles into the area! Most have USB technology options, so they can be used in the car too!

Pros of Portable Diffusers

• Well, they’re portable! 🙂
• Gentle
• Can be fairly therapeutic in small environments like cars (stressed by the rush-hour traffic???)
• No water/humidity is added to the environment

Cons of Fine Vapor Diffusers

• Not highly therapeutic in regular sized rooms, simply because of the very light concentration of oils they put into the air
• Not a long run-time before you’ll want to add a few more drops of oil to the wick

Again, choosing the right diffuser for your application is as important as choosing the right essential oil! I hope this information has helped you to better understand your options so that you can make the safest and most effective choices for your family!