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If you love filling your home with a signature scent, try using one of the best essential oil diffusers to spread consistent and natural fragrance as an alternative to the best candles. Essential Oil Diffuser
A diffuser is a device that holds essential oils or fragrance oils and disperses it into the air. There are two main types of diffusers: ultrasonic and nebulizing. Ultrasonic diffusers use evaporating water to carry essential oils into the air, but nebulizing diffusers essentially create an internal vacuum that lifts fragrance into the air so there are no humidifying effects. The main difference between the two is that ultrasonic diffusers distribute a more diluted fragrance that lasts longer, and nebulizing diffusers deliver highly concentrated fragrance.
To find the best essential oil diffusers, we tested nine options to see how easy they were to use and how well they dispensed oils, and consulted with Amanda Lattin, dean of aromatherapy at American College of Healthcare Science, about essential oils and diffusers. The Asakuki 500 mL Premium Essential Oil Diffuser is our top choice, with a large water tank that doesn't need to be constantly refilled, adjustable time and mist settings, and an easy to use design. The Pura Smart Fragrance Diffuser is a plug-in waterless design that uses it own scent vials, with partnerships with popular candle brands and that lets you control fragrance intensity from its accompany app.
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Best overall: Asakuki 500 mL Premium Essential Oil Diffuser - See at Amazon The Asakuki is perfect for most size rooms, has a large water capacity, and can be controlled from anywhere in the house with its remote.
Best budget: Urpower 2nd Generation Essential Oil Diffuser - See at Amazon The Urpower 2nd Generation Diffuser is cheap, easy to use and clean, and has a strong mist stream despite its small size.
Best smart: Pura Smart Fragrance Diffuser - See at Amazon The Pura Smart Fragrance Diffuser is customizable and diffuses scents well in any size room with its adjustable fragrance intensity.
Best waterless: Raindrop Nebulizing Diffuser - See at Amazon Though pricier than most diffusers, the Raindrop Nebulizing Diffuser strongly dispenses essential oils and leaves large rooms smelling great.
Pros: Large water capacity, diffuses well in rooms of all sizes, remote feature, mist setting, one of the best essential oil diffusers due to its long run time
Cons: Takes up more space than most diffusers
Lattin says when shopping for an essential oil diffuser, an important feature to consider is a timer for a customized run time, and the Asakuki has just that.
One of the standout features of this model, and something that helped it earn the title of best overall essential oil diffuser, is its included remote. I'm able to set a timer, change the LED lighting, and control how soft or powerful I want the mist to be from wherever I'm sitting.
What really makes the Asakuki stand out against the other diffusers, though, is its 500-mL water tank. The Asakuki's large tank means you won't have to refill it frequently. In my testing, I ran it for a full 16 hours before needing to refill the reservoir. Another plus for this diffuser is how easy it is to clean. I simply diffused like normal with water and a few drops of white vinegar.
The Asakuki diffuses oils well in rooms of all sizes without being too overpowering. It filled up my 180-square-foot bedroom and my 220-square-foot living room, which has a 25-foot-high ceiling.
The only downside of this diffuser is its 6.6-inch diameter. Most of the diffusers we tested are more slender. I recommend placing it on a wide surface such as a side table, desk, or counter.
Pros: Affordable, automatic shutoff, seven LED lights, one of the best essential oil diffusers due to its price tag
The Urpower 2nd Generation Essential Oil Diffuser is small but mighty, and you get all of the benefits of an essential oil diffuser without spending a lot of money. If you're someone who doesn't care for fancy features, this 100-mL diffuser nicely saturates small rooms with essential oils.
Despite having a smaller water capacity, the Urpower has a run time of six hours, which is longer than some diffusers we tested that have a larger reservoir. Although this diffuser isn't the fanciest, it has seven LED mood lights and automatically shuts off after its run time is complete.
The instructions don't specify how to clean the Urpower, but water and a few drops of white vinegar worked well for me.
Pros: Useful app feature, adjustable LED lighting with color wheel, and long run time, one of the best essential oil diffusers due to its adjustable fragrance intensity
Cons: Expensive scents sold separately
The Pura Smart Fragrance Diffuser is a plug-in diffuser that works exclusively from the Pura app, which allows you to adjust the fragrance's intensity and set a schedule for when you want your Pura to diffuse. The app was super easy to use with its detailed step-by-step instructions, and connecting the Pura to my WiFi took less than a minute.
It felt great not having to worry about cleaning this diffuser because it's completely waterless and uses heat to diffuse oils. You can choose from more than 100 fragrances, but the downside is that the diffuser is only compatible with Pura's essential oils vials. If you aren't sure which fragrance to choose from, the company offers a fragrance quiz that will match you with a few scents based on your answers. The vials cost between $8 to $14.
For my tests, Pura sent me two fragrance samples that I tested for a month: volcano and coconut calm. With the Pura Diffuser's adjustable fragrance intensity, both scents diffused well in rooms of all sizes.
Everyone in my house was amazed by how I could control this smart diffuser from anywhere, even from outside of the house. With its ease of use, convenient app features, LED color wheel lighting, and amazing fragrances, this is by far the best smart diffuser.
Pros: Strong mist, long-lasting scent, one of the best essential oil diffusers if you are looking for a glass reservoir instead of plastic
Cons: Expensive, cleaning takes a bit more effort
Nebulizing diffusers aren't the most affordable, but they are worth it because they diffuse solely essential oils. With ultrasonic diffusers, "essential oils just sit on top of the water, so the diffuser is making it to where droplets of water are coming out, and there are little bits of essential oils riding on those droplets of water," said Lattin. With a nebulizer, a stream of pressurized air hits the essential oil and it is ultimately released into the air as a mist of very small particles.
With the Organic Aromas Raindrop Nebulizing Diffuser being my first waterless diffuser, I didn't know what to expect. Lattin says a few drops of essential oil in a nebulizing diffuser goes a long way. Although the brand recommends adding 20 to 25 drops, I took Lattin's advice and added four drops of essential oil inside the glass reservoir.
Even though Organic Aromas says its diffuser can cover up to an 800-square-foot room, I raised the intensity level just a bit, and within seconds I could smell the essential oils throughout my entire 2,924-square-foot home. This waterless diffuser has a two-hour run time, but given how strongly it dispenses oils, this is more than a sufficient amount of time. Plus, I could still smell the fragrance lingering once the diffuser automatically shut off.
Cleaning the Raindrop Nebulizing Diffuser was simple but took some time due to how strong the oils are. I removed the glass pieces, placed them into a bowl of hot water and dish soap, and repeated this process until I couldn't smell the essential oils as strongly. Once the pieces finished soaking, I rinsed them off with water and let them completely air dry before reassembling.
When it comes to essential oil diffusers, there are three types of dispersing methods as well as several important features you should know about.
Once you've settled on a diffusing method, the choices are nearly endless when it comes to features like settings, coverage area, and aesthetic appeal. Some things to consider before you make a purchase:
When testing each of the picks for the best essential oil diffusers, I ran each one in different size rooms over a span of two months. I observed how well they diffused oil, their ease of use and cleaning, and their water capacity. I also interviewed Amanda Lattin, dean of aromatherapy at American College of Healthcare Science, about essential oils and diffusers.
Below are the criteria we used to determine the best essential oil diffusers.
Ease of use: After unboxing the diffusers, I made a note of how easy or difficult it was to set up each one. For the app-enabled smart diffusers, I noted how quickly I was able to connect the diffuser to WiFi and my phone along with how user-friendly the app was. Most diffusers require water and a few drops of essential oil and will start up with a click of a button. For ones that require more steps, I considered whether their performance outweighed the extra effort.
Ease of cleaning: Along with ease of use, I made note of how tedious or simple it was to clean each diffuser.
Run time and water capacity: I filled each diffuser to its maximum water capacity and noted how many hours it diffused the oils and how often I had to refill the diffuser. For nebulizing diffusers, I considered how much time was needed to diffuse oils throughout a room.
Strength of essential oils in each diffuser: I kept track of how many drops of essential oils I added to each diffuser based on its recommended amount and noted how strongly the fragrance dispersed from each diffuser. I also observed how long the oil's scent lasted in the room once the diffuser stopped running.
Square footage covered: To test the strength of each diffuser, I ran each diffuser in my 180-square-foot bedroom; 220-square-foot living room, which has a 25-foot-high ceiling; and my 200-square-foot office.
According to Lattin, essential oils are extracted from a specific part of a plant, such as the flowers, seeds, roots, peel, bark, or leaves. Genuine essential oils "have information about where the essential oil was produced" and when it was made Lattin said. Often, manufacturers will link to analysis reports of their essential oils.
In order to get the most out of this practice, it is important to learn how to clean your essential oil diffuser.
After using your diffuser, it's important to clean the device regularly to avoid any erosion of the plastic parts. Most of the diffusers I tested included directions to clean the reservoirs with white vinegar, water, and dish soap after one or two uses.
John Hopkins All Children's Hospital recommends taking precautions when using essential oils around children but notes that they may have some benefits. Never apply concentrated essential oils directly on a child's skin and store them securely out of reach. In children under 30 months old, peppermint oil may cause seizures. Read labels closely to ensure you are using pure oils rather than synthetic formulas.
According to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), concentrated essential oils can be dangerous to pets, whether they consume them or their skin comes into contact with them. The APCC recommends only using the diffuser for a short period of time and not using one if you have birds due to their sensitive respiratory tracts.
While you want the diffuser to be in a spot with good airflow, it should also be inaccessible to pets and children. You'll also want to make sure any vapor is able to dissipate without coming into contact with delicate surfaces or electronics.
Incorporating diffusing into your daily routine has been shown to reduce stress, promote healthy sleeping habits, and reduce inflammation.
Before you start diffusing, it's important to know that you can overdo it. "You can end up inhaling too much or interacting with it too much if it diffuses all day or all night, which can cause irritation," says Lattin. "You'll want to start out by diffusing for short periods of time during the day to see how well you tolerate it, and setting up your diffuser in an area that isn't too close."
While buying essential oils can be a personal experience, three oils to keep in mind that help when winding down in the evening are lavender, chamomile, and peppermint.
Lavender oil benefits include calming your nerves and reducing inflammation in the body. Because of this, lavender aromatherapy is widely used in sleep products and is often the primary oil used in premade essential oil sleep blends.
Like a warm cup of chamomile tea, chamomile oils are shown to promote relaxation and drowsiness. Lastly, if you are having trouble falling asleep due to a stuffy nose or upset stomach, peppermint oil benefits include reducing pain and helping aid digestion.
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