Diffusing Essential Oils | FAQ

More people are waking up to the self care we’ve been craving and lacking to live beyond survival mode, which is amazing! Diffusing essential oils is one of the simplest and most convenient ways to work in a little self care, health support, and stress management, but I still get a lot of questions from people who want to make sure they’re doing it right. So here are some answers for you!

“Is there anything I shouldn’t diffuse?”

The easy answer is no.

Some are just more beneficial when applied to the body. The Soothing Blend, for example, is one that can ease muscle tension and stiff joints. While diffusing it does have some benefits, you’re not going to get the fast acting muscle melting benefits that you would if you just applied it where you have stiffness or tension.

There also may be some oils that just don’t smell great, but that’s totally objective. If you love to smell oregano and don’t mind a pizzeria vibe in your home, then by all means, add some oregano to your diffuser. It’s going to do some major immune boosting and cleansing of the air. So, why not?!

One last thing you want to keep in mind is if it is blended with a carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil. The job of the carrier oil is to give the essential oils something to stick to so that when you apply them to skin, they absorb and don’t just evaporate off.

You want the oils to evaporate easily into the air. So roller blends that are diluted for topical application might not diffuse well. Also be aware that many cheaper brands of essential oils have added a carrier oil to cut costs. These may not diffuse well, and they could even contain other additives or contaminants that you wouldn’t want to be breathing in.

In short, diffuse anything you want. Just make sure they’re high quality tested essential oils.

“What can I diffuse around my dog?”

Dogs are pretty easy. They don’t process the chemical compounds in Tea Tree very easily, so it’s not one that should be applied to a dog without the proper dilution and care of a veterinarian.

Leave the door to the room open when diffusing so the dog can leave if they’re bothered by the smell. I would also stick to diffusing less potent oil combos and use 8 drops or less, just to be safe.

Cats are a different story. While I diffuse anything I want in my home around my cats and dogs, I am careful to not diffuse cinnamon, a heavy amount of citrus oils, eucalyptus, or tea tree in the room my cat likes to hang around in. But again, leave the doors open, don’t shut an animal up in the room with a diffuser, diffuse appropriate amounts, and you should be just fine. It’s not that a particular oil is toxic as much as it is the quantity that the pet can take in and process in their body. When essential oils are diffused, they are the opposite of concentrated.

*Horror stories have circulated fast around the internet and social media, but following experienced veterinarians like @essentialoilvet and using quality tested essential oils that don’t have cheap synthetic additives have dispelled a ton of fear and never steered me wrong.

“Which diffuser should I buy?”

Here are the basic types, but cold mist is the one I recommend for daily diffusing.

Heat- oil and wax warmers are created only for smell. They break down the best part of high quality essential oils, the therapeutic compounds. Not a cost effective way to use good essential oils.

Cold Mist- really the only practical way to diffuse oils. You can easily add tap water and oils right into the reservoir, tap a button, and let it go. Most of them run from 4-8 hours, are BPA free, and have an auto-shutoff when the water runs out.

Nebulizer- these diffuse a higher concentration of oils since they don’t use water, but you’ll go through a lot of essential oils pretty fast. There are major health benefits to using these if what you want is a concentrated dose without extra moisture added into the air.

I have several diffusers from doTERRA that have treated me well, but I also recommend a few models from Amazon that I’ll link below in case you want to grab a few for multiple rooms of the house.

*affiliate links- you pay the same price, but they’ll send me a little thank you gift for recommending

the ultimate question…

“How do I know what to diffuse, and can I mix different oils together?”

I’ll make a more detailed post soon that lets you play around with different methods of choosing oils, such as chemistry groups, emotional benefits, fragrance notes, and even some blending strategies that align with the seasons and mind-body connection.

But it does NOT have to be that complicated.

Ready to use blends

Many blends are already created to be added right to the diffuser if you don’t want the extra effort of mixing and blending. There’s a respiratory blend, a protective blend, restful blend, uplifting blend, invigorating blend, etc… Just add 6-8 drops of the blend you want and hit diffuse!

The more you practice and play, the more you get a feel for the art of diffusing things that please your own senses. If you’re not just diffusing for smell, you can combine oils with the different health benefits that you want and have fun with your own creations. You can mix any oils safely! There are no combos you have to avoid.

The wisdom of pure, high quality essential oils is that they don’t isolate or manipulate the chemistry of the plant. They are user friendly to mix and blend well just as they are.

A Few Tips I Use to Make Diffusing Convenient:

1) Keep a bottle of water near the diffuser so it’s quick and easy to refill.

2) Keep some common oils like Wild Orange or Peppermint near the diffuser so you always have something right at hand to put in it.

3) Start a note in your phone or a journal of the things you like so you can go back to them easily. Check out the Pinterest Pins below! Add them to your own Pinterest Diffuser board!

have fun experimenting and finding what you like!

I do suggest starting yourself a note in your phone or in a journal to keep up with your favorites. You might even have your own collection to share one day!

Hopefully I’ve eased your mind and inspired you to feel free to play. That’s where the real fun is. But if you’re a recipe follower and just want somewhere to start before you venture out on your own, try these!