Diffusing Essential Oils

Choosing which essential oils (EO) I diffuse is one of my favorite choices of the day. I see EO as a scent garden that I get to cast into my home for all to enjoy and benefit from. My mood and goal of the day are determining factors for which EO I will showcase. I always want my home to smell like a spa; a calming environment that smells so good you want to stay awhile.

High-quality essential oils offer more than just a nice aroma. Learning how to harness not only their scent but beneficial properties will really amp up your diffusing game.  Digging into Botany, the science of plants offers a road-map to using essential oils for all that they offer.  In this article, I plan to share my top 3 favorite diffusing blends, highlight plant properties, demystify diffusing, and share a few resources.

My top three blends

#1

Six drops of the following EO: Peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, lemon. Growing up I had wicked allergies and they haunted me all the way into my adult life. I was no stranger to toilet paper wads stuffed up my nose and using what seemed like 500 pillows at night to simply breathe. Spring and fall usually meant I was going to be a slave to allergy medicine and would have to pick and choose when I would go on my outdoor adventures. I learned quickly that diffusing gave me a break from seasonal allergens. I noticed that as diffusing became a part of my daily routine I began getting relief more quickly. When studying oils I focused specifically on areas in my life that I wanted to improve and my respiratory system was a top contender.

• Peppermint Properties: Analgesic, anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, anti-viral, and invigorating. Botanical family: Labiatae.
• Lavender Properties: Analgesic, anticoagulant, anticonvulsive, antidepressant, antifungal, antihistamine,anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antimutagenic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitoxic, antitumor, cardiotonic, regenerative, and sedative. Botanical family: Labiatae.
• Eucalyptus Globulus Properties: Analgesic, antibacterial, anticatarrhal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antiviral, diuretic, expectorant, insect repellent, and stimulant.Botanical family: Myrtaceae.
• Lemon Properties: Anticancer, antidepressant, antiseptic, antifungal, antioxidant, antiviral, astringent, invigorating, refreshing, and tonic. Botanical family: Rutaceae (citrus).

#2

Ten drops of Thieves and 8 drops of Grapefruit. The cleaning properties with this concoction is amazing! It contains 2 of some of the most powerful essential oils I know of: clove and cinnamon bark. I reach for this blend several times a week and even more often when it’s cold and flu season. I enjoy the spicy aroma of Thieves and the refreshing scent of Grapefruit. If you are curious about how Thieves got its name click here.

• Clove Properties: analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiparasitic, strong antiseptic, antitumoral, antiviral, disinfectant, and immune-stimulant. Botanical family: Myrtaceae
• Lemon Common Uses: air purification, anxiety, bathroom, and kitchen cleaning.
• Cinnamon Bark Properties: antibacterial, antidepressant, antifungal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, astringent, immune-stimulant, purifier, sexual stimulant, and warming. It also enhances the action and activity of other oils. Botanical family: Lauraceae
• Eucalyptus Radiata Properties: antibacterial, anticatarrhal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and expectorant.Botanical Family: Myrtaceae
• Rosemary Properties: analgesic, antibacterial, anticancer, anticatarrhal, antifungal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and expectorant. Botanical family: Labiatae
• Grapefruit Propertie: antidepressant, antiseptic, disinfectant, diuretic, stimulant, and tonic. Botanical Family: Rutaceae.

#3

Fifteen drops of Valor. Valor is the first blend to really open my eyes to the effects EOs have on emotions. I have dealt with anxiety for most of my life. I have always found natural ways to help balance and deal with my emotions and manage anxiety. Nothing has ever come close to how Valor has helped me in this area of my life.

When I first smelled Valor, I felt as if I could jump into the bottle and swim in it all day long. I found myself opening the bottle to simply inhale the beautiful and calming scent several times a day. I use it as a perfume as well as apply it when I am beginning to feel anxious.  Diffusing Valor not only smells wonderful but also helps create a calming environment. This blend and the oils that make it will forever be some of my favorites.

• Black Spruce Properties: antibacterial, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, cortisone-like, disinfectant, and tonic. Botanical Family: Pinaceae.
• Camphor Wood Properties: insecticidal, antimicrobial, antiviral, anticoccidial, anti-nociceptive, anticancer, ant antitussive. Botanical family: Lauraceae.
• Blue Tansy Properties: analgesic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, hypotensive, hormone-like, and nervine. Botanical family: Compositae.
• Frankincense Properties: anticatarrhal, anticancer, antidepressant, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antitumoral, expectorant, immune-stimulant, and sedative.  Botanical family: Burseraceae.
• Geranium: antibacterial, antidepressant, antiseptic, astringent, diuretic, insect repellent, refreshing, relaxing, sedative, and tonic. Botanical Family: Geraniaceae.

Demystifying Diffusing

I have been asked several times in the past years if diffusing EOs is the same as air fresheners. Absolutely not. When spraying chemical-based fresheners into the air you are adding to the toxicity level of your home. Most fresheners are made with chemicals belonging to the carcinogenic family whereas EOs are packed with properties like antibacterial, antiviral, immune-stimulant, sedative, antidepressant, and astringents. There is no comparison between the two. Dr. Josh Axe puts it beautifully in his book Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine.

“When using a diffuser, the essential oil is evaporated into the surrounding environment. Diffusing essential oils can alter your mood by relaxing or stimulating the mind. It can also kill airborne pathogens and treat a respiratory condition.”

There are five main ways of diffusing:

1. Atomizing: No water is used. The essential oil bottle is connected to the diffuser and this creates a pure vapor that is quite powerful and therapeutic.
2. Vaporizing: These diffusers require essential oils to be added to water; ultrasonic waves are used to emit the oil and water particles into the air.
3. Fan or evaporative: A fan blows from the room through a pad or filter that has essential oils on it.
4. Heat: Similar to evaporative diffusers, heat diffusers also cause the essential oils to evaporate quickly.
5. Spray Bottle: Oils can be mixed with various mediums such as alcohol or vinegar and sprayed into the air.

I use 3 vaporizing diffusers and 1 atomizing diffuser in my home. In my car, I use an evaporative diffuser. For freshening up the bathroom I enjoy using a spray bottle to diffuse my EO of choice. Lately, it has been bergamot.

Resources

• The Essential Oil Diffuser Recipes Book: Over 200 Diffuser Recipes for Health, Mood, and Home. Creating your own blends can be a lot of fun and a place for creativity to flourish. However, there is so much to learn. This book is a great resource to get you started with understanding which EOs will blend well.
• Sozo Seed, LLC Art Cards – Essential Oil Edition These beautiful playing cards are a fun and playful way to strut your botanical stuff at your next game night.
• Frame-able Art Prints: Add a herbal flare to your home or office with these artistic prints.
• Reference Guide To Essential Oils App: I used this app as a reference for all of the properties of each plant on this blog. It’s a wonderful tool to have at my fingertips whenever I need to look something up quickly. I recommend purchasing this app directly from the app store on your phone.