by Lisa J. Byers, CAHP and CFA Research Committee member Because safety is top-of-mind when diffusing, we asked you to reflect on a number of important questions. In Part 1, we asked ‘Who shares the air space?’ & ‘What oils are you choosing to diffuse?’ In Part 2, we asked ‘When and for how long will you be diffusing?’ & ‘Where will you be diffusing?’ And in Part 3, we discussed how ‘Wise Diffusing Saves You $$$’ – because who doesn’t like saving money? Now in Part 4 we provide some tips and things to look for when purchasing a diffuser for the first time and we provide a list of best practices when cleaning your diffuser....
Wise Diffusing Saves You $$$ Apart from the health implications of non-stop diffusing for you, your family and your pets, following these suggested guidelines will also save you $$$ in two ways: One, you will use less essential oils; and two, you will extend the life of your ultrasonic diffuser. In a recent conversation, a friend was telling me how quickly they were going through their essential oils. I asked them how many drops they were using? They answered 10-15 drops. Yikes! A 5 ml bottle holds 100-120 drops and a 15 ml holds 300-360 drops. No wonder they were going through their essential oils so quickly! My follow-up questions were: how big is the bowl, and whether they were...
Last time, we left off with three of the 5Ws of diffusing. Here are the other two: 4. When and for how long will you be diffusing? ALWAYS use a timer when diffusing -- if your unit does not have one built in, use your cell phone or stove timer. This can be challenging at nighttime – but you don’t want to be diffusing throughout the night. Aim for 30-minute intervals of diffusing (or less) with a minimum of a 30-minute break. Why, you may be asking yourself? One word — Sensitization. Sensitization refers to the potential long-term adverse effects of repeated exposure to an essential oil, especially in high doses (too many essential oil drops for many hours of...
Diffusing essential oils at home is a wonderful and effective method to benefit from the various therapeutic properties of essential oils. For example, you may choose essential oils that are uplifting and revitalizing to diffuse during the day and others that are calming and relaxing in the evening. Diffusing essential oils during the cold and flu season is a great way to prevent the spread of germs and cleanse the air of airborne particles that may be harmful. But did you know there are safety issues to consider when diffusing? This 4 part article discusses the ins and outs of diffusing using a water-filled ultrasonic aromatherapy diffuser for therapeutic purposes (and not simply to ‘fragrance’ the air). Note: I am offering...
