The Best Essential Oil Diffusers: How To Choose

by Public Goods

November 8, 2019

The benefits of essential oils are hard to dispute.

These oils distilled from plants are revered in the homeopathic and natural health communities because they can serve a number of important roles:

There are several ways to use essential oils for health and well-being. They can be diluted and used topically. They can (under strict supervision and under strict rules) be used internally. The most common method of utilizing essential oils, however, is to release their scent into the air via what’s known as aromatherapy.

The most effective and most popular way to do that is by using what are known as essential oil diffusers (and sometimes called aromatherapy diffusers) that spread scents throughout a room or home.

Loading component ...

How Essential Oil Diffusers Work

The theory behind a diffuser is simple. It disperses either a mix of water and essential oil, or just fine particles of the oil itself, into the air surrounding the machine. Air currents or a fan then circulate the essential oil throughout a room or house, where it can be inhaled.

There are three different types of diffusers, each with their pros and cons.

Ultrasonic Diffusers

The most common type of aromatherapy diffuser, these machines work much like a humidifier, mixing water placed into its water reservoir with essential oils to create a mist that’s dispersed into the air. In fact, these diffusers can often double as humidifiers for use in dry climates or enclosed buildings.

Pros:

Relatively inexpensive
relatively quiet
lots of alternatives on the market

Cons:

Must always be filled with water
require regular cleaning
not ideal for citrus oils that can erode interior parts

Evaporative Fan Diffusers

These diffusers rely completely on evaporation. A few drops of essential oil are dripped onto an absorbent pad inside the machine and then left to evaporate, with the oil’s molecules blown by an internal fan into the room. These simple diffusers can become even more simple, because some don’t even have a fan. Instead they rely on ambient air currents to carry the oil’s aroma.

It’s worth noting that not all evaporative diffusers come with a fan. If you want the fan feature, make sure it’s mentioned in the product description.

Don’t want the fan on all the time? That’s OK, too. You can order a version that only evaporates. Then you can buy the fan separately.

Pros:

Inexpensive
portable
durable

Cons:

Small coverage area
absorbent pads must regularly be rejuvenated with oil or replaced
usually only powered by batteries

Nebulizing Diffusers

utama spice nebulizing diffuser — Image Credit: Utama Spice

The most powerful and fastest-acting diffusers, nebulizers are best used for oils intended to provide physical relief, rather than those used for mood or emotional support. An atomizer creates tiny particles of the essential oil and immediately releases the fine mist into the air. Because these diffusers don’t require water or another medium, the oil isn’t diluted and provides the most benefit to those inhaling it.

Pros:

Potent
doesn’t require water or setup
ease of use

Cons:

Most expensive
uses oil more quickly
can be loud

Features of the Best Essential Oil Diffusers

You usually get what you pay for. The more you pay for an aromatherapy essential oil diffuser, in most cases, the more bells-and-whistles you’ll get.

But here are the most important features to look for when you go shopping for a diffuser at your local big box store or on Amazon.

Coverage Area

It makes a big difference if you want your diffuser to cover an entire floor of your house, or just the living room. Nebulizing diffusers typically cover between 400 and 1,000 square feet of space, perfect for very large spaces; ultrasonic and evaporative models will ordinarily provide coverage for larger rooms and small spaces, respectively.

Adjustability

Good nebulizers and some ultrasonic models allow you to adjust the amount of mist the machine is diffusing into the air; the more mist settings, the better. Evaporative diffusers may let you adjust the speed of the fan dispersing the oil, but that’s about it.

Timer

Nebulizing diffusers are the only units that come with timers as standard features, although some high-end ultrasonics will include timers as well. Good ones will allow you to set the run time on the diffuser for one, two or four hours at a time, and to either operate continuously or cycle through on/off functions until the oil is gone.

Noise Level

Most diffusers are relatively quiet (although the fans on some evaporative models can get loud). Nonetheless, it’s good to know if this aspect will be a problem before you turn it on, try to go to sleep and realize your diffuser is not whisper-quiet.

LED Lights

Many nebulizing and ultrasonic essential oil diffusers will have LED colored lights that may flash, rotate or do other “tricks” you might find cool — or might find annoying. It’s best to know in advance about your light options (especially if the lights can be turned off, or if the LEDs simply provide mood light or a night light).

Water Capacity

This is a factor for ultrasonic diffusers that have differently-sized water tanks. The bigger the tank, the less portable the machine will be when full, but the less often you will have to refill it.

Power

The length of the power cord, the type of batteries used, or whether there’s a USB power option can matter greatly when it comes to convenience.

Other Features

An aroma essential oil diffuser should have an automatic shutoff function. Less important features — from the design of your diffuser (some are wood-grain, some are available in different colors) to the footprint it will occupy on your nightstand or coffee table — should also be considered if those factors are important to you. A good warranty is also something to look for.

The Best Essential Oil Diffusers to Consider

There are dozens of excellent diffusers on the market, making it difficult to select the right model for your needs.
To help, here are a few of the best aromatherapy diffusers currently available that are worth considering: