Diffusing Essential Oils

Essential oils are aromatic.  This term means so much more than just that essential oils smell nice or have very intense fragrances.  With essential oils, the terms aromatic and volatile mean that the especially small molecules of the oils diffuse readily into the air.  These molecules can then be absorbed into our bodies through our olfactory and respiratory systems.

Olfactory Administration

The small molecules of essential oils travel to the top of the nasal cavity as we breathe in through our noses.  There they fit like little puzzle pieces into specific receptor cells on the nearly ten million olfactory nerve cells in the lining of our noses.  These millions of nerve cells then transfer electric impulses to the olfactory bulb.  The olfactory bulb, in turn, sends those impulses to the amygdala and then to the limbic system of the brain.

The amygdala is directly involved in storing and releasing emotional trauma.  It responds strongly to odors, releasing memories present during traumatic or special times in our lives.  Studies indicate that it is the amygdala that produces solutions when we are presented with a problem to be solved in our lives.  The right essential oils, diffused, can help us draw from our strengths and the things we have already learned in life to find the best solution to today’s questions.

Essentials Oils, Memories, and Emotions

Fragrances such as those of essential oils can bring about the deepest emotions and sensations in us.  The sense of smell is closely related to memory.  Olfactory memories are very accurate and almost indelible.   The smell of something familiar from your past, such as the aroma of baking bread, can take you by surprise and bring you either memories of times when you were happy and safe, or take you back to scenes of severe distress.

Since the olfactory system is, literally, the doorway to the subconscious, it would be logical to use aroma in psychotherapy. This is being done, but the research is in the early stages.  Solid conclusions are made difficult by the fact that one person’s olfactory associations may be quite different from those of another person.  For example, if your memories of Christmas – pine trees, oranges, apple cider with cinnamon, cookies, or holiday pies – are happy ones, you will enjoy and be comforted by the aroma of Butterfly’s line of Christmas scented essential oils blends.  I particularly like Holiday Spirit, or Spice is Nice.  You may prefer Christmas in the Air, Santa’s Cookies, or the Holiday Pie blend.  ^LeHousewarming is a holiday sort of blend that is not seasonal and loved by many.

Fortunately, there are many essential oils that seem to have the same effects on nearly everyone.  Some oils calm nerves.  Others improve mental clarity, help us to feel compassionate or generous.  The effects of essential oils are well-documented and have been experienced by a great many people.

Receptor Sites in our Noses

Our noses can differentiate several hundred different odors at the same time.  Nevertheless, our noses do not have receptor sites for every aromatic molecule in every essential oil.  In addition, we have more receptor sites for certain types of molecules than for other types.  Our noses may miss entirely the aroma of something our pet may pick up, and even not like.  On the other hand, even a tiny percentage of a molecule may be responsible for the aroma we associate with an oil.  In grapefruit oil, for instance, the component that accounts for its distinctive aroma is found in amounts of less than 1 part per billion.

We may not be able to detect aromatically certain aspects of a particular essential oil.  Nevertheless, all the molecules enter our systems in one way or another.  From the nose, molecules affect the brain as described above.  Conversely, they may go into the lungs and from there directly into the bloodstream.

Essential Oils and the Autonomic Nervous System

Because the limbic system is directly connected to those parts of the brain that control the autonomic nervous system, essential oils can have profound physiological and psychological effects. Our response to danger – fight, flee, or freeze – is a function of the autonomic nervous system.  This branch of our nervous systems also controls our heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormones.

Commercial Diffusers

There is a wide range of diffusers available in today’s marketplace.  A word of caution here.  Most chemical changes happen faster at higher temperatures.  Essential oils, particularly the citrus oils, are sensitive to excessive heat.  The heat of a candle or other flame, as well as the heat of the rings sold to be placed around light bulbs, is more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit.  This is too hot for many essential oils.  Some of the therapeutic properties of the essential oils will be destroyed before they can help you.   Cool mist diffusers put essential oils into the air more slowly and do not damage the oils.  The best diffusers, in my opinion, combine misting and controlled low heat.

One of my favorite ways to diffuse essential oils has always been water fountains.  They are pretty and they are effective at getting the molecules of the essential oil into the air.  You may have been told that you can only diffuse essential oils in fountains with specially designed motors.  This is only partially true.  Most pure essential oils do not clog motors, although the resins and balsams require that you clean your fountain or diffuser well after each use. If the oil solidifies and forms a crust around the top of the bottle, it may clog a diffuser or be difficult to remove when you are finished and want to use a different oil.

Essential oils to which a carrier oil (larger molecules) has been added may also damage the motor of certain types of diffusers.  All carrier oils have larger molecules than essential oils; that is the definition of a carrier oil.  Learn to read labels carefully because many otherwise reputable oil companies (not Butterfly Express, ever) add carrier to their essential oils.

Diffusing Essential Oils Without a Diffuser

A diffuser is a wonderful investment and butterfly has several options to choose from. I have access to several lovely diffusers in both my home and my work environment.  However, I can still remember learning how to get essential oils into the air for my family when money had other slightly more critical uses than the purchase of a diffuser.  As a matter of fact, I still use some of the methods I will be telling you about.  I do this because it is sometimes more convenient than taking time to set up a diffuser.

Since essential oils are so volatile it is easy to get their molecules floating in the air.   For that reason, just about any method that exposes the oil to the air can be quite effective, generally.

Some Simple Suggestions

1.  Sniff the Oil Directly from the Bottle

Lime or any citrus oil like orange sweet is wonderful to lift the spirits. Open the lid, sniff put the lid back on, and into the pocket, it can go. It does not get much simpler than this.  While effective, this method has some natural drawbacks if the lid is kept off.

Drawback #1

Every essential oil has many constituents.  Some of these – I call them layers – are more volatile and aromatic than other layers.   When the lid is taken off, the more volatile pieces of the essential oil drift out of the bottle first.  Leaving the lid off an essential oil bottle for even a very short amount of time can seriously affect the aroma and healing properties of the oil that is left in the bottle.   This is true of every essential oil.  It is even more true of blends.  Blends are often made as they should be, with single essential oils that are very heavy blended as well as essential oils that are light.  Shaking the bottle each time before opening it can help minimize this.

Drawback #2

It is too easy, whenever a lid is off an oil bottle for spillage or other loss of the oil to occur.  Let me give you a couple of examples.  Example One:  A young mother has a head cold.  She has a bottle of ^LeBreezey open on her kitchen counter-top so that she can sniff it from time to time.   The phone rings, or some such thing, and she is distracted for a moment or two.  A young child gets hold of the bottle and empties it all over himself.  The entire bottle is gone.  More importantly, essential oils in this quantity is not a good thing for the child, especially if he puts his fingers in either his mouth or his eyes!

Milk is the antidote to too much oil in this scenario.  The milk can even be used in the eyes to dilute the oil and calm the burn.

Example Two:  This one is personal!  I took the lid off a bottle of ^LeAspire once upon a time.  The plan was to sniff it a couple of times and then try to sleep.  I fell asleep with the lid still off the bottle.  I awoke later to the bottle completely empty and my chest a bit red and fiery.

2.  Use Your Hands

Simply put a couple of drops of essential oil on your palm.  Rub your hands together and cup them over your nose for a few seconds.  Alternatively, place a couple of drops of essential oil on your wrists.  I like oil on my wrists like ^LeAcknowledge, ^LeCherish, ^LeFocus or ^LeWakeUp to mention just a few, because they come near to my nose every time I push my hair out of my face.

Consideration for others should be a primary concern whenever wearing an essential oil into a public place.  There really are people who react poorly to essential oils.  While bad reactions are more common with chemically produced fakes or with essential oils that have been cut with chemicals, allergic reactions to a good quality oil are possible.  For example, if a person is allergic to spruce trees, they will likely not do very well with Spruce essential oil either.

As midwives, we did not put oils on ourselves or on our laboring mothers.  As the labor progressed, and oil appropriate to one stage might become offensive to the woman at a later stage.  Being able to remove the aroma of one oil and replace it with another is a must.

3.  Essential Oil Inhalers

An essential oil inhaler consists of a cotton wick onto which a few drops of essential oil are placed.  The wick is then inserted into a small plastic tube with a hole in the top.  The entire apparatus is then encased in an airtight tube which acts as a lid.  The entire thing is about the size of a small lipstick of lip moisturizer.  It fits nicely into a purse or pocket.  You can get a whiff of essential oil without diffusing the oil into the entire room for other people to enjoy – or to not enjoy. This is an excellent way for someone who is anxious or stressed to sniff ^LeTranquility at school or work. ^LeVictory for those with ADHD, OCD, autism, or neurological disorders. You can even use ^LeIQ this way for mental alertness.

4.  A Bowl of Steamy Water

Placing a few drops of essential oil into a glass bowl of very warm water is an excellent way to diffuse essential oils.   A light towel draped over your head can help get the oils into your respiratory system in greater quantity.  Some oils that I would use for a chest or head cold are Eucalyptus, Ravensara, ^LeMariah, ^LeDeliverance, ^LeBreezey, ^LeExhale or ^LeAspire.

You can also use water in a Scentsy candle warmer.  The little light bulb keeps the water at just the right temperature.  This is, I suppose, the use of a commercial diffuser.  However, it works very well, and I couldn’t resist drawing your attention to it here.

5.  Furnace Filter

Place a few drops of essential oil on the filter of your furnace.  Every time air blows over the filter the essential oil is diffusing throughout your home.  Naturally, more essential oil will need to be placed on the filter every few days. Some oils for this are ^LeDeliverance or ^LeSpiceC for the cold/flu season or ^LePurify which purifies the air and neutralizes mildew.

6.  Cotton Balls

One of my favorite ways to carry the aroma of essential oils with me, without wearing it, is to put an essential oil-laden cotton ball into a small plastic zip-lock bag.  I put this bag into my purse.  When I need to take a whiff, it is right there.  When I do not want to smell it, I simply seal the bag back up.  The aroma of the oil will last for weeks when stored in this way.   This is an excellent way for a pregnant woman suffering from nausea to carry orange essential oil with her wherever she goes.  This is almost the same as an inhaler, but this is what I did before I knew about them and still do when I don’t have one.

7. Fans and Air Vents

Place a few drops of essential oils on a cotton ball and clip to a fan or air vent using a clothespin or some such thing.  This works very well!   Please be careful to not saturate the cotton ball too much so that oil gets onto paint or plastic.  Some essential oils can damage such surfaces.

8.  Reed Diffuser (Make your Own Inexpensively)

Reed diffusers are wonderful for small rooms or wherever an electric plug-in diffuser is not possible or practical. You can purchase reed sticks in many places.  Amazon.com has several nice ones that are quite inexpensive.

They can be purchased but they are also very easy to make.  You will need (1) a bottle with a very narrow opening.  The narrow opening slows the evaporation and diffusion of the essential oils.  A narrow opening also allows the sticks to stand up and lean out in a nice pattern.  (2) Mix 1/4 cup of light carrier oil such as apricot, almond, or safflower with (3) approximately 2 Tbsp of alcohol and of course your favorite essential oil or oils.  Some of my favorites for this are  ^LeLife Force, ^LeUnity, and ^LeBountiful. You can even put a couple of different single essential oils in to make a new aroma.  The alcohol helps the oils travel up the reeds more efficiently.  An inexpensive brand of vodka also works very well.  (4) Place 6 to 10 reed sticks in the bottle with the oil and alcohol mixture.

9.  Room Sprays

Once again, if you make your own, room sprays can be very inexpensive.  By making your own, you can use your favorite essential oils and be quite sure that no chemicals are in your spray.  I use filtered water for my room sprays.  Some people suggest vodka or vodka mixed with water.  I find alcohol to be unnecessary.  Hydrosols are the water created by the condensing steam that was used to steam distill essential oils. Since hydrosols contain some essential oil molecules, they have similar properties to the essential oil that was distilled through them.  Hydrosols are already diluted and ready for use as a room spray.

10.  Aroma Stones

These are inexpensive clay spheres or shapes onto which an essential oil is placed.  The clay holds the aroma of the essential oil, allowing it to diffuse slowly into the air from whatever table or shelf the stone is placed upon.

11. Tubs and Showers

There are many ways to use essential oils in the tub and shower. You can put a few drops of essential oil onto a washcloth.  The folded washcloth is placed to get a little bit wet – enough to release the oil but not enough to wash the oil away too quickly.

Essential oils can also be added directly to the bathwater.  Not all essential oils are suitable for the bath.  Always read the application section on the information page for that essential oil.

Bath salts are a great way to use essential oils.  There are many available recipes for making these.  If you are interested in making your own, here is a link that will give you 15 recipes.   Some of the oils they mention are frankincense – sandalwood – Roman chamomile – cedarwood – lavender.

One of my favorite ways to use essential oils in the tub is with a bath bomb.  ^LeDeeper is probably my favorite although ^LeTranquility is a heavenly way to escape for a while.

Another great way to use essential oils in the shower is in your shampoo or conditioner.  Simply add 2-3 drops to your shampoo or conditioner. Delicate is designed specifically for hair health.  Rosemary and Chamomile can be used to eliminate grey and lighten (chamomile) or darken (rosemary) your hair.

12.  Diffusing in the Car

Butterfly sells two simple solutions to diffusing in your car.  My favorite is the Butterfly clip diffuser that comes with several pieces of felt to apply the oil to.   The other one is the on the go diffuser.  The main difference is that the on the go warms the oils slightly.   This is what my husband prefers in his truck.

Before the invention of these fancy things, I would simply accordion fold a piece of paper.  After folding, I slide one end into the vent and put oil on the other end, the end that is poking out away from the vent.  I have also been known to dump a little bit of essential oil on the vent itself or put a little bit of oil on a cotton ball and tuck the cotton into the vent.  Some essential oils will leave an unsightly residue there which will be difficult to clean off.  More importantly, some essential oils will corrode the plastic of the vent.  I have also seen cotton balls glued to a clothespin then clipped to the vent.

If you need to stay awake while driving, peppermint diffused can be very helpful!  I know this from much personal experience.

13.  Diffuser necklaces

There are many types on the market, or you can make your own.  Metal bead cage pendants and either lava beads or colorful craft puffballs are a fun way to do this.  It is easy to change one scent for another.  You can purchase these necklaces, often quite inexpensively on ebay or amazon.  I often see them at farmer’s markets as well.  Oils such as ^LeExpressions, ^LeExhilaration, and ^LeSego Lily are beautiful to wear.

14.  Drawer Sachets

You can use fabric scraps to make a small rice bag.  Place a few drops of essential oil on the bag before placing it in whatever drawer you choose.  Simply add a little more oil whenever you feel it to be necessary. Sandalwood, Jasmine Sambac, Jasmine Grandiflorum, or Cedarwood are a few I use.

15.  Pillows

Place a few drops of essential oils on the corner of your pillow at bedtime For instance, ^LeGoodnite, ^LeTranquility or ^LeDreams.  Some essential oils can leave a stain, so be a little bit careful.

16.  Stuffed Animals

Place a few drops of essential oil on a child’s favorite stuffed animal.  Once again, be careful of stains.  Many stuffed animals have a replaceable ribbon around the neck.  This can be a good spot to place the essential oil. ^LeTranquility is a good oil to calm the child down.

17.  Dryer Balls

Putting a few drops of essential oil such as ^LeSunburst, ^LePurify, or Lemon on my wool dryer balls is one of my favorite ways to use essential oils.  There is very little risk of staining the clothes this way.  The laundry smells so delightful whenever I do this.

18. Vacuum

Simply put a few drops on the bristles of the vacuum head before use.  This is a great way to make a whole room smell brighter.

19.  Any Other Way That You Can Think Of

Simple Potpourri Diffuses

I once wound a very short string of Christmas lights into a quart jar of potpourri.  I added a few drops of essential oil to the flower petals.  The string of lights provided just the right amount of heat to send the aromatic properties of the essential oil into the air.  I kept a lid on it when it was not actually in use. Rose, Geranium, ^LeAngel, ^LeBelieve or ^LeGrace are beautiful scents for this.

Baking Soda in a Jar

Adding Baking Soda with essential oil and placing it in a decorative half-pint jar.  Of course, you must punch holes in the lid to let the smell come out. Decorative lids with well-placed holes produce a nice touch.  Add a bit of ribbon or other creative touch and you have a lovely way to freshen up a closet, a mudroom, or even your living room. Oils I use for this are ^LePurify and ^LeLetting Go.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.  If you are new to the wonderful world of essential oils you may enjoy this Free Basic Essential Oil Class