Diffusing essentials oil around the home has become increasingly popular in recent years with a huge selection of diffusers available ranging from simple candle burners through to pricey, high-tech, wireless, app-controlled atomisers with dual fragrance chambers!  Whichever method you use it can be a lovely way to naturally fragrance your home or workspace and enjoy beautiful scents without using the harmful, chemical-filled synthetic fragrance oils, air fresheners and plugins that we see on the supermarket shelves. But it’s not just about making things smell nice and creating the perfect ambiance – pure and natural essential oils have many therapeutic properties that work on a deeper level to benefit our health and wellbeing.

How diffusing essential oils can support our health and wellbeing

Essential oils have a whole host of therapeutic properties that can support our health and wellbeing. These include antibacterial, antiseptic, antimicrobial, antiviral, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, anti-depressant, aphrodisiac, energising, immuno-stimulant, decongestant, expectorant and sedative properties. This makes them extremely useful for:

• Balancing and lifting our mood
• Encouraging calm and relaxation
• Energising body and mind
• Improving mental clarity, focus and memory
• Aiding better sleep
• Influencing hormones
• Supporting the respiratory system and easier breathing
• Cleansing and deodorising the atmosphere
• Fighting infection to prevent or reduce symptoms of illness

How diffusing essential oils effects our brain

There are various ways that essential oils can enter our bodies to impart their therapeutic benefits, and inhaling the oils via diffusion is one of the quickest and most effective ways of getting the oils into our system, especially when we want to support our emotions. Essential oils effect the brain in two ways: via olfaction and essential oil absorption.

Olfaction

Olfaction is our sense of smell. Smells are captured via our nasal passages and handled by the olfactory bulb, a part of our brain that sits at the top of our nose. From here, odour information then takes a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and hippocampus – the regions of the brain related to emotions, learning and memory. 

Absorption

When essential oil molecules are inhaled via the nostrils, they are absorbed into the nasal epithelium. This is very thin and has an extensive capillary supply, allowing rapid absorption of the essential oil molecules into the blood stream. Because of the small size and lipophilic nature of the molecules they are thought to pass through the blood-brain barrier and into the brain, where they can start to influence the central nervous system.

How diffusing essential oils affects other parts of the body

When essential oil vapours are inhaled, they are also absorbed into the mucous lining along the respiratory tract, before arriving in the alveoli (tiny air sacs in the lungs) where they are easily transferred into the bloodstream and transported around the body.

Some essential oils can have direct effects on the respiratory system itself, aiding easier, deeper breathing and helping with respiratory issues such as allergies, asthma, coughs, colds, flu and sinusitis. 

You might like to read our blog on Steam Inhalations which are particularly effective for respiratory complaints.

The importance of diffusing the right oils

It’s important to note that only 100% pure and natural essential oils possess therapeutic properties. Synthetic fragrance oils may of course smell nice, but do not possess any therapeutic properties. Another thing to remember is that all essential oils are not of equal quality, so please ensure you are buying pure, unadulterated oils from a reputable aromatherapy supplier such as ourselves. 

Please read our more detailed article on diffusing essential oils safely.

Diffuser blends to try at home

If you have a wide selection of essential oils, you can get creative and make a whole host of blends for a variety of different needs. When choosing the oils to use, a good tip is to sniff the bottle tops first to see which oils you are naturally drawn to in that moment. Your nose is clever – so the ones you feel drawn to will be the ones your body needs. Alternatively try one of our recommended blends below:

Relaxation: 3 drops Bergamot, 3 drops Rose and 2 drops Lavender

Stress Relief: 4 drops Bergamot, 2 drops Neroli and 2 drops Sandalwood

Lifting Mood: 3 drops each of Lemon, Rosewood and Yuzu

Calming Anger: 3 drops Rose Geranium, 2 Ylang Ylang, 2 Roman Chamomile

Cleansing Negative Energy: 3 drops Frankincense, 3 drops Lemon and 1 drop Lemon Eucalyptus 

Confidence: 3 drops Patchouli, 3 drops Cypress and 1 drop Lavender

Meditation: 3 drops Patchouli, 3 drops Sandalwood and 1 drop Myrrh

Sleep: 3 drops Vetivert, 2 drops Ylang Ylang and 1 drop Valerian

Boosting Energy/Focus: 3 drops Lime, 3 drops Rosemary and 2 drops Peppermint

Metal Overload: 4 drops Sandalwood, 3 drops Basil and 2 Frankincense

Immunity: 10 drops Bergamot and 5 drops Tea Tree

Coughs/Colds: 6 drops Tea Tree, 3 drops Ravensara and 2 drops Rosemary

Flu: 4 drops Lavender, 4 drops Tea Tree, 2 drops Clove and 2 drops Thyme

Allergy (hay fever): 3 drops Lavender, 2 drops Chamomile and 1 drop Tea Tree

If you don’t have a collection of different essential oils, then you might like to try one of pre-blended essential oils that are ready to pop straight into your diffuser. 

Dangers of inhaling synthetic fragrance

Now we've spoken of the benefits of diffusing pure essential oils, we must briefly cover synthetics.

Synthetic fragrances are found in most households today. Countless products including scented candles, wax melts, reed diffusers, cleaning products, air fresheners, personal care products, colognes, and perfumes, all contain these man-made scents. As we noted above, synthetic fragrances do not possess any of the therapeutic properties of essential oils and can be really damaging for human health. 

Many of them are made from toxic chemicals, derived from crude petroleum oil, that are known to be carcinogenic or endocrine disrupters. Our endocrine system is our body’s internal calibrating system, comprising of important glands such as the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, pineal gland, reproductive glands, and pancreas, all of which are responsible for producing vital hormones that maintain homeostasis (internal balance). When this balance is disturbed, it can lead to a range of diseases including obesity, cancer and diabetes. The chemicals in synthetic fragrances have also been linked to headaches, dizziness, allergies, birth defects, nervous system disorders and more.

So, although synthetic fragrances might be cheaper than essential oils and last longer, please be aware of the potential detrimental effects they can have on your health.