Aromatherapy is one of the most powerful stress relievers. It leaves you relaxed and with a great scent in your house, room, or bathroom. Are you wondering how much time your essential oil diffuser should run? We are here to help you make an informed decision on how long to leave your diffuser running and when it is time to stop.
While it is a matter of controversy, aromatherapists generally agree that a couple of minutes several times a day will not negatively affect your health. While many factors will determine how long you diffuse essential oils, the choice depends solely on your needs and preferences.
Do you want to know the safest duration of time to enjoy the soothing scents from your diffuser? Read on to find out how much of your favorite scent is too much.
Factors That Determine How Long You Should Diffuse Essential Oils
To fully enjoy your experience with essential oils, you need to ensure that they are 100% pure. Also, essential oils have different factors that play into determining how long the scent lingers. Therefore, you also need to know what aspect will come into play when using your diffuser. Here are factors that determine how long you should diffuse essential oils.
1. Size of the Room
When using a diffuser, you need to ask yourself whether you want the sweet-smelling molecules in one room alone or want them spread throughout the whole house. Typical diffusers are for small and medium-sized rooms. A diffuser will take a couple of minutes to saturate a small room.
The bigger the room, the more the time a diffuser will take to fill it with the sweet aroma. If you have a bigger space and resent the idea of a diffuser running for hours, increase the number of diffusers.
2. The Time a Particular Scent Stays in the Air
The duration of a particular essential oil like Artizen Peppermint stays in the air is different from other products like rosemary. Top notes such as peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender take one to two hours to evaporate.
For example, middle notes like chamomile, rosemary, and geranium take two to four hours to evaporate aromatically. Base essential oils like ginger, myrrh, and cedarwood are denser. Their scents may linger around for around five hours. Ginger has been known to last for days.
3. Environmental Factors Affect Diffusion
Here is where your science knowledge sets in. Higher temperatures have been known to increase diffusion, while lower temperatures slow the process.
High temperatures excite the essential oil molecules. The high temperature causes vibrations, which in turn break the intermolecular bonds. The particles escape through the process called evaporation.
Simply put, room temperature is a critical determinant in how long the aroma lasts.
Air circulation is another crucial factor to consider. If your ventilation system is prominent with large windows, the aromatic molecules will not likely last long since they will be blown outside in large numbers. Smaller rooms tend to retain diffused oil more.
Therefore, it is quite clear that you will diffuse essential oils for longer in hot rooms than in smaller ones. The same will be the case in rooms with open doors and windows as opposed to closing them.
4. The Purity of the Oil Matters Too
The most expensive oils are not always the best in most cases. Some are mixed with impure oils, making them less effective. You will need to diffuse adultered oils for a long time since they take a long time to saturate a given area.
Virgin authentic essential oils are harvested from natural sources, whether farm-grown or wild plants. It takes several hundred pounds of myrrh to make a bottle of myrrh essential oil, which is very concentrated and very effective. A few drops of concentrate will fill a whole room in a shorter time.
Using genuine diffusion oils keeps your diffusers operational since they don’t clog the systems. Therefore, you will diffuse for shorter periods since your machine is operating smoothly and efficiently. Ensure you source high-quality oils for your diffuser.
5. Skin Condition
You may have noticed that your skin reacts differently to different beauty products depending on the ingredients. The same case applies to essential oils.
Essential oils come from concentrated plant extracts. When diffused, the particles seep slowly through the skin’s outer layer to the dermis, which contains sensitive nerve endings.
When your skin comes into contact with saturated essential oils for long periods, your skin becomes sensitive and irritated. We advise you not to leave your diffuser running all day long. Twenty minutes of exposure at a time is enough.
Studies have shown that inhaling too much-diffused oils results in headaches, a surge in blood pressure, and faster heart rate.
6. How Quickly You Perceive Smell
Different people perceive the sense of smell after different periods. An unfortunate event may have happened, leading to damage to the sensory nerves located in the nose. The condition may also be genetic. Either way, some people will take longer to feel the effects of diffusers.
Also, people who suffer from allergies or get the flu every fortnight have their airways congested and will only perceive the sweet-smelling molecules when their airways clear, which may take a long time.
7. Size of the Oil Diffuser
Typical diffusers use special oily pads manufactured purely for them. Nebulizers that use liquid oil diffuse for short periods only.
The ultrasonic diffuser, such as the Ultimate Aromatherapy Diffuser, is an exception. It is a dual-purpose diffuser since it acts as a humidifier. For this reason, it has a bigger tank to accommodate both oil and water. If not switched off, it can operate for many hours compared to other types of diffusers.
8. Olfactory Fatigue
Olfactory fatigue is a phenomenon where your sense of smell becomes numb to certain smells. In such cases, you can no longer enjoy your favorite scent even if the sweet-smelling particles are still present. You tend to inhale more of the diffused vapor than is safe for your health.
If you cannot perceive an aroma, then it becomes quite hard to enjoy aromatherapy. To remedy this, take small doses of diffused oils at a time just as you take conventional medicine to enjoy your aroma choice for longer.
What Is Essential Oil Diffusion?
Ever entered a house that is filled with a cozy spa-like scent? Unless the house is a part-time spa, they probably have an essential diffuser.
Essential oil diffusion is a science of aromatherapy where concentrated organic oils harvested from aromatic shrubs such as rosemary and jasmine, are broken into small hazy particles by a device and spread throughout the air of a room for therapeutic purposes.
Read more about 10 Ways to Diffuse Essential Oils without a Diffuser.
Benefits of Essential Oil Diffusion to Your Health
Have you ever walked by a spa on your way to an important meeting and felt like canceling your meeting and going into the spa instead? That is the wonder of aromatherapy. Other than influencing you to make random spa appointments, check out other essential oil diffusion’s fantastic health benefits.
1. Improve Your Moods
Inhaling diffused oils has various positive effects on your physical and emotional health.
With essential oils, you will forget about spending your entire day stressed or anxious. Inhaling those calming scents make you happier, relaxed, and improve your general mood.
2. Good for the Immune System
Diffused organic oils are important components that boost your immune system. For instance, if the flu is constantly putting you down, consider diffusing peppermint or tea tree essential oil.
3. Hostile to Disease-Causing Organisms
Concentrated essential oils contain important components that eliminate fungus and viruses. They also contain antioxidants that fight the buildup of cancerous cells in the human body.
4. Essential Oil Particles Act as a First Aid Kit
When inhaled, they clear your airway and decongest stuffy sinuses. They will help you reduce allergy symptoms, thus, buying you more time to call the doctor in case of an allergic attack. They also help you breathe better.
Essential oils increase your comfort since they penetrate the skin reducing irritation. The result is glowing, healthy skin.
Eric Zielinski, a chiropractor and an aromatherapist, point out that he is not afraid of a kitchen knife, but he needs to be careful when using it. In other words, you may be having the most useful and efficient diffuser, but end up harming yourself if you don’t know how to use the appliance effectively.
Are you still wondering what determines how long you should use an essential oil diffuser? Here is a detailed answer.
Diffusion Varies Between Individuals but Be Careful
The diffusion of essential oils is an easy and effective way to keep your interior smelling nice and making your home therapeutic. It is one of the innovative ways of bringing a spa into your living room.
The decision of how long or short you should diffuse essential oils depends on your needs, tastes, and preferences. But take into consideration your safety and that of your household. Leaving diffusers in operations for too long makes them hot and poses a threat to toddlers and pets.