Essential Oil Benefits (+ the best diffusers!)

What are the essential oil benefits? What are the best essential oil diffusers and where can you buy them? This article answers all your essential oil questions whether you're a newbie to oils and diffusing, or you're already a user and are ready to take things to the next level and start diffusing for therapeutic benefits.

A white marble table with crystals and geodes laid out with essential oil roller blends in a wooden bowl in the center of the table.

“There’s an oil for that!” Likely, you’ve heard the essential oil lover in your life use this phrase! It may seem too good to be true. No way there’s an oil for everything! But the truth is, essential oils have a ton of benefits.

Benefits of Essential Oils

Essential oils interact with the limbic system in your brain (the part of your brain responsible for emotions and memories!) to provide you with different benefits.

Essential oils have been used throughout history as natural plant medicine. Ancient societies such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Chinese regularly employed essential oils for healing benefits and aromatic benefits. Today, popular essential oils such as lavender and peppermint are even used pharmaceutically.

Essential oils have a wide range of benefits! Different oils offer different beneficial properties, and many essential oils are multipurpose. Here are my favorite benefits:

Anxiety

Oils like lavender and orange are superstars for stress reduction and soothing anxious feelings. This blog post includes a diffuser blend recipe for anxiety.

Sleep

Lavender takes the cake again, along with ‘woody’ oils like cedarwood or sandalwood. These oils help you feel grounded and relaxed–lavender actually supports GABA production to help you unwind! Click here for a sleep essential oil diffuser blend recipe.

Focus and Motivation

You’ll want to reach for mint oils like spearmint or peppermint, and uplifting citrus oils. This blog post includes a diffuser blend recipe for activities like studying.

Inflammation

Turmeric, peppermint, and frankincense are your friends. Use them to reduce inflammation in the body.

Non-toxic Living

You can make a very effective household cleanser out of lemon, tea tree, and lavender! And it doesn’t stop there. You can even make your own toothpaste using antimicrobial clove and tea tree, and purify your air with lemongrass.

A glass diffuser and essential oil bottle on a white table with a amethyst geode crystal.

Benefits of Diffusing Essential Oils

Diffusing essential oils has been linked to improved sleep, reduced anxiety, and increased energy. There are also some essential oils that have antibacterial and antiviral properties, making them an easy way to help keep sickness at bay in your household. Click here to read more about using essential oils for immune support.

In comparison to heavily fragranced (read: toxic!) candles and plug-ins, essential oils are a detoxifying way to improve the overall freshness of your home.

There are a number of essential oil benefits based on the ways you use them: inhalation (never inhale directly from the bottle), topical use, ingestion, and diffusing. My favorite way to receive the benefits of my essential oils is by diffusing them.

Check out this post for some of my favorite essential oil blend recipes that you can make at home.

glass and wood diffuser on a white table with a bowl and box of essential oils

My favorite Beneficial Essential Oils

I rely on essential oils for several uses throughout the day! Here are some of my favorite oils and how to use them:

Peppermint

I use peppermint for motivation, alertness, and the occasional headache. It’s also the star ingredient in these White Chocolate Peppermint Protein Bars!

Frankincense

Known as the ‘king of oils,’ frankincense can do it all. The unique scent promotes relaxation and spiritual connection. I love adding it to body oils or face lotion for anti-aging, and brightening benefits.

Lemon

Lemon is another oil that’s multi-purpose in my household! I add it to my water throughout the day (don’t worry–it won’t damage your teeth because there’s no acid) and use it as a gentle countertop cleanser.

a marble table with two essential oil diffuser blends in a roller bottle with a gold lid and crystals

How to Use Essential Oils

You can use essential oils topically, aromatically, or internally. While I use each method on the regular, my favorite is aromatically because I get the most bang for my buck. Let’s focus on diffusing your oils!

Diffusing your essential oils (known as aromatic usage) is a great way to brighten your home and consistently get gentle benefits. When you diffuse your oils, small particles are released into the air, which you then inhale. You get to smell these amazing oils and activate your limbic system, all at once! Plus, since most diffusers can run for several hours, you are essentially ‘micro-dosing’ yourself throughout the day.

How to Use a Diffuser

Using an essential oil diffuser is easy peasy. You’ll want to get a diffuser that suits your needs. There are countless options on the market, so I really recommend looking at several different options and making the best choice for you. I’ve rounded up a few for you to check out below!

After you get your diffuser, simply follow these steps:

Fill your diffuser to the demarcated water line. Don’t go past this! And I recommend using filtered water–remember, you’re breathing this in.
Place a few drops of your chosen essential oil(s) in the diffuser, directly on top of the water. No need to stir!
Replace the top of your diffuser and turn on to your chosen amount of time.

Note: Be sure to wipe down the cavity of your diffuser between uses to prevent build-up and mingling scents.

glass and wood diffuser on a white table with an essential oil bottle

What is the Best Essential Oil Diffuser?

Choosing an essential oil diffuser can be overwhelming. There are so many options out there! When choosing a diffuser, consider your budget, your home decor, and how often you’ll be using it. It’s hard to know what’s overpriced and what’s too cheap to be true. I’ve found that diffusers are a case of ‘you get what you spend,’ however. Read on to find out what’s best for your lifestyle and your budget:

Investment Diffusers (for the hardcore EO enthusiast)

I’ve personally found the best diffusers to be the ones from DoTerra and Young Living. I call these ‘investment diffusers’ because they’re more expensive upfront, but will save you money in the long run. This is because they’re such high quality, they’ll last longer and will use less oil!

For example: you can use three drops of an essential oil in an investment diffuser and get the same aromatic benefits as using six drops in a cheaper diffuser. Even though I personally don’t consistently purchase essential oils from these brands, I do love using their diffusers and have yet to find a comparable option in quality.

I would recommend purchasing a starter kit from either brand in order to get one of the diffusers they sell, plus some high quality oils at a discount, and then using my essential oil brands guide to determine which brand of essential oils you’ll purchase after.

Young Living (Or purchase with a starter kit! Requires a membership to purchase.)
DoTerra (Or purchase with a starter kit! No membership purchase required.)

Note: Neither link above is an affiliate link, and i will not be compensated for your purchase.

Non-Plastic Exterior Diffusers (for the eco-conscious EO enthusiast)

This glass and wood one has a BPA-free plastic reservoir.
This one has a ceramic exterior and is beautiful. The water reservoir is BPA-free plastic.

Kid-Friendly Diffuser (for the mama EO enthusiast)

This cute kid-friendly critter that has short diffusing intervals ideal for use around kids.

Portable Diffuser (for the commuting EO enthusiast)

This handy car vent diffuser is under $15 and incredible!

Small Room Diffusers under $30 (for the budget-conscious EO enthusiast)

Using Your Essential Oil Diffuser

So you’ve purchased your new essential oil diffuser. Yay! Find your diffuser’s perfect place in your home and start putting it to use with some of these essential oil diffuser blend recipes. Follow the directions above in this post for how to use your essential oil diffuser. Enjoy!

Does diffusing lavender calm your fussy newborn? Do you rely on peppermint for your headaches? Let me know in the comments!