Today, the use of essential oils is gaining traction. This is why many people often wonder whether they can put essential oils in a humidifier. When used this way, oils give the air a pleasant scent while also having a good effect on human health.
But keep in mind that not every humidifier is compatible with essential oils and consider individual peculiarities of your body when selecting and buying such extracts.
Features of the Humidifier for Essential Oils
For human comfort and sense of well-being, humidity inside the room must range from 40 to 60%. Quite often (especially in winter) this figure drops to 25-30%. This is caused by heating appliances, TV sets, gas and electric stoves, air conditioners, and other household appliances. Inhaling warm dry air, a person suffers from recurrent headaches, dry nose, concentration and attention loss, deteriorated kidney function deteriorates, and dysbacteriosis. Such air is especially dangerous to children.
The humidifier is designed to eliminate the problem of dry air. With it, people stop getting sick, and their health improves. On top of that, this new environment has a positive effect on houseplants and interior items made of wood and paper. However, in addition to its primary function, the humidifier can give you a little aromatherapy treat. So, using essential oils in the humidifier lets you create a new, pleasant atmosphere in your home and has a therapeutic effect due to the healing properties of the oils used.
Read Also: How to Clear Smoke Smell from a House
Humidifier for essential oils unlike conventional humidifiers splits both water and essential oils into a multitude of minuscule particles and then sprays them across the room creating a pleasant and comfortable microclimate. Using oils with regular humidifiers is not recommended. It makes the device very dirty and shortens its life cycle. Aroma humidifier, on the other hand, has a special container for essential oils. This way, they evaporate without coming into contact with other parts of the appliance. It is recommended to use about 5 drops of essential oil per every 15 sq. m. of the room.
You need to regularly clean and disinfect a humidifier with an essential oil tray to prevent mold in the humidifier. When buying a humidifier, opt for a device that turns off automatically once all water is used. Devices without this feature are not safe and may cause a fire.
Must Read: Can You Use Tap Water in a Humidifier?
How to Select Humidifier for Essential Oils
Only a few types of humidifiers are suitable for aromatherapy:
| Can be used | |
|---|---|
| Humidifier type | Reason |
| Air washer | They do not get too dirty after using oils and do not require filter replacement as they don’t have any filters in their design. |
| 2-in-1 humidifier & diffuser | These devices have a special container (diffuser tray) where you can pour essential oils without any harm to the device. |
| Can’t be used | |
|---|---|
| Humidifier type | Reason |
| Steam-producing model | You will have to thoroughly wash the appliance every time you add essential oils in it. |
| Ultrasonic humidifier | Essential oils have negative effects on the appliance causing it to break down quickly. |
| Classic cool mist humidifier | Using oils with these devices leads to frequent washing of the appliance and causes damage to filters. |
Therefore, use 2-in-1 Humidifier & Diffuser designed specifically for air humidifying and aromatizing. If the device does not have an aroma function, using essential oils is forbidden. This can lead to appliance failure and even harm your health.
Which Essential Oil Can Be Used in a Humidifier?
If you are using a humidifier with an essential oil diffuser tray, any essential oils can be used ranging from chamomile extract to lemon essential oils. Water-soluble fragrance oils stand out from regular essential oils for their concentration and are excellent for use in humidifiers. To obtain this product, glycerin is removed from the essential oil to reduce its density and viscosity and is later replaced with alcohol. The resulting product has the same properties as classic ether.
Also read: Can You Put Alcohol In A Humidifier? (Spoiler: no, you shouldn’t do that)
This means that the result you get is largely dependent on you. For instance, lavender essential oil is known to help relieve tension and make sleep deeper and calmer. Citrus essential oils (lemon, orange, grapefruit), on the contrary, will charge you with energy for the entire day.
The Best Essential Oil Set for Humidifier:
When choosing essential oils, keep in mind your room characteristics. For example, your hallway stores shoes and outerwear. To prevent viral infections in this part of your apartment, opt for lemon, cedar, thyme, bergamot, or pine. For the living room, where the entire family gathers to spend quality time together, choose tea tree, sage, geranium, and cinnamon essential oils. The range of oils and their useful properties is diverse, it rests with you to decide which one you like.
Related article: What is the Difference Between a Humidifier and Diffuser?
Beneficial and Harmful Effects of Essential Oils
Essential oils are widely used, but remember that they may bring both benefits and harm to your body.
Benefits of essential oils:
- some scents, like eucalyptus, can help relieve respiratory conditions;
- pleasant scents ease nervousness, help calm down, and bring harmony;
- inhaling a number of scents has a positive effect on your heart;
- fragrances have a positive effect on hair growth and skin health;
- air humidifier has positive effects on the brain, while an appropriate essential oil will increase concentration and attention;
- use of fragrances improves overall health as essential oils have a positive effect on the immune system.
If you use essential oils with your humidifier, be sure to exercise caution and follow some recommendations:
- Only add a strictly recommended amount of essential oil in your humidifier. Do not go over the limit trying to get a richer scent.
- Select the essential oil with care. Usually, the packaging indicates the product’s components and intended purpose.
- Do not leave your humidifier with aromatization mode on for a long time. The scent will spread around the room and last for a while.
- Don’t choose scents that cause allergies.
- People with bronchial disease should not inhale intense scents.
- Pregnant women and nursing mothers should exercise caution when using essential oils capable of causing allergies in both mother and a child.
- Important! People with thyroid disorders are not allowed to use fragrant substances.
As you can see, your health is not harmed by essential oils (except when you suffer from pathologic conditions), but instead benefits from them. However, be sure to take into account your personal peculiarities to prevent any damage to your own health.
The best essential oil humidifiers according to customers:
