As the owner of an aromatherapy company, I get asked all the time: "How do I get started using essential oils? Well, one of the simplest and rewarding ways of doing this is getting into the "aroma" part of aromatherapy -- the inhalation and enjoyment of the scent of the oils themselves. This in fact is a gateway to utilizing the whole realm of therapy available from pure essential oils. Once you get familiar with the oils and the way they smell by diffusing their aromas, you'll be more apt to investigate the powerful medicinal aspects of aromatherapy and its many application techniques.

Diffusion of an essential oil means to distribute the oil in the air around you. Essential oils easily evaporate -- more easily than water -- so this is a pretty straightforward thing to do. At the same time, there are ways to get even more essential oil in the air, at a higher concentration than, say, if you just let a bottle sit open on a table. This is where an aromatherapy diffuser comes it. The diffuser evaporates the essential oil faster, using one of many possible methods (more on that in a moment). And why would you want to evaporate the oil faster? If you just left a bottle sitting open, you and your family would occasionally smell the aroma coming from the bottle; if you'd like your whole room or house to be filled with that aroma, you'd use a diffuser.

All diffusers will improve the rate of evaporation of essential oils into your surrounding space. It is important to recognize that while this may use your oils faster, there are good reasons to do this: diffusing oils so they can be smelled over a much larger space; diffusing oils in a work environment to eliminate the scents of of other activities; and perhaps the most important is sometimes diffusing high concentrations of oils such that we can absorb more oils through our respiratory systems for our health. The least expensive diffusers will use a small heating element to evaporate the oils, or a small fan which moves air more quickly over the oils for the same effect. These are usually excellent choices for a small bedroom or office. A little more high-tech are the humidifying ultrasonic diffusers, which are actually just small ultrasonic humidifiers. They do a wonderful job in small to medium environments, particularly in dry climates or during the winter with forced-air heat systems.

There are other simple, inexpensive 'low-tech' methods of diffusing essential oils. These are as simple as candle warmers -- where a candle gently evaporates a few drops of essential oil floating on a small bowl of water above a tea-light candle (don't forget the water! So many people report these devices burn their oils, but they've put them just over the heat!). A Reed Diffuser is also common, which evaporates aromatic oils through bamboo reeds and slowly into the air. Though they do most often use a synthetic dispersion agent called DPG or dipropylene glycol, which most aromatherapists will not recommend using, as at some point the diffusion process requires one breathing in its vapors.

The high end of aromatherapy diffusers are called cold-air nebulizing diffusers. The use nothing but a pressurized stream of air to make a fine mist of essential oil, which then evaporates directly into the air. The best of these units have a variable output control so they can be properly adjusted to the size of the room and/or the desired concentration of aroma in the air. The nebulizing diffuser has the capability of both simply diffusing oils for their aromatic effects, and to go so far as to deliver true therapy in aroma medicine. The classic aroma medicine texts show images of people placed in oxygen-style tents inhaling significant quantities of essential oil vapor to cure them of very serious infectious diseases. This effect can be created in small rooms, though it is important to have the guidance of a natural health professional before including this modality in a treatment program for yourself or a loved one. At the same time, these techniques are very worthwhile investigating, and the curing of infectious illness is considered one of the most promising medical application of essential oil therapy.

The essential oil one can diffuse vary as much as the diffusers themselves. If you're just wanting to make your space smell wonderful, choose a few of your favorite aromas and just go for it! Use small amounts at first to conserve your oils, while you get an idea of how much essential oil diffusing for so long suits your tastes. Some people are more sensitive than others, so take your friends and family into consideration as well. Note that children generally need much less oil to notice and have a response to, so lower your starting volume for the younger ones of your family. Blending oils from the same family is easy to do, and generally results in a very fun scent. To simply bring great cheer to a room, woods and needle oils work especially well, as their scents are broadly loved. Balsam Fir, Pine, Spruce, Black Spruce and Juniper Berry go very well together; the Citrus oils also combine well -- you can blend virtually any combination of Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange, Tangerine and Mandarin and make a very uplifting combination. If you like floral aromas, you can try blending your favorites of those as well, though they take a little more close attention to the ratios of each oil so that one does not overwhelm another. When you start, it's not a bad idea to take notes about how many drops of each oil you've used and adjust them to make your favorite combination the next time. There are many pre-made diffuser blends of pure essential oils available as well, so consider giving them a try.

Blend recipes can often be found that are made for specific therapeutic needs -- though in many cases, a single oil is called for in a "therapy". Sleep can be helped for many people through just diffusing a high quality French Lavender essential oil; Memory and concentration can be enhanced by cold pressed Lemon oil or a steam distilled wild Rosemary. Immune system support is often provided by many of the oils from herbs, such as Melissa (Lemon Balm), Hyssop (a highly-regarded anti-viral oil), and Eucalyptus Radiata (recently shown to improve the efficacy of our white blood cells in their immune system action). Without too much work, you can find the right oils for your needs, and blending needn't be too precise for these actions from a diffuser (though you would want to take care to be more precise with other modalities, like topical application, and in extreme cases, oil ingestion with the guidance of a doctor).

And there we have it: an easy way to get started with aromatherapy. Diffusing essential oils can be done purely for the pleasure of the aromas, or for profound health effects when using therapeutic grade medicinal oils. There is a diffuser available for everyones needs and pocketbook; and your homemade blends, or pre-mixed formulas can be enjoyed by everyone using these wonderful tools.