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The top oil diffusers for good vibes only

They’ll *literally* turn your home into a spa

By Erin Docherty

Beauty Crew Beauty Writer / August 08 2019

If you haven’t tried an essential oil diffuser yet, girl - you need to get on board. Beyond scenting your room and making it smell utterly amazing, essential oil diffusers also have a mighty good impact on your mental and psychological state. (Read: goodbye, stress-y Sue).

Some research has shown that using essential oils (which are compounds extracted from the bark, flowers, leaves, stems, roots and other parts of plants) may improve sleep, stabilise your mood, reduce anxiety and improve your overall quality of life.

So, what is a diffuser? Well, essential oil diffusers basically disperse tiny molecules of oil into the air, filling the room or area with a natural fragrance. You usually just add water and the essential oil of your choice to the diffuser, and let it do its thing. They’re pretty multifunctional, and most of them can also be used as a humidifier (just add water and ditch the essential oils) for a healthy dose of moisture.

While oil burners were traditionally used to diffuse oils, today there a whole heap of different types to choose from, including nebulising, ultrasonic, heat, and evaporative diffusers. And if you want to get a little fancy, they often feature lights and timers, too.

Depending on your budget and needs, we’ve pulled together some of the best essential oil diffusers you can buy in Australia – you’ll just need to make sure you have some good quality aromatherapy oils on hand and you’ll be laughing (seriously though, they’re a great mood-lifter!).

Endota Essential Oil Diffuser

The endota Essential Oil Diffuser uses ultrasonic technology to finely diffuse essential oils into the air. The white ceramic sphere is subtly lit and casts dappled white light around the room for a relaxing, dreamy effect. Check out why our Review Crew® gave it four stars.
Cost: $80

Dusk Alexis Nebuliser

Dusk’s Alexis Nebuliser requires no heat or water (so you never need to refill it). It delivers a concentrated and pure stream of essential oil by converting cold liquid (your essential oils) into vapour. It has a stylish wooden base and a tall glass top. It also features colour-changing LED lighting and a timer function, which allows up to two hours of diffusion per cycle. It has a two minutes on, one minute off mode, to maintain a perfect level of aromatic fragrance.
Cost: $139.99

Natio Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser

This ultrasonic oil diffuser from Natio is sleek, effective and easy-to-use. Requiring no heat (it’s cool to touch), the ultrasonic technology preserves the aromatic properties from essential oils so you can enjoy the full benefits. It features seven soothing lighting modes and an automatic power-off function. Its running time is up to four hours.
Cost: $59.95

Sherwood Garden Aroma Fan Diffuser

Sherwood Garden’s Aroma Fan Diffuser uses a silent fan to diffuse essential oil. There’s no water required - all you have to do is apply a few drops of your favourite oil to one of the fibre fragrance pads (this pack comes with three pads), pop it in the diffuser and let the internal fan work its magic. It has a stunning marble ceramic cover and wooden base, and features-colour changing LED lights, an automatic shut-off function and can be used with batteries (so it’s portable and cordless) or an USB/AC adapter.
Cost: $80

HoMedics Ellia Relax Diffuser

You can pick up the HoMedics Ellia Diffuser from Big W, and to be honest – it’s a bit of a steal. With its modern ceramic finish, the Ellia Diffuser disperses your favourite essential oils for up to six hours. It also has a colour-changing light and comes with some diffuser oil (one orange and one peppermint) to help you get started.
Cost: $79

Dusk Saturn Pearl & Gold MoodMist Diffuser

So, you get can pretty diffusers, then you can get *really* pretty diffusers – and this curvaceous, tear drop glass is certainly one of the latter. Dusk Saturn Pearl & Gold MoodMist Diffuser has a range of settings, including a timer (one hour and two hours intermittent, and 30 seconds on/off), mist level (low, medium and high) and colour-changing or static LED lighting. Once the minimum water levels are reached, it automatically switches off.
Cost: $116.99

Kmart Aroma Diffuser

If you’re on a bit of a budget and looking for a cheap scent diffuser, but don’t want to skimp on quality, this little electric diffuser from Kmart is a great option. It comes with four timer settings, ranging from 30 minutes to 180 minutes, so you can choose your preferred time and it will turn off atomically. It also features a single white light (with two different strengths).
Cost: $20

dõTERRA Petal Diffuser

This ultrasonic dõTERRA Petal Diffuser is a compact, night-friendly diffuser (it has optional LED lighting) with a strong mist designed to help purify and humidify rooms (it can cover up to 330 square feet). It has three timed settings (one, two and four hours), allowing you to customise the release of essential oils.
Cost: $84.95

If you’re looking for a cheaper way to bring the aroma and benefits of essential oils into your home, you can also try this easy DIY method: Simply add one-quarter of a cup of fractionated coconut oil (it will preserve and maintain your essential oils) and 15 drops of your favourite essential oil into a glass container, and add some reed diffuser sticks (you can pick some up at a craft store). Sit it on your desk at work or at home, and reap the benefits of the super relaxing aroma.

Want to find out how you can use essential oils in your skin care routine? Here are 10 body oils your winter skin care routine needs.

Do you currently use an essential oil diffuser? What essential oil combination do you love? Which essential oil diffuser do you recommend? Let us know in the comment section below.

Main image credit: @gwynethpaltrow

Erin Docherty

Erin Docherty is a Beauty Writer for BEAUTYcrew, Beauty Editor for Women's Health magazine and a Grooming Writer for Men's Health magazine. She has a keen interest in cosmeceutical skin care and is currently working on minimising her 9-step skin care routine – because ain’t nobody got time for that. When she’s not writing about the latest beauty news, or applying copious amounts of serum, you can find her spending all her money in Sephora.