Diffusing Essential Oils
for Odor Control
DISCLAIMER!! Not all essential oils are therapeutic grade or harmless. Please investigate any essential oil company that
you plan to use around animals! The methods discussed in this article are NOT safe to use with lower grade oils or oils
that have any chemicals in them around animals. In order for the legal use of the words PURE or THERAPEUTIC on the
label, the bottle only needs to contain 5% of essential oil! Do not confuse MARKETING for the TRUTH.
Noxious odors are NOT good for business! We have all been there, when a brand new client walks into the salon, just
after that over sized cocker spaniel just released his bowls for the third time in an hour. They come in smiling and start
asking about your services, when their nose starts twitching, then their eyes start watering and you just want to melt into
the floor and disappear. And heaven's forbid you should spray an air freshener because we all know that flowery poop
does not smell any better.
One of the best ways to introduce essential oils into the salon is in the front lobby of your shop to control odors. Diffusion
is one of the most common methods for using essential oils because it is very safe. Aromatherapy is very powerful
because inhaling essential oils is a direct link to the olfactory center of the brain which is next to the limbic center of the
brain. The limbic center controls our emotions, which is why the scent of fresh baked bread reminds us of grandma, or a
certain cologne can remind us of grandpa. Scent is tied closely to our emotions and our memories.
There are two distinct types of diffusers that you can choose from: Ultrasonic diffusers and Nebulizing diffusers.
Ultrasonic Diffusers are filled with water and you add your essential oils to the water chamber. They use ultrasonic
vibrations to break down water molecules into negatively charged ions that carry very small essential oil particles with
them and as they move through the air, they bond with positively charged free radicals in the air which helps to purify
your environment. They also add a small amount of humidity to the air, which also helps to keep the air healthier. Start
with 5-10 drops of oil and if it is not strong enough you can always add more. If you accidentally add too much oil, just
pour the water from the diffuser into a glass jar and only add a small amount of the water to the diffuser and fill the rest of
the way with plain water.
Nebulizing Diffusers use air to draw oil up a tube and then disperse it in the form of tiny droplets into the environment
similar to how a perfume atomizer works. They can disperse a large amount of oil into the air in a very small amount of
time, so you would want to invest in a model with a timer. If the scent gets too intense,simply shut off the diffuser for a
least an hour.