Raven TY for eBay link I got lemongrass patchouli clary sage and frankincense, all new fragrances to me. Their price for the frankincense seemed much lower than Whole Foods so I hope not too good to be true.

I think perhaps a better description of patchouli is an earthy (fresh dirt, even!) scent with a powder finish. But we all interpret smells differently, so what appeals to one won't necessarily appeal to the next person. I love that there are so many oils to experiment with, and combining them is fun.

I smelled the frankincense tester at the HFS, and I really wanted to like it but I didn't like the whiff straight from the bottle. It may diffuse into something wonderful though. Let us know what you think, bossyvossy.

Thanks for this topic. I have a Now diffuser but am not happy with it. It seems to stay on even when it is turned off. It was about $35 but seems cheaply made from China. And, it doesn't hold very much water. I would like to find one as mentioned previously that would run for 8 hours.

I use distilled water. I have an ultrasonic humidifier and the instructions said to use distilled water if your water has high mineral content to avoid dust and if anyone in the house has breathing issues.

I had no idea about the dangers to cats. Found this information: link Guess you just have to be careful what you use and where you store the oils so the kitties don't get into them.

Synthetic fragrances (like Febeze and dryer sheets, etc.) are very dangerous for people and animals and I cannot tolerate them. They make me quite sick. But I love real essential oil fragrances and they don't bother me at all.

So far, I have collected the following oils: lemon, clary sage, frankincense, lavender, peppermint, Peaceful Sleep (which is a blend but it is a blend of 100% essential oils -orange, tangerine, lavender, chamomile, ylang ylang and sandalwood) and another blend "Stress Relief" Synergistic blend. Got another blend at T.J. Maxx and it hardly has a scent at all - guess it was old. Whole Foods has a good selection of oils and they also have diffusers. The other day they were using

I was invited to an aromatherapy "class" which turned out to be a doterra multi-level marketing party where the rep ingested one of the undiluted oils and said it helped her asthma. Freaked me out a bit so I did some online research the company and decided to avoid them.

Whole Foods has a good selection of oils and they carry some diffusers. They usually have one going with various scents. The other day they had a mixture of orange and clove that smelled great.

I have frankincense going now - thanks to one of the previous posts. My husband has breathing issues and I thought I would try it. It smells better diffused than in the bottle.

The original oils I ordered from Amazon with my diffuser were these. Some of the others had bad reviews, this one had excellent reviews. They are good quality. I do like the scents I got from the ebay link better. I definitely will not be ingesting any ick!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0163GBZK8/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Peer pressure made me treat myself. I gave myself a Christmas toy. I purchased the same diffuser as Raven and I am having fun with it. Tonight I mixed up recipe for respiratory support from the blog Ida shared. It has eucalyptus, lemon, rosemary, and peppermint. I am not sure I like the addition of peppermint because I can feel it in my nose and throat as I breathe, but I am clear.

Went to WF and started sniffing their oils. The clove bud was divine! Frankincense and clary sage didn't have a tester. Can't wait for my order.

The diffuser envy is spreading. My daughters are interested after seeing and smelling mine. One has a teenage boy and mentioned using one in his room to control the boy yuck. I had girls . Is there such a thing?

I was just researching this yesterday and want to echo the warnings for cats. Cats don't have an enzyme that helps them recover from toxic substances and many essential oils are dangerous for cats to inhale. Apparently, some of the damage is long term, so please be careful even if your cat has never shown a reaction (cat's hide sickness/pain anyway). Peppermint, cinnamon, tea tree and citrus oils are among the worst. Lavender, from what I read, is ok. There were a few things bad for dogs as well, but not as many. I've never used them but going to order a diffuser today!

I use these bath salts scented with frankincense and myrrh.

I got one for Christmas, we have peppermint going since my husband and I are both recovering from bad colds.

iRT cats, I called my vet weeks ago about this concern and she said she uses oil diffusers in her office and the only thing to be concerned about was if a cat could accidentally ingest the pure undiluted oil. Breathing it in such a diluted form is not at all a concern to her.

Well, my diffuser and oils gift to my brother and SIL didn't go over at all with them today. I thought my SIL would love the idea and either know about it or be very interested. Barely listened to what I was telling her about it and the various oils. My brother just didn't like it at all. So much for that. I'm still going to buy myself one!

Well too bad for them! Maybe once they try it if they will they will be more appreciative. That's just rude no matter what the gift is. You could just take it back lol

I finally got my oils from eBay. Here is my report:

frankincense, the smell was so faint so not effect on my senses.

lemongrass, found it offensive b/c it reminded me of a Thai restaurant kitchen so nothing soothing about that smell. Maybe mixed w/something else it wouldn't be so kitcheny.

next two are patchouli and clary sage. I'll be back.

You may need to add more drops of the milder ones. I thought the lemongrass was strong so I need to use less but I did like it mixed with others.

So far I really like the lavender in my diffuser; it is very pleasant and seems to be very relaxing. The only thing is that the diffuser output last for about an 1 1/2 hour. I was hoping it would last longer than that. The diffuser has a large tank. How long does a water fill last for you?

My small diffusers last four to five hours with four ounces of water, my larger on lasts eight plus hours. I think you might have a faulty one walnut.

Mine lasts for a long time. Many hours. I've found that the way it works best for me is to put on the diffuser about 1.5 to 2 hours before I am going to go to bed (we like to watch a movie before bed, so I will put it on when I start the movie in the other room). I close all the doors to my room and turn the ceiling fan off and let the diffuser work in the empty room. Then when I come in, it smells really nice and goes for a few more hours. If I don't do it that way and start it when I get into the room, I don't notice the smell as strongly as if it already has a great smell when I go into the bedroom.

Mine will go all day long. I turned it on around noon or a little after the other day and it was still on the next morning. I have a fairly large tank I put 3 of the little cups that came with it to the fill line. I also stir up the water after I add the oils to make the oil smaller drops I keep a wooden skewer with it and use that to kind of whip up the water to mix the oil and water. I find it works better that just leaving the oil in big blobs.

Walnut did you get the same one as me? If so if you are filling it to the max it should run at least 8 hours. It's a 350 ml tank. How many of the cups of water are you adding?

Loving clary sage, very spa like, very soothing to me. Will be part of my essential inventory. Hubby said it smelled like bug spray. I googled it and indeed it can be used as mosquito repellent, among other things. I think he was more excited about lemon grass as he hoped it was a sign I was cooking something good...

Yes, raven, I got the same one as you. I have been just using 1 cup of water. Duh! Will try the three cups and see what happens. Will let you know. Thanks to all of you for your replies. Such great people here.

Clary sage combined with spearmint is nice. (I might've already mentioned that upthread, but I'm too lazy to scroll back and look.)

I ordered the same one as Ida, Raven, and Walnut last night without even remembering they had it also. I like the shape and the black with more subtle lighting. It and the sample kit of pure oils come on Monday!

I'm using patchouli today and I love it the best so far. I have had the bottle for ages and never really had a good use for it until now. Raven, I also use a little wooden stick to stir with.

I like the patchouli best so far also. I do like the juniper berry too.

I wondered if you were doing that Walnut! Lol I was hoping you didn't get a defective one.

Well I must give a brief report. DH had a bad cold a week or so before Christmas so I ordered one like raven posted plus the same oil samplers. He loved it. In fact his hair stylist happened to demo some peppermint oil to him to clear his sinuses just by rubbing a little on his hands and inhaling. We've mostly used the heck out of the eucalyptus. And the peppermint.

Thanks much for the idea and for the recommendations.

I used the eucalyptus when we were both sick with the bug we had. It really made a difference. I am happy you are enjoying yours too. I need to give my tea tree oil to someone I just can't risk using it. I need to ask my neighbor if she could use it.

peppermint is great, I love it but not for everybody. The other day we had the cable guy go into sneezing, wheezing cough b/c of the peppermint I had just started.

I've been reading a lot about respiratory essential oil recipes before my diffuser/oil samples arrive on Monday because of my COPD. Those recipes are also recommended for chest colds, cough and congestion. Eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender, and frankincense are the most highly recommended on medical sites that I have read.

Patchouli = nice

thought it would be too hippie for me, but no, just nice!

Will have to try to find some patchouli oil. I love the scent in soap. DD buys hand made soaps all the time in that scent and I don't know why I didn't think about it myself. It will make a great gift for her next gift- giving time.

Raven, et al, I did use the three diffuser measuring cups of water, added additional drops of lavender oil, and used a toothpick to disburse the oil into very small droplets floating on top of the water. The diffuser worked well for the three hours before I turned it off. Do any of you let it run while you are sleeping? I have been hesitant to do that. Regardless, the increased water and the stirring seemed to make the mist throw further and my room still smells heavenly today.

I often forget about it and it stays on till it runs out and turns off. I have it in the den where we are most of the time. I will have to try the lavender in the bedroom.

wondering how all the diffusing is going? :) I am thinking of getting one and remembered this thread. Do any of you have a humidifier in the room too? can you just add the oil to the humidifier or is this different somehow? I would like to try the lavender in our room for sleeping. My son is having a heck of a time falling asleep lately.

I know you can use oil in one of my filterless cool mist humidifiers but I have read that oil maintains its essence better when not heated so I would not use it in a hot humidifier. I also think a filter might get clogged quickly by oils so only a filterless one aswell. I still love my oils and lavender is diffusing every night in my room and it, placebo or real, helps me fall asleep.

I ended up buying a diffuser last week, for my son's room. He has a really hard time falling asleep. It does help some. I use the Lavender Harvest oil blend from Aura Cacia in his diffuser. He also has a lavender eye pillow filled that he uses to get sleepy. I loved it so much, I bought one for myself and it knocks me out in minutes. (It's this one.)

The diffuser I got is this one.

Does anyone use Young Living essential oils?

We just got this humidifier, and it has a special spot for oils (but I haven't used that feature yet). I do like how quietly it runs. It looks like a little elephant in the room, blowing smoke out its trunk.objecto humidifier I got ours at Tuesday Morning.

I use a few of the YL oils Bumble, but not many. I think you can find other pure oils for a better price. I am using YL Thieves right now.

Laughable moments that is the filterless one I use with oils! I love it.

Bumblebeez, that is the brand I use. I use lavender (or sometimes valor) in my diffuser every night. I need to get the purification diffusing during the day because germs are getting out of hand in this area lately! I can't use thieves because it has eucalyptus in it which is a no-no for my son's lung condition.

Bummer - I did receive a humidifier for Christmas and I was able to find it on Amazon and it says this: We do not recommend adding any essential oil or similar chemical perfume in the water.

So I guess I need another thing in my room :p kind of bummed about that, but I guess the good news is I could move it around. I will check out the ones above and I guess I will have to wait a few days to try out the lavender on my son!

I have heard that you can apply a couple of drops of oil to a tissue and tape the tissue on one end where the vapor comes out so the vapor blows it. I have not tried it though.

You can mix the lavender with water in a spray bottle and make a pillow mist. They sell it but they contain perfume so I make my own and spray my pillow before bed...

So I just put some of the lavender on me last night (he falls asleep in my arms usually) and then played the most relaxing song ever most stress reducing song and he fell asleep in 10 - 15 min instead of the 60 to 75 it has been taking. Coincidence?

he did say a few times what is that stinky stuff, so I think I used a bit too much :)

I've been told that if you find the smell of an oil particularly unpleasant it is because your body is actually in need of it. Not sure it is true but interesting if it is. Another thing you can do is take a couple of teaspoons of coconut oil and add a drop or two of lavender to it and use it as a massage oil before bed. The coconut oil dilutes the essential oil and makes it absorb into the skin better. Also makes it safer to use on skin.

Studies on mice showed lavender inhaled showed faster times toward Rem and longer duration of good sleep...I think there is merit in the belief that lavender has calming properties that can enhance mood and sleep by decreasing anxiety and depression. Here are some articles I read on it before starting to use it. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22612017

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/lavender

I love my aroma diffuser, but I rarely ever use it anymore for this reason. http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/aromatherapy-relaxation-or-torment-for-pets    Those of you that have pets, please read carefully, this article, and other articles you can find through google.

Cat ny, I cleared my diffuser use with my cats' vet first. She said ingestion of oils and topical use always concerns her but the concentration diffused in an average size room is not at all a concern to her in her professional opinion. She even uses one at home and in her office with her own cats.... She even mentioned she diffuses tea tree oil which according to internet sources is taboo...

Thats nice to hear. I have 3 dogs, one is a beagle, he is the largest. Other 2 are small and I also have a cat. It was very scary reading. I am going to ask my vet next week to see what he says. I have to take the dog in for a follow up appt.