Review of the Best Nebulizer Diffusers for Aromatherapy Bliss

There are a lot of different ways to use and enjoy essential oils. You can inhale them, dilute them in a carrier oil and apply them to the skin, create body care products with them, and some are even safe to cook with. But, the most popular and easiest way to use essential oils is by diffusing them in a room. In this post, I am going to discuss the best nebulizer diffusers. Nebulizer diffusers don’t use water or heat, just the essential oil, unlike other types of diffusers.

As an aromatherapist certified by the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy, finding the best nebulizer diffusers is important to me. I appreciate beauty as well as function. Let’s take a look at a few different features so you can compare and decide what’s best for you. We are comparing nebulizer diffusers from Organic Aromas, Rocky Mountain Oils, and Airversa.

Let’s talk about alternatives to the best nebulizer diffusers

Cool mist, ultrasonic diffusers

Before we talk about the different nebulizer diffusers, let’s talk about how these diffusers are different from other types of diffusers. You are probably familiar with the cool mist, ultrasonic diffusers. This type of diffuser dilutes the essential oil in a water vapor or mist. It has a humidifying effect on the room. These are often continuous diffusers that release a less potent scent. They use ultrasonic waves that break up the essential oil into tiny particles that suspend the oil in the water. However, this also can affect the chemical structure of the oils. And, because oil and water don’t mix, these types of diffusers don’t always work well. Unfortunately, in my experience, they often have a sticky residue in the bottom after all the water evaporates. This is leftover essential oil! Be very careful cleaning them!

Other problems I’ve had with water-based diffusers are: they can messy to use and they can be picky about the water. Filling the diffuser to the line with water and then having to walk to where the outlet is presents a small challenge. And, if your tap water is too hard, it can also pose a problem because you’re not supposed to use filtered water, either. Uugh.

However, they are widely available and inexpensive. I have three of these in my home and none of them cost more than $20. They can be a good option for small rooms or if you just want a hint of scent. They can also be a practical way to add some humidity to a room while also adding the benefits of essential oils.

Heat-based diffusers

Another alternative to the best nebulizer diffusers are heat-based diffusers. I haven’t seen these around much anymore. Remember those old-fashioned ceramic diffusers with the tea light in the base? The top portion holds the water/essential oil mixture. That’s a heat-based diffuser. These are the oldest, simplest diffusers. But, they are also the most dangerous and messy. They use a tea light or they use a ring situated on a lightbulb.

Sometimes people infuse a wax melt with essential oils. Then they put the wax melt in the ceramic dish on top and light a tea light in the lower compartment. As the wax melts, it releases the essential oil fragrance. They can be very elegant, but need to be used with caution and never left unattended. These are also inexpensive and you can even make one yourself!

Another alternative to the best nebulizer diffusers: Passive diffusers

Finally, another alternative to the best nebulizer diffusers are passive diffusers. Personally, I love this option for bathrooms. It’s also a great option for baby rooms. These can be reed diffusers, lava rock, or unfinished ceramic. I have a flower one that sits on top my toilet tank and helps with well, bad odors. Similar to the best nebulizer diffusers, these don’t use water or heat. You simply add a few drops to the lava or ceramic base and it gently evaporates over a couple of days. With a reed type, the reeds sit in a receptacle full of a carrier oil containing the essential oil. This oil mixture climbs the reeds and gently diffuses into the air.

Passive diffusers are good for small spaces, especially small spaces in which you don’t want electrical cords plugged in all the time. They are also very clean and safe. The downside to passive diffusers is that the scent is never very strong and fades quickly. I find myself adding 5 drops of essential oil pretty much every two days.

The best nebulizer diffusers: a review

There are a lot of different brands out there when it comes to the best nebulizer diffusers. We are only going to compare three: Organic Aromas, Rocky Mountain Oils, and Airversa. I chose these three because they represent many of the features that you will see advertised and of course, I have personal experience with them. I hope you are able to decide what will be best for you after reading my assessment below.

Ease of use

The first point of comparison is ease of use. I don’t like a lot of complicated buttons, complicated cleaning, or lots of steps to use it properly. The clear winner here is Organic Aromas. There is only one knob to operate it. Turn it up for more aroma and turn it down for less. That’s it. The Rocky Mountain Oils’ diffusers have two plastic buttons and the Airversa has three plastic buttons to operate the diffusers. My issue with buttons is that after a lot of use, they tend to crack and not work anymore, and there’s no fixing it. They are also susceptible to moisture. Buttons also means that you have to press each one multiple times to get to the mode you want. I really like the simplicity of the Organic Aromas metal knob that you simply turn.

Cleaning

For this point, both the Organic Aromas and the Airversa are tied because they both give instructions for running a cleaning cycle to completely clear the device of any essential oil residue. Leaving essential oil residue in your nebulizer can make it sticky and impair the operation of it, not to mention contaminating it for future use. With Rocky Mountain Oils’ diffusers, there are no instructions for cleaning the device itself, only the bottles that you screw on. And because you screw the bottles of essential oil directly on to the nebulizer, there is no way to prevent the nebulizing components from becoming contaminated. So, when you switch oils in the RMO diffusers, there will always be some residue from your previous oil left on the diffuser elements.

Portability

All three of the best nebulizer diffusers are either portable or have a portable version that is rechargeable with a USB cable. The Organic Aromas mobile mini is the most durable, though, because it is completely aluminum and glass with no plastic. None of them are drop resistant, though. Because all of them have glass reservoirs (you cannot put essential oils in plastic reservoirs!), there is always the risk of breakage if you drop them. But, they are all appropriate for the car or travel destination.

Durability

Again, the best nebulizer diffuser for this is Organic Aromas. They only use the highest quality materials for their nebulizers. That means they use wood, aluminum, and glass, no plastic. Rocky Mountain Oils uses plastic and glass. There is no way to know what the internal nebulizer components are made of, but the majority of the construction is plastic. Plastic brings the cost down, but it also means that it can’t be repaired and is less durable. Airversa uses metal and glass, with some minor plastic components, which I will talk about in minute.

Capacity

Airversa is a clear winner on this point. The reservoir holds 100mL of essential oils, which means you can set it and forget it. And, unlike the Rocky Mountain Oils diffusers, it is on the bottom of the diffuser and drawn up into the nebulizing components through a small hose. And that is the part that I think is a little clunky and I don’t really like. The hose is plastic, of course. But, they do give you extras and it means that the essential oils are used in a controlled manner.

The Rocky Mountain Oils diffusers hold 15mL of essential oil, but that’s because you screw the bottle directly into the diffuser. This is very convenient, but because of the design, there is no way to prevent the diffuser from being contaminated with the oil. So, when you switch oils, there’s still some residue in the diffuser. (And, remember, there’s no directions for how to clean the nebulizer diffuser components.) Second, it gets a little messy when switching oils. You have to be careful not to spill your bottle when you unscrew it and of course, not overtighten when you screw a new one in. There is a small risk of leaking oil, too. Organic Aromas holds only about 25 drops of oil at a time, which means that you have to monitor it.

Other features

All three of the best nebulizer diffusers discussed have versions with lights. I like this feature because it can add a nightlight or evening ambiance to a room. All three have settings that vary the strength of aroma and frequency of dispersion. As far as dispersion goes, Organic Aromas nebulizer diffusers have the capacity to diffuse across 800 square feet, which is greater than either Rocky Mountain Oils (400 sq. ft.) diffusers or Airversa (500 sq. ft.), making them the clear winner for larger rooms. And finally, Organic Aromas offers a wide variety of beautiful, handcrafted and custom-blown glass nebulizers, even ones that you can have personalized with your own engraving.

The other two best nebulizer diffusers also have different options, but not as much variety. Rocky Mountain Oils comes in three styles: Aviva Waterless Diffuser, Aromafuse, and Rainbow. The Airversa comes in a variety of different colors, but only one style.

Pricing

I know this is what you were really after! As you might imagine, quality comes with a price. Organic Aromas nebulizer diffusers come in at $98.00 for most models. The Rocky Mountain Oils waterless (nebulizer) diffusers have prices ranging from $54.95 to as low as $37.41 for the Rainbow version. And the Airversa costs $29.99 to $49.99, depending on the model.

So there you have it. I hope this was helpful to you in deciding which of the best nebulizer diffusers is right for you.