Personal inhalers are a very effective, safe and economical way to use essential oils and you do not have to worry about how the oils may affect others around you. They are portable and can easily slip into a pocket or purse.
Always be sure that the oils which you choose are safe for your family's situation!
There are two types of inhalers: plastic inhalers and aluminum inhalers (with glass inside). They both work the same. Plastic inhalers are cheaper, but the aluminum ones look nicer. To dress up the plastic ones you can decorate with duct tape, washi tape, or Rivertree Life sells some really cute inhaler labels. You can buy plastic personal inhalers at several essential oils companies or through Amazon. The aluminum ones are available through Rivertree Life and they also sell them on Amazon.
If you aren't familiar with personal inhalers, here is some great info and a video from Andrea and Aromahead showing how to make a use a personal inhaler.
Both types of inhalers come with a cotton wick. Place the cotton wick on a small plate or something similar and drop the oils right onto the wick. If any oils end up on the plate, roll the wick back and forth to absorb all of the oils. {You may want to use a pair of tweezers to you are not touching the non-diluted oils.} Once all the oil is absorbed put the wick in the inhaler and close the inhaler. No carrier oil is needed for a personal inhaler, but some have mentioned adding 1 drop of carrier oil to be a fixative to help the scent last longer.
* Apply 10-15 drops of essential oil to the wick for an adult.
* Apply 10 drops for children under the age of 10.
Some recipes listed may be less or more drops, feel fit to adjust as needed. You can adjust the number of drops of each oil to suit your scent preferences as well. Some recipes are listed without number of drops, so you can choose the number of drops to your preferences.
To use your personal inhaler, place close to or gently against the nose, and inhale deeply. You can use “as needed”. Personal aroma inhalers can last several months depending on how often they are opened. They can be refreshed any time with the same oils if you feel that the scent has faded.
For a quick and easy DIY inhaler you can add a drop or two of essentail oil into a cotton ball and keep in it an small bottle or a small baggie and sniff as needed. A regular inhaler with a cotton wick is going to last longer, but if you are in a pinch something like this would work.
We often get asked, “Why not just sniff from the bottle?” Each time you open your bottles of essential oil you are exposing it to more oxygen and therefore your oils will oxidize or go bad quicker. Just a sniff now and then won't hurt, but if this is something you will be doing often it is best to make a personal inhaler. For more info on how long essential oils last, please see our Shelf Life info.
If you are not familiar with why inhalation is often the most effective and safest way to use essential oils you can find more information in the following link.
Inhaling essential oils – why you should, when, and how
Safety Information for Children
* Use carefully with young children, as inserting the inhaler in the nose can be too intense for them. Try just waving it in front of their faces, or encourage them to use like they are smelling a flower.
* Any blend which contains Rosemary, Peppermint, or Eucalyptus and some others should be avoided around young children.
* Personal Inhalers should not be used with children under the age of 2.
* Ages 2-5 should be used with caution. {Diffusing or a linen spray is a safer option for these ages.}
* After 5 is safe as long as you are using only child safe oils.
The Recipes
Click on the underlined topics for more info. (these can also be used in a diffuser)
Allergies
For details on the allergy inhaler click here:
Essential Oils for Allergies
Tea Tree
Lavender
Cedarwood
Fir Needle
Geranium
German Chamomile
Roman Chamomile
Blue Tansy
{Not Child Safe}
4 drops of Eucalyptus Radiata
5 drops of Peppermint
3 drops of Lavender
3 drops of Myrrh
3 drops lavender
2 drops bergamot
2 drops marjoram
2 drops frankincense
2 drops clary sage
2 drops geranium
or
4 drops Bergamot
4 drops Cedarwood
4 drops Lavender
4 drops Patchouli
or
6 drops of Lavender
4 drops of Bergamot
4 drops of Ho Wood
1 drop of Lemon
{From Aromahead}
1 drop Neroli
5 drops Clary Sage
8 drops Bergamot
or
7 lavender
5 orange
3 bergamot
Beat the Winter Blues
6 Orange
3 Cedarwood
3 Ylang Ylang
4 drops lemon
4 drops juniper berry
2 drops cedarwood
{From the Anti-Congest Class
Fir Needle
Cinnamon leaf
Sweet orange
or
5 drops frankincense
6 drops lavender
4 drops mandarin
{Not Child Safe}
8 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
3 drops Eucalyptus Radiata
4 drops Elemi (Canarium luzonicum)
{Not Child Safe}
5 drops of Spike Lavender
4 drops of Peppermint,
2 drops of Eucalyptus Radiata
2 drops of Tea Tree
2 drops of Juniper Berry
5 Lemon
5 Tea Tree
{Not Child Safe}
6 drops cedarwood Virginian
6 drops cedarwood Atlantica (Atlas)
3 drops Eucalyptus
{Not Child Safe}
8 Eucalyptus
7 Tea Tree
{From Aromahead}
5 drops Black Pepper essential oil (Piper nigrum)
5 drops Frankincense essential oil (Boswellia carterii)
5 drops Black Spruce essential oil (Picea mariana)
Energy (to help with Fatigue or Exhaustion)
{Not Child Safe}
8 drops Clementine
7 drops Peppermint
{Not Child Safe}
7 Eucalyptus radiata
5 Rosemary
4 Grapefruit
{Not Child Safe}
5 drops of Rosemary
5 drops of Lime
5 drops of Spearmint
{Not Child Safe}
7 Rosemary
9 Lemon
2 Cypress
{Not Child Safe}
4 drops Peppermint
3 drops Thyme
3 drops Rosemary
2 drops Grapefruit
2 drops Orange
or
4 drops bergamot essential oil
4 drops juniper berry essential oil
3 drops frankincense essential oil
{Not Child Safe}
6 drops of Grapefruit,
2 drops of Black Pepper
2 drops of Peppermint
2 drops of Rosemary
3 drops of Laurel Leaf
Grief and Sadness
{Not Child Safe}
2 drops Neroli
2 drops Rose
2 drops Peppermint
3 drops Mandarin
2 drops Cypress
2 drops Sandalwood
2 drops Vetiver
or
5 drops Bergamot
5 drops Marjoram
5 drops Frankincense
{Not Child Safe}
5 Lavender
6 Frankincense
2 Rosemary
1 Eucalyptus globulus
{Not Child Safe}
4 Peppermint
4 Rosemary
6 Sweet orange
{Not Child Safe}
{From Aromahead}
6 drops Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ct. camphor)
6 drops Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
3 drops Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)
(if you don’t have black spruce you can sub the following)
3 drops of fir needle (Abies sibirica)
3 drops of pine (Pinus silvestris)
{This is also good for muscle tension.}
{Not Child Safe}
{From Aromahead}
10 drops of Rosemary
3 drops of Black Spruce
3 drops of lavender
1 drop of peppermint
{A variation of the above muscle tension recipe.}
{Not Child Safe}
5 drops of Peppermint
5 drops of Lavender
5 drops of Frankincense
{Not Child Safe}
{From Aromahead}
8 drops Frankincense
2 drops Eucalyptus radiata
5 drops Peppermint
Motion Sickness
7 drops Sweet orange
8 drops Ginger
{Not Child Safe}
7 drops Sweet Orange
7 drops Roman Chamomile
2 drops Peppermint
{Not Child Safe}
8 drops Ginger
7 drops Peppermint
{Not Child Safe}
4 drops Ginger
4 drops Peppermint
4 drops Spearmint
3 drops Lemon
Pick me up (Uplifting)
{Not Child Safe}
4 drops Lemon
3 drops Basil
4 drops Peppermint
4 drops Orange
1 drop clove
4 drops geranium essential oil
4 drops lemon essential oil
2 drops ylang ylang essential oil
{Not Child Safe if you choose peppermint}
8 peppermint or spearmint
8 orange or tangerine
{Not Child Safe}
2 drops Bergamot
4 drops clary sage
3 drops frankincense
2 drops peppermint
4 drops geranium
5 Ylang Ylang
5 Geranium
4 Clary Sage
3 Orange
Quiet Your Mind
5 drops lavender
5 drops frankincense
5 drops lemon
{Not Child Safe}
6 drops ravintsara (cineole ct)
6 drops Siberian fir
5 drops of frankincense
5 Cedarwood
5 Tea Tree
5 Lavender
{Not Child Safe}
3 drops Rosemary
3 drops Peppermint
3 drops Pine
3 drops Fir Needle
3 drops Spruce
2 cypress
2 peppermint
2 eucalyptus
{Not Child Safe}
10 Frankincense
5 Peppermint
1 Tea tree
6 drops of Lavender
4 drops of Vetiver
2 drops of Ylang Ylang
2 drops of Vanilla
{From Aromahead}
5 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
5 drops Balsam Copaiba (Copaifera officinalis)
5 drops Cedarwood (Juniperus virginiana)
{From Aromahead}
7 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
3 drops Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
7 drops Sweet marjoram (Origanum marjorana)
5 roman chamomile
5 bergamot
5 frankincense
{Not Child Safe} Snore no More
5 geranium
4 lavender
3 cedarwood
1 frankincense
2 eucalyptus
{From Aromahead}
5 drops Orange
3 drops Frankincense
2 drops Cedarwood
Bergamot
Grapefruit
Lavender
Lemon
Stop Smoking
8 black pepper
4 Angelica root
4 Clary sage
{From Aromahead}
5 drops Black Pepper (Piper nigrum)
5 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
5 drops Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
Vertigo
8 drops Juniper berry
7 drops Basil
