Written by Joseph Holevinski, Converge multimedia journalism intern and Senior at Gwinnett School of Math, Science & Technology (GSMST)
Recently, I have been hearing a lot about essential oils from friends and news online. The different scents from these essential oils have been said to benefit your body in different ways, but I didn’t really see how smells could impact your sleep or productivity. About a month ago, I got a diffuser as a gift and a pack of 9 different scents. So obviously, I had to try them out for myself and see if the essential oils are really worth all the hype. Here is what I discovered over the two weeks of using essential oils.
I wasn’t really sure where to begin my adventure. Thus, I turned to Google to see how to use a diffuser and what the different oil scents do. Some supposedly helped with focus, helped with relaxing and one even helped cognitive function. I didn’t know what to do for the first day, so I chose lavender because that was a scent I was familiar with.
I filled the diffuser up with water and put a few drops of the oil on top. As I turned it on, the mist flowed from the top and I was hit with a burst of lavender. At first it seemed a bit much but after a while, I was starting to feel more relaxed. Maybe it does work? After a few hours the water ran out. It seemed to work really well and lasted a long time, but I would have to do more tests to reach a conclusion.
The next couple of days, I would try different scents based on what mood I was in, or trying to be in. Peppermint and eucalyptus helped me stay awake and focused. Orange and lemon made me more energized. They all seemed to be working well.
Then I made a discovery (one that I probably should have made sooner): you can combine scents. I’m not sure why it took me so long to realize this. Probably because I had never done this before and didn’t read through the instructions booklet with suggested scent combinations. That just made the scents so much better than just one note. That really elevated their impact and really made my room smell great by the end of the two weeks.
Overall, I definitely think that essential oils and diffusers are worth the hype. It can not only elevate your mood or relax you; it can also keep you quite energized and help you breathe more clearly. I highly recommend you get one and breathe deeply as you embark on your diffuser-filled journey!
