Do you want an affordable way to make your house smell great? What if you could do that and boost your mood and health at the same time? That is exactly what an electric diffuser and a small bottle of essential oil can do.

Essential oil diffusers are quick and efficient ways to spread an incredible scent throughout your house. Instead of continually buying air fresheners and refills a good diffuser can make a 10 ml bottle of essential oil last up to two months with regular use.

We’ve compiled this list to provide you with an easy way to get the best, most efficient diffuser for your own home. If you are new to diffusing oils, the process of getting the right diffuser can be a daunting one. There are so many options packed with features and extras that it can be hard to one that perfectly suits your needs. We’ve looked at hundreds of diffusers and narrowed it down to what we consider to be the best electric home diffusers.

Table of Contents

The Benefits of Diffusing Essential Oils

Essential oils smell great and are full of the natural goodness of plants instead of the hidden chemicals that are contained in most household air fresheners and room deodorisers. Not only do they smell great, but recent studies have found that regularly inhaling them can provide a range of benefits for your physical and emotional health.

Helps you sleep – Inhaling essential oil vapour promotes a relaxed state and studies have found that many oils, particularly lavender, have a positive effect on sleep habits.

Reduces stress – It is generally believed that smelling the pleasant scent of essential oils helps you feel relaxed and reduces stress. Most studies so far have been inconclusive because of the difficulties in conducting blinded studies regarding smells. However, those that focused on a combination of traditional therapy and essential oils indicated that the essential oils could work alongside the treatment to enhance the stress-reducing effect.

Increases energy and focus – Specific oils such as lemon and cinnamon can have a revitalising effect, clearing the mind and reducing fatigue. Studies involving peppermint oil have shown that it can enhance athletic performance when inhaled.

Boosts your respiratory health – Many oils are antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. They reduce inflammation in your bronchial passageways and reduce the presence of bacteria. They also kill bacteria in the room they are diffused in, making the air that you breathe cleaner before it even reaches you.

Types of Essential Oil Diffuser

There are four main types of essential oil diffuser. Each one is better suited to different situations and budgets.

Nebulising

A nebulising diffuser uses fast airflow to force the oil into a fine mist. This means that the only thing diffused into the air is the oil, so you get a more significant amount present your room. As a result, nebulisers use up oil quicker, making them less efficient. Of all the types here these are the noisiest and the most expensive.

Ultrasonic

These are our preferred type of diffuser, and these are the type you will find on this list. A few drops of oil are mixed with water and added to a small reservoir. A plate below the water vibrates at a hypersonic frequency to create a fine mist. The combination of water and oil means that your oil can last for weeks or months, saving you money and allowing you to top up the diffuser less frequently. The vibration produces little or no noise.

Heat

The heat from an electric element or candle is applied directly to the oil or a water/oil mix. This evaporates the oil and allows it to spread around the room. These diffusers are often cheap to buy, but the heat often uses up the oil quickly, meaning you need to top it up regularly using larger amounts of oil to get the effect you want.

Evaporative

By far the cheapest and simplest option these simply allow the neat oil to evaporate into the air. This can be done by pouring it into a shallow dish, or by using reeds to soak up the oil and allow it to evaporate from the greater surface area they provide.

How to choose the best diffuser for you

When selecting your diffuser, you may want to consider one or two of these points:

Value for money- If you aren’t sure that you’re looking at a good value product, look at reviews from other customers and see what they thought once they got it home.

Noise when running- Something that sits in a corner and buzzes all day can be very annoying so quiet or silent is essential.

Appearance- will it fit into the area you want to put it.

Size- Some are easy to keep out of site other can be the size and shape of a goldfish bowl.

Diffuser type- We prefer ultrasonic diffusers because of their ability to quickly fill a room with scent while making no noise and using tiny amounts of oil at a time.

Extra features- Automatic cut off features are handy, meaning that you don’t have to worry about turning the diffuser off once it’s going. Lights and other extras can be included in some models.

Best Essential Oil Diffusers UK

These are the best diffusers we’ve found so far:

1. Asakuki 300ml Essential Oil Diffuser

This stylish diffuser runs a 2.4MHz ultrasonic vibrating plate to provide 50% humidity over an area of 20-25 square metres. This is a super-efficient device with different timing settings and an auto-off feature. For a small extra, you can get a completely white oak finish which we preferred to some of the full-coloured wood effect options. If you don’t mind a medium-sized vape but want one that’ll look good whatever your room decoration looks like, this is it.

Key points 

Type: Ultrasonic 

Colours: 7 LED colours

Capacity: 300ml tank

Size: 16.8 x 15.8 x 13.9 cm

Coverage: 20-25 square metres

Timing options: 1hrs, 3hrs, 6hrs

Features: Auto-off

Power: Mains

Buy the Asakuki 300ml from Amazon

 2. Asakuki 700ml Essential Oil Diffuser

If you are looking for a diffuser that will guarantee to fill even the largest room with your favourite essential oil, this is the one for you. It’s got a large capacity tank that can hold up to 700ml, but surprisingly it still takes up a similar amount of space to other smaller diffusers. It will comfortably fill a room of up to 35 square metres with a deliciously scented mist. Because of the size, we felt that this one was more suited to being placed in the room you want it and then leaving it there. If you want one that you can move from room to room, one of the smaller options may suit you better.

Key points 

Type: Ultrasonic 

Colours: 7 LED colours

Capacity: 700ml tank

Size: 15.2 x 15.2 x 13.2 cm

Coverage: 30-35 square metres

Timing options: 1hrs, 3hrs, 6hrs

Features: Auto-off, Easy to clean tank           

Power: Mains

Buy the Asakuki 700ml from Amazon

 3. Anjou 300ml Aromatherapy Humidifier with 12 Oils

This 300ml diffuser comes with three timer settings, an auto-of function and two mist modes allowing you to choose a lighter mist. This is a handy diffuser with the bonus of coming with 12 x 5ml bottles of Anjou essential oil. The bottom section of this one has a pin wood effect finish. While it looks effective, it does mean that it may clash with any current decorations or features in a room. If you want your diffuser to match any room, this may not be the one for you. However, if you already have pine items, it will blend in perfectly.

Key points 

Type: Ultrasonic 

Colours: 7 LED colours

Capacity: 300ml tank

Coverage: Unknown

Timing options: 1hrs, 3hrs, 6hrs

Features: Auto-off, Comes with 12 essential oils

Power: Mains 

Buy the Anjou 300ml from Amazon

4. VicTsing 300ml Oil Diffuser

Finished in a wood effect pattern, this was surprisingly one of the most stylish we found. The wood on the top half gave the effect of an ornament and meant that it fitted in, in most rooms without clashing. This is a capable-looking device, especially with the LED lights shining from the band around the middle. It can fill a space of at least 30 square metres with vapour for up to 10 hours continuously and runs very quietly with a noise of less than 23dB. Currently for sale at £20.99, this is one of the best value diffusers available, and it works a treat.

Key points 

Type: Ultrasonic 

Colours: 7 LED colours

Capacity: 300ml tank

Coverage: 30-60 square metres

Timing options: 1hrs, 3hrs, 6hrs

Features: Auto-off, Dark wood effect option, Best value

Power: Mains 

Buy the VicTsing 300ml from Amazon

5. Bobolyn 120ml Glass Essential Oil Diffuser

If you’re looking for something a bit special, then this is it. This glass diffuser provides an incredible firework pattern light design with 7 changing LED colour modes. This is a super quiet ultrasonic diffuser that will effectively deliver an essential oil mist while acting as a stunningly patterned night light. It has a safety auto-off and four timer settings so you can choose exactly how long you want to use it. This won’t fill rooms as well as the other devices on this list, but if you want it as a nightlight/diffuser for a bedroom, it will fill a small/medium bedroom with a soothing vapour and look great while doing it.

Key points 

Type: Ultrasonic 

Colours: 7 LED colours

Capacity: 120 ml tank

Coverage: small/medium rooms

Timing options: 0.5hrs, 1hr, 2hrs, 3hrs

Features: Auto-off, Glass with firework pattern nightlight

Power: Mains 

Buy the Bobolyn 120ml from Amazon

My Supplement Recommendations

These are products that I currently use and enthusiastically recommend:

Multivitamin – Nutrigenesis Multi for Men or Nutrigenesis for Women. Performance Lab use their patented Nutrigenesis technique to provide a range of vitamins and minerals in their most effective form. Read my review.

Nootropic – Mind Lab Pro contains eleven natural nootropics that have been proven to support cognitive function and brain health. Read my review.

Collagen – Edible Health Bovine Collagen. This excellent bovine collagen powder is completely tasteless and absorbs quickly into any liquid. It’s third-party lab tested and provides 13g of collagen per serving. Read my review.

Turmeric – VitaBright Organic Turmeric with Ginger and Black Pepper. These turmeric capsules are organic, effective and affordable. They include black pepper to enhance curcumin absorption and ginger to provide additional useful benefits. Read my review.

Incredible value – G&G Vitamin 28 day packs This is the most affordable way to buy supplements in the UK. One tub holds 28 daily packs of up to 11 different vitamins, minerals or food supplements.