Photo courtesy Britney Gill
Using an essential oil diffuser is pretty simple: just add some water and oils, press the go button, and let the pretty scents of the plant you choose pour out. However, a recent conversation showed us that everyone does it a little differently. A Goop employee holds hers by her bed to anchor her bedtime. Another left hers on her living room coat to mask her dog’s odor with pet-safe oils. A third holds hers in her bathroom as a starter for a heavenly morning routine. Which led us to conclude that in the essential oils department, our imaginations may have waned and there are more ways than our own to make good use of our diffusers.
The AM kick starter
The diffuser:
We found that the morning routines that activate and invigorate us also drag us around, from the bedroom to the bathroom to the kitchen and wherever we go next. The new Move Diffuser from vitruvi is the perfect match for such morning hours. It’s designed to go with you almost anywhere. You charge it via a dock – we recommend doing this overnight – and then it works wirelessly.
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vitruvi Move Diffuser goop, $ 179
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The routine:
To get the most out of your diffuser in the morning, make it one of the first things you reach for when you get out of bed. Pour filtered water into the basin of the Move Diffuser, pour in your essential oils, replace the lid, and click the top button on the back to turn the diffuser on. To make this routine even easier, you can prep the diffuser in the evening so all you have to do is turn it on in the morning.
A:
Let the Move Diffuser flow bergamot and eucalyptus while you wash and dress in the bathroom. When you hit the kitchen for your morning cup of coffee, just take the diffuser off the charging base and bring it with you. Meanwhile, start a playlist that hits the sweet spot between upbeat and gentle – we’ve been listening to this one that seamlessly mixes modern singer-songwriters like Lucy Dacus and Laura Marling with Neil Young and Dolly.
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Work it out:
Carry this invigorating energy into your morning workout at home. The Move Diffuser is your friend here too: place it on top of your mat for a gentler exercise, or on a side table if you fancy something more active. (While the diffuser lid doesn’t slide off easily, it’s not completely tip-proof.) You will appreciate the deep, essential-oil-infused breaths during Lia Bartha’s 30-minute, low-impact Pilates session on Mat and a Ball and you can get started.
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OPTP LoRox Body Sphere goop, $ 23
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Start walking:
If your last stop of the day is your home office (be it your kitchen counter or the desk that you found space for in your living room last April), park yourself there for a quiet morning. The fresh scent of your diffuser? At work, it is an invitation to return to the present moment when you are feeling stressed or distracted.
If you’re going elsewhere, good news: the Move Diffuser fits neatly in a cup holder, and the battery lasts wherever you commute. (Four hours on a charge if streamed constantly and eight hours if you select the intermittent charging option.) You can also pause a cycle at any time so it can be done with you later on the way home.
The transaction
The diffuser:
This slim stone diffuser is our role model when we hang out in one place: it is easy on the eyes, has a good weight and looks like at home in any room. It’s available in black or white, but our favorite is the exclusive French gray.
Also note: These make great gifts. It is known that more than one goop editor has a supply for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries …
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vitruvi x goop goop-Exclusive stone diffuser goop, $ 119
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The mixture:
All of the essential oils in this blend come from the vitruvi Essentials Bundle. It comes as a box set, each with a bottle of soothing lavender, which supplies grapefruit with energy, grounds spruce and transports eucalyptus. Each of the individual oils stands on its own just as well as all of them mixed together. (Again with the gifts: this is a great one.) Here’s a favorite recipe:
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4 drops
4 drops 5 drops 4 drops
vitruvi The Essentials Bundle goop, $ 50
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The routine:
A calming nighttime ritual is less about a perfectly constructed routine and more about doing what feels good. A solid scent story can help set the stage. Drop the mixture into the top of your stone diffuser and let the aroma guide you.
Drink up:
This mix of golden milk and hot cocoa with spicy notes of ginger, cinnamon and cardamom is a little energizing without leaving bedtime mode. (That makes it a great companion for any book you read.) Stir a tablespoon or so into a hot cup of your favorite plant-based milk – we loved the barista-standard oat milk from Minor Figures.
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GOLDE Cacao Turmeric Latte Blend Goop, $ 29
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Make yourself comfortable:
If you want to calm your sleep, we have two suggestions. Pop two of our Knock Me Out chews first – they’re formulated with melatonin, L-tryptophan, and vitamin B6 and taste like chocolate mint. Second, try a little active meditation. This could mean paying attention to your breath for a few minutes, realizing the ups and downs of your chest, and lengthening your breaths. Or maybe you feel like doing something new, like a coloring book for meditation. We like the ones from The Coloring Method that draw on traditional meditation practices.
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goop Wellness Knock Me Out goop, $ 30 for 30 / $ 55 for 60
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The coloring method Daily self blessing goop, $ 16
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The spiritual reset
The diffuser:
What sets the Addition Studio Synergy Oil Burner apart from the other diffusers on this list is that it uses heat, not vibration, to fill the air with aroma. You don’t use water; Simply drop your oils into the brass bowl at the top and light the tealight at the bottom.
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Addition Studio Synergy oil burner goop, $ 180
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The routine:
Perhaps there are days when you can close your eyes and easily fall into a sense of calm. But it can also be that you sometimes need something to get into a meditative state. Your senses are powerful tools here: immerse yourself in sound, smell, taste and touch to bring them home to your body.
Swallow it:
Go for something traditional like green tea or masala chai, or try an adaptogenic blend designed for moments like this. Wylde One’s Yoga in a Cup is a powdered elixir made from Reishi and Ashwagandha, as well as cinnamon, nutmeg, peppermint and liquorice. It’s a little bit woody and a little bit spicy. Mix a sachet of hot water or vegetable milk and sip it.
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Wylde One Yoga in a mug, $ 35
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Move it:
After setting up your tealight-powered oil burner, take a seat (any comfortable chair will work – if you sit on the floor, take a meditation cushion to protect your back and hips) and gently release the tension from your body Massage your shoulders gently and stretch yourself through your torso.
Listen:
Binaural beats – a sound bath-like experience that feeds different frequencies of sound through each ear – can help us fall into meditation without guidance or exertion. You can do a quick search on YouTube or Spotify to find a good one. (To save you the hassle of searching, we liked JS Epperson’s Solfeggio Suite, which you can find on most streaming services.) Put on noise-canceling headphones, sit back, press the play button, and notice how you feel shifts over the course of the album (or even a single song).
