Diffusing Oils For Healthy Living

One of the most common things that are needed for aromatherapy is a diffuser. This is an accessory that is used to diffuse essential oils that are primarily consumed in an aromatherapy session. Today, there are so many kinds of aromatherapy diffusers available on the market. They come in various shapes, sizes, colors, styles, and types of materials.

However, not all diffusers are surefire hits in terms of safety. The following are just some of the most commonly used aromatherapy diffuses out there with their advantages and disadvantages.

1.Candle Diffusers.

These are considered as one of the cheapest and most convenient to use aromatherapy diffusers out there. It comes with a candle and a small plate where the essential oil should be placed. It comes in various sizes and colors.

- Advantages:

They are cheap. They come in many styles to choose from. They are available almost everywhere in health stores and aromatherapy shops. They do not consume electricity. You don't need to spend money to buy batteries.

- Disadvantages:

Utmost care is needed when using it because it can easily cause a fire. You need lots of replacement candles on hand to ensure sustainability. Candle diffusers can destroy the therapeutic properties of the essential oil especially when not used properly.

2. Fan Diffusers.

This is basically a small fan used to blow the essential oil into the air with the help of a pad or tray that is disposable. They come in different shapes, sizes, designs, and styles.

- Advantages:

You can choose from a wide range of styles and different brands. It is effective in diffusing the aroma of essential oils into large areas.

- Disadvantages:

They require large amounts of electricity. You need to replace pads very often. They are too noisy especially if it has accumulated lots of dust.

3. Electric Heat Diffusers.

This is quite similar to fan diffusers only it comes in a more convenient package.

- Advantages:

This is effective in diffusing fragrance in larger rooms. It can efficiently diffuse the aroma even of those hard to diffuse essential oils such as patchouli or sandalwood.

- Disadvantages:

You may not achieve the therapeutic benefits of the essential oil because heat can destroy some of its properties.

4. Clay Pot Diffusers.

They are made of terracotta and come in various. It comes with a cork and an opening for the essential oils.

- Advantages:

These are cheap. They are environmentally friendly. They are easy to use. You don't need electricity or batteries to operate them.

- Disadvantages:

The aroma is short lived. It can easily break if used too often.

Support the Sustainable Farmer

This means that Fairtrade goods are often more expensive than those without the Fairtrade logo. Although people are now arguing that supermarkets are fueling their excessive profits by adding large mark-ups to these products This premium that the producer charges covers the basic food, housing, health and education needs of the local communities in countries such as India and Brazil. The Foundation awards a consumer label, the Fairtrade Mark, to products which meet internationally recognized standards of Fairtrade. It is the only such certification in the UK.

Examples of Fairtrade products:

*Fairtrade coffee
*Fairtrade Tea
*Fairtrade Chocolate
*Fairtrade Bananas
*Fairtrade Honey
*Fairtrade Sugar
*Fairtrade Fruit Juice
*Fairtrade Wine and Snacks
*Fairtrade Babyfood

The list of goods certified Fairtrade is growing daily as is the range of products available. The co-op changed all their own brand chocolate to Fairtrade a few years ago and now all the other big supermarkets are beginning to move into the Fairtrade market. Nestle have just released a Fairtrade brand. There has been huge controversy over this as many people are asking how a company that is subject to a boycott can pertain to have Fairtrade and therefore ethical principles?

Why buy Fairtrade?

Millions of small farmers around the world cannot get enough money to feed their families, send their children to school or invest just a few pounds into their farm. This is because people want to buy the cheapest goods possible and don't think about the people that working in poor condition and often receive less than £1 per day in wages.
Buying products that display the Fairtrade logo ensures that the producers of products such as tea, coffee and chocolate receive a decent income. Rather than being hit by the ever-changing price of their product on the world market, or being fleeced by a middleman who takes a chunky share of the profits, producers in a Fair Trade scheme are guaranteed a decent, stable price for their produce.

By buying Fair trade products that buy direct from farmers at better prices, consumers are improving the lives of producers all over the world. In Ethiopia, farmers can often get more then twice the price for their fair trade coffee then those that sell it on the open market. This extra money enables the farmers to educate their children and to break the cycle of poverty.

Many people struggle to find a reason not to support Fairtrade. Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers. Fair trade is not about charity, it is about settling the imbalance which exists.

How do I know its Fairtrade?

Look for the Fairtrade Mark when you shop and make the choice to support small farmers and workers in the developing world, and encourage your workplace to switch to Fairtrade tea and coffee.

Local or Global or Locally Global!

I've spouted off about what the clever people and the people with money should do to save us from ourselves and our oil habit; now what can I do? Yup, me! What can I do in the mid-west to help alleviate the problems of global warming and consuming our depleting, nonrenewable natural resources?

There are many things I can do that cost nothing or actually save me money. Gardening can save me money in numerous ways.
1) I don't have to buy a certain amount of my food.
2) I don't have to travel to town after the food that grows right outside my door.
3) Because I am not consuming food grown by someone else I am saving fuel because the store does not have to truck in as much food.
4) I can sell or give away the excess food I don't need to others or barter for things they have I need. This cuts down on manufacturing costs.
5) If I barter for a ride to town I can save fuel that way plus cut down on my share of carbon emissions.
6) Growing green plants cleans the air naturally.

This may seem trivial to many and the old argument is that, "Oh, what can you actually save by doing any of those things."

This statement misses the point. Point being; if many of us do this we can save LOTS of nonrenewable natural resources and cut out a great deal of carbon emissions therefore downsizing our carbon footprint.

The UK has come up with an organization called the "Carbon Trust". This Trust will analyze the various stages that a product goes through from the beginning all the way through to the consumer and give the product a carbon footprint measured in grams. Thereby allowing one to know how large a carbon footprint one is leaving on the globe. If a person buys all the products they consume from eco-conscious companies that participate in this plan; one can feasibly keep track of ones own carbon footprint measured in grams.

St Paul Minnesota heats much of its downtown area with a clean burning incinerator, burning wood waste that otherwise would be thrown out. This runs the boiler system that runs under the streets to the individual buildings heating them during the long winter months up north. It has taken many years and a lot of effort but this process leaves an extra 6 million dollars a year in the city that would otherwise be paid out in fuel costs.

There are many other projects out there that are helping in other ways also. If we stick together we as a nation can lick this love affair we have with foreign oil.