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Many essential oil diffusers are built for your home, or perhaps your car, but what about diffusing essential oils on the go? Increasingly there are options for jewelry that doubles as a diffuser.
While some aromawear lacks beauty, increasing interest in aromatherapy jewelry means a lot more options are emerging. Many of the first aroma jewelry were pendants, but now there are rings, bracelets, even earrings that can carry essential oils.
There are two main types of jewelry—those that have an absorbent medium like cotton pads or clay and those that use a small bottle. The bottle variety may be capped, or have a cork which allows some scent to leak from the bottle.
I am going to share a few of the options for aromatherapy jewelry and where to find them.
Terracotta Pendants:
There are many varieties of terracotta pendants. Some are painted and glazed, while others are unglazed.
Clay is usually bisque fired, which makes it porous so it readily accepts glaze. Normally it will be glazed and then fired again. Most varieties of terracotta pendants are left bisque fired. At this stage, they are hard but the porosity is ideal for absorbing essential oils.
The only concern with this type of diffuser is that you must only use one or two drops otherwise your pendant will be dripping wet. You must wait for the oil to absorb before wearing. Since we don’t want undiluted essential oils contacting our skin or staining our clothing, letting it thoroughly absorb is important.
Some varieties that come glazed will have the back left unglazed and since this is where you apply the oils it is especially important to remember this rule. Eventually the pores in the clay will become saturated, but a little cleaning and maintenance will bring them back to life again.
My favorite terracotta pendants are made in Canada at Terracotta Pendants (affiliate link), I find them to be beautiful and high quality. You can also find terracotta jewelry on sites such as Etsy.
Another variety of diffuser pendants is a stainless steel, pewter, or sterling silver locket that contains an absorbent cotton pad. Essential oils are applied to the pad and holes in the locket allow the aroma to escape.
A variation of this type of necklace is the AromaBead which is a cage locket filled with special absorbent beads. These pendants come in a nice variety of styles, and range in diameter from about 20 mm (3/4 inch) to 30 mm (about 1 1/4 inch). The cotton pads can be re-used a few times, but you will eventually need replacement pads.
Stainless steel is fast becoming the most popular choice. It is economical, beautiful, and lockets come in a variety of styles. The other major advantage is that stainless steel resists tarnish, giving it a distinct advantage over sterling silver.
Pewter was once the metal of choice for diffuser lockets and you can still find a variety of pewter necklaces. They tend to have a more antiqued look. If you prefer jewelry that is not bright and shiny, this may be a good option. Styles for pewter pendants tend to be more towards celestial, fairies, wolves, celtic, etc.
You can find a variety of metal Diffuser Pendants at Amazon (affiliate link)
Bottle pendants:
This type of pendant is usually a glass bottle on a cord. It is best suited for taking oils with you rather than actually releasing a scent.
A few styles are an exception to that statement: one variety is a blown glass which is designed to have an opening that allows you to drop oils in, but they can’t come out.
Another variety has a cork cap, which allows scent to permeate through the cork. And, you can also find some that are gemstones with a carved out bottle inside the bead. A cork stopper prevents the oils from coming out and also releases some scent.
Essential Oil Bracelets:
I came across a company making essential oil bracelets via Twitter recently. These bracelets are stretchy bracelets (similar to the popular bracelets like “Live Strong”) that have a compartment that holds a clay tablet. The clay tablet also contains crushed gemstones and each bracelet comes 5 different gemstone tablets. One to two drops are placed on the tablet and the heat from your body as you wear it helps to diffuse the oils.
This would be a great choice for an active person for whom regular jewelry would get in the way (I’m thinking a little meditative blend during yoga practice). You can watch their video below.
Earrings:
I have noticed a few artisans making diffuser earrings recently. They use an absorbent bead, as an example a lava bead, to which you can apply essential oils. I think this would make a wonderful option for aromatherapy jewelry as your ears are close to your nose!
DIY Essential Oil Jewelry:
Of course, if you are crafty, many of these types of jewelry can be made on your own with very little skill or tools. I will be adding some videos with some project ideas in the coming months. Stay tuned.
So that is my roundup of essential oil jewelry. If you know of any essential oil jewelry I missed, leave a comment below so I can add it.
First published February 2015, Last updated December 2017.
Hi- I just came across your site on Twitter and am the co-owner of LavHā Essential Oil Jewelry, using lava stone to diffuse oils. We incorporate the properties of healing crystals and gems combining the benefits of the plant essential oils with the healing properties of minerals. I would love for you to check out our creations.
Thank you,
Jessica
Will definitely check you out, I have been experimenting with lava stones and gemstones for diffuser jewelry as well!
Hello! Have you posted any videos of project ideas? I have looked but haven’t been able to find them. Thank you so much for sharing! I am trying to determine what material is best for diffuser jewelry. I’ve seen the lava stones and leather, felt and cotton inside lockets, and a few other materials, but I cannot find any place that has actually tested the different materials and given an opinion on which is best. Thank you for your post! I hope to hear back from you!
Hello Kai,
I have not posted any project videos but it has been on my to-do list! I love the idea of testing the pads–I am going to do that this weekend and will add the results. I have used terracotta, lava, and the felt/cotton pads. I am going to predict that in terms of retaining scent (which is I think what you are asking) the oils used will matter more than the material. I have had scent linger on the felt pads for weeks (e.g. frankincense). For me, the most important concern I have with clay or lava stones is that the oils are completely dried before wearing since they contact skin or clothing. In that respect I feel like using a locket is the best way to go.