If you’re interested in trying aromatherapy with essential oils, you will need a diffuser. This is a topic I’ve been aware of for a while now but had never tried until I was offered the opportunity to review the Danau Satu nebulizing essential oil diffuser from Utama Spice.
What is it?
The Danau Satu nebulizing essential oil diffuser is a small wood and glass device that diffuses essential oils (concentrated forms of herbs, spices, and plants) into the air to fill a room (up to 400 sq ft) with the aroma of the oil which can provide calming or other effects. The Danau Satu diffuser does not use water or heat so it is more effective at dispersing the aroma throughout a room or your home.
What’s in the box?
- Danau Satu diffuser base
- Glass reservoir
- Glass cap
- 2 eye droppers
- USB power cable
- USB AC power adapter
- Manual
Design and features
This is the first essential oil diffuser that I’ve ever used, so I don’t have anything to compare to, but my first impression of the Danau Satu is that it has a very attractive minimalist design.
The base is made of wood, and the reservoir is made of clear blown glass.
There are two glass parts. The main reservoir and the glass cap which sits in the top of the reservoir to direct the diffused oil particles into the surrounding air.
There is a little bit of assembly that is required before you can use the Danau Satu diffuser. You press the pointed end of the reservoir into the wooden base. It’s important not to twist it into the rubber gasket in the base, but to just press it in place. The same goes for removing it when you need to clean it. You can wiggle it back and forth as you pull it out, but you shouldn’t twist it as it could break off in the base.
Once the reservoir is seated into the wooden base, you can plug in the included power cord, add a few drops of essential oil into the opening at the top of the glass reservoir, place the glass cap on top and then turn on the diffuser using the knob which rotates from low up to a high setting.
How does it work?
There is a glass nozzle and a microtube at the bottom of the reservoir that is connected to the tube that is pressed into the wooden base.
Air generated from the base enters the bottom of the reservoir and forces the oil to diffuse through the microtube and out through the glass cap.
A white LED glows from the base when the diffuser is turned on and a special timer diffuses the oil for 2 minutes and then turns off for 1 minute before turning back on for 2 minutes. This cycle continues for 2 hours before the diffuser turns off. Note that the LED does NOT turn off after 2 hours, but remains on.
While the diffuser is running, it does make a sound, but it’s not too loud or annoying.
Utama Spice included a small bottle of their Citronella essential oil with the diffuser so that I would have something to test. It’s important to only use pure essential oils that do not contain perfumes or other synthetic fragrances since you will be breathing in the oil particles. It’s also important not to use thicker oils like sandalwood, cypress, etc. which can clog of the microtubes.
It is pretty easy to clean the reservoir which needs to be done occasionally. The manual advises that you can put some alcohol in the reservoir and diffuse it for a few minutes to clean the microtubes or you can submerge the glass reservoir into a pan of hot water.
The Utama Spice Danau Satu nebulizing essential oil diffuser is very easy to use and easily filled my basement with a wonderful aroma. That said, I wasn’t able to use it very many times because I happened to read that some essential oils are toxic to cats and the citronella essential oil that they included with the diffuser was on the list of toxic oils that should not be used around a cat. Since I didn’t want to make my cat Max sick, I only tested the diffuser a few times with him outside at the time. I don’t have a lot of experience with essential oils, so I wasn’t sure how long the oil particles could “hang” around in the air. I didn’t think there would be any harm testing the unit with him outside, but it made me a little nervous that I could make him sick doing it very much, so I limited my testing.
What I like
- Easy to use
- Easy to clean
- Attractive design
What needs to be improved
- Box or manual should provide a warning that some oils are toxic to pets.
Final thoughts
There are many uses for essential oils for aromatherapy. Some oils can help with headaches, stress, insomnia, anxiety, and even some health problems. The Utama Spice Danau Satu nebulizing essential oil diffuser is an easy to use and attractive diffuser that will let you explore this type of therapy. Just make sure you read about all possible toxic issues for pets and even babies BEFORE you use any essential oils.
Price: $54.99
Where to buy: Utama Spice and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Utama Spice.
