Have you heard of an essential oil Himalayan salt diffuser before? If not, you’re absolutely going to love this diy diffuser idea! You can easily enjoy the scent of your favorite oils in any space in your home.
In fact, this is one of the simplest ways to diffuse essential oils in your home, office, or anywhere you desire. These simple little diffusers are all the rage right now and for good reason – you don’t need a diffuser, electricity, or water. That’s right, this is not a plug-in diffuser. Easy-peasy!
Why Use a DIY Diffuser
As a certified essential oil coach, I am constantly exploring ways to use and enjoy my oils throughout my home wherever possible. However, I’m also a busy mom of four kids and don’t have time to move my regular diffuser from room to room.
I love this easy diy diffuser because it is incredibly simple to make. Spoiler alert: all you’ll need to make your very own essential oil Himalayan salt diffuser is a small container or bowl (simple or fancy – your choice), Himalayan pink coarse salt, and your favorite essential oils or essential oil blend.
These little diffusers are much cheaper than typical diffusers, costing just pennies if you choose to use a bowl you already have on hand!
In the past, I attempted to use diffuser reeds and stick diffusers but didn’t find them as effective as I wanted. This himalayan salt diffuser checked everything on my wish list – inexpensive, can easily be put in any room to control odor. Plus, this diy diffuser can be cute too, especially if you choose a cute bowl.
How to Make an Essential Oil Himalayan Salt Diffuser
What You’ll Need:
- 1/2 cup of Pink Himalayan Salt
- Your favorite essential oil (I used lemon from Rocky Mountain Oils; I also love their Purify blend.)
- Small bowl*
*I found my small “finger bowl” at the Christmas Tree Shop, but you can find one almost anywhere. Keep an eye out at your local thrift store or yard sales for pretty, fancy bowls that catch your eye or if you’re super frugal or want to try this NOW (I totally don’t blame you there!), use a small dessert bowl or mug you already have in the house. You can also find a selection of small finger bowls on Amazon
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How to Put Together Your Essential Oil Himalayan Salt Diffuser
This is probably one of the easiest DIY essential oil projects I’ve ever shared with you.
Pour some coarse pink Himalayan salt into your small bowl. You don’t have to measure even, but of course, you can if you choose to.
Add a few drops of your favorite essential oils. Mix and match to find your favorite blend. Unlike pretty much every other oil diffuser, you don’t need to add a carrier oil or water. Just add a few drops of essential oils and you’re done!
Which Oil Should I use?
The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to oils! If you want some suggestions on what to start with, here are a few of my favorite oils that can add plenty of aromatherapy to any space:
- rosemary
- peppermint
- bergamot
- cinnamon
- eucalyptus
- geranium
- lemongrass
- cedarwood
- patchouli
- clove
- citrus oils such as grapefruit, lime, lemongrass, orange, and lemon
Want more ideas? I love these oils for an essential oil blend to help lift your mood.
Where to Put Your DIY Diffuser
Place your essential oil Himalayan salt diffuser anywhere you like. (Obviously if you have small children, it’s best to keep it out of their reach.)
Here are a few ideas for places you can use your salt diffuser:
- windowsill
- nightstand
- dresser
- bathroom counter or even the back of the toilet
- on the side of the bathtub
- on the TV stand or entertainment center
- end tables or the coffee table
- computer or work desk
- kitchen counters
- the kitchen table
- entryway tables – a nice way to greet your guests!
- near a radiator
- ….where will you put your essential oil Himalayan salt diffuser?
How to Change Out the Oils
One of the other nice advantages of this little salt diffuser is that you can easily change out the oils you want to diffuse by either creating a “blend” by mixing it with oils you’ve already put in the salt OR by recycling the salt and starting fresh.
How do you recycle the Himalayan salt? Use it in a relaxing bath!
This simple idea is SO easy and inexpensive, you can have multiple mini essential oil Himalayan salt diffusers set up in all the rooms of your house. Or just one. It’s up to you.
I love how easy this is to have seasonal blends in my bathroom like this autumn blend or Christmas blend. You could even put a bowl in your office and add the focus blend to it. You also don’t need to worry about having a plug nearby like you do with a water diffuser.
I have my Himalayan salt diffuser sitting on top of my bathroom sink. I add a few drops of oil to it a few times a week and stir it up a bit.
When I see it near my soap, I give it a little stir to kick-start the diffusing process again and then proceed to wash my hands. You’ll need to add a few drops of oils every few days to keep the aroma lingering.
If you are new to using essential oils, this is a super easy way to diffuse them in your rooms.
Gift This DIY Diffuser
You could also make a lovely gift basket with the items needed to make an essential oil Himalayan salt diffuser and give to a friend. You could even include an immune boosting blend (RMO) and give this as a care package for a friend fighting a nasty cold or the flu. (Check out this post for 12 Essential Oils for Fighting the Flu Naturally)
This diffuser is very portable, very versatile, and most importantly, very easy to make and use! Not to mention its just simple and pretty too! 🙂
More Ways to Use Essential Oils
- DIY Homemade Linen Spray with Essential Oils
- 10 Homemade Essential Oil Beauty Products
- Homemade Stinky Shoe Spray with Essential Oils
- Natural Homemade Disinfectant Wipes with Essential Oils
- Easy DIY Lavender-Scented Bags
- How To Make Wool Dryer Balls
- Homemade “Before-You-Go” Bathroom Spray
Maura says
Stir the salt each time before you wash your hands to waft the scent – that helps!
jennifer hill says
sounds awesome i just made shower bombs last night now waiting for it to cure (harden) me and my son both have year around sinus problems to avoid pills or unnessessary meds i’m going to try it i hope it work for us.
Linda says
Try using oregano oil for upper respiratory issues. Sage, thyme and Eucalyptus would be other suggestions.
T says
FANTASTIC IDEA LOVE IT LOVE IT!!! I also plan to use it on my candle warmer .
Maura says
hmmm yes – candle warmer is a great idea!
Julie says
I put mine on a candle warmer.
Renae says
Candle warmer is not suggested for therapeutic grade essential oils heating the oils breaks down the properties
Erika says
It may break down the properties, but what’s the alternative? A cheap essential oil with chemicals? No thank you. Plus I don’t know of anyone who would want to reuse the essential oils in this diffuser, candle warmer or not. I disagree with your comment, Renae.
Cat says
I have put essential oils on big salt chunks and have them in a glass jar that I use for air freshener. I’ve taken out a few chunks and put them in a food-grade safe silicone baking cup, and set that on top of a candle warmer to see if the oils dissipate into the air and throw a good scent. That’s what I want it for, scent.
jennifer hill says
never heard of that how does that work
Rosanne says
Instead of throwing salt away, couldn’t you use out in a hot bath?
Maura says
Yes Rosanne you could – great idea!
Nancy says
Actually no need to throw the salt out if changing oils just use the salt ina relaxing along with epsom salt and baking soda.
Erika says
Good idea, Nancy!
Nancy says
Should have said relaxing bath.
Joni says
Could you sit your bowl on a candle warmer to make it more effective?
Maura says
sure!
Cat says
I’m going to put the essential oil-soaked salt crystals right onto the candle warmer dish. It’s the same thing as using a salt lamp; the heat warms the salt and oil, dissipates the scent into the air – same as using wax melts. At first I thought to use silicone baking cups to put the salt crystals in, and then thought that’s not the best option.
Neyla says
This idea is just so simple and yet – unique! Thank you for sharing ! I cook all the time with Himalayan pink salt , it is fine , not coarse , will that work as well ?? I would think “ why not ?! “
Maura says
I’m sure any size himalayan salt would work – I just like the look of the coarse.
Marsha Stapleton says
I’m using a couple of my vintage sugar bowls (lids off) as containers.
Rich says
Great idea, thank you for sharing – I plan to put the salts on my computer desk
naturegirl321 says
I’m sorry, but adding essential oils to a bath with pink salt is NOT safe at all! Here’s how to disperse EOs safely, http://tisserandinstitute.org/learn-more/dispersing-essential-oils/ and http://tisserandinstitute.org/safety/bath-safety/
Erika says
I disagree with this blanket statement.
I ALWAYS use Epsom salts without ANY issues when adding essential oils to my baths and for my children. I’ve also used Himalayan Salt and it worked well. This is recommended in so many places and used commonly. If it were that unsafe, you’d hear of a lot more issues.
There’s also a level of common sense as is always the case with essential oils. If you dump a whole bottle of essential oils into a bath with a cup of himalayan pink sea salt, um yes you’ll probably have an adverse reaction because that’s WAY too much. Another potential issue is if someone were to use a high quantity of a “hot” oil like Cinnamon, Cassia, or Oregano (to name a couple). You may have some skin irritation if you use 10+ drops in a bath with one of those oils. And as always, you’d want to be extra cautious with which oils and how much when you use them with children. (Always go with less.)
But 10-20 drops or so of the most common essential oils used in baths, like lavender or one of the common stress-relieving blends, etc. in a whole bathtub is unlikely to cause issues. (For kids, I’d use 5-10 drops depending on their age and the oil.)
As always, for you and anyone else reading this post, do what you’re comfortable with. Naturegirl, if you’re not comfy using essential oils with salt (Epsom or himalayan), then don’t do it. For me? I’ve never had ANY issues and will continue to do so.
Leah says
Can I put essentials oil directly onto a Himalayan Salt Lamp? I love this idea for my desk at work but curious if i can put 2-3 drops directly onto a lamp? Or will it break it down? Maybe over time…
Denise Nix says
Leah, I put a few drops of EO on my lamp every week or so and I love benefits. I feel much more relaxed (or energized) my space feels cleaner and I know for a fact insects don’t like the peppermint/ Himalayan salt mix.
Just make sure you don’t drop the EO on the bulb. Best wishes.
Marina says
i consider this also, although mind that the little lightbulb inside is not too strong – meaning , doesn’t create overly heat.
Michelle says
We have been having an issue with gnats at work. They fly around my face and are very irritating. Would a salt diffuser work in this case and if so which oil should I use.
Brenda says
Could one use sea salt instead of Himalayan salt?
Erika says
Yes, I usually use whichever version I have on hand. 🙂
24 hour gyms kansas city says
Sounds like a great gift idea! My mom would love it.
Wendy says
will the salt melt? i intend to put at my office. near windowsill..
ty says
Hello – Can I rub some essential oils on the salt rocks in my crystal lamp?
Erika says
Yes, I have done this.
Julia Taylor says
Would a tealight sat in the bowl of salt work? As that would increase the salts property from what I’ve read. Obviously I’m assuming the tealight would be in its little metal container. An opinion would be greatly appreciated
Erika says
Yes, that should work fine, Julia.
Jay says
Never heard of this, but there are so many good ways to use it. Will be a great gift for my grandma!
Joe T says
I get migraines that are difficult to control, so I’m looking at using essential oils and aromatherapy to see if it will help. I’ve tried putting them into a neck wrap, but the scent can be too strong for one, and if the scent doesn’t help, it can be difficult to completely remove to try something else, so this seems like a good way to try different scents at different strengths to see what works best. Will the salt change the scents at all?
Erika says
Hi Joe, in my experience, the salt should not change the scent. Eventually, the scent will decrease but that’s normal.
John says
I love how simple it is to create your own diffuser with little ingredients.
Grant says
My office assistant’s love these diffusers, as they told me about them and showed my wife this page and is hooked. Its easy to say we might have about 10 around the house by the end of the year. Atleast our house wont smell bad ever again!
Karen says
Can you do this with epsom salt? I don’t have any Himalayan salt?
Christine says
Hi, Karen! You could use epsom salt, but the scent may be slightly fainter.
Mark says
I can’t believe how easy this is to make, thank you!
Kat says
This is exactly what I was looking for! I’m a bit scent sensitive but my home office is a bit stuffy sometimes & I was looking for a way to gently scent my desk area. I put some sea salt and lavender oil in one of those magnetic, metal spice containers. This way I can close it if it’s too smelly and it is kept away from the cat and only smells in the immediate area!
Mandy says
I had one adverse reaction using essential oil and Epsom salt combination in my bath, but not on me. It melted (for lack of better descriptive word) the clear plastic handle on my back scratcher that was hanging from the knob to turn on the water. Severed it right at the water level. Weirdest thing.
Of course I still use oil and salt bathing combo, but I remove the new back scratcher instead of let it hang there from the handle.