Skip the essential oils in your humidifier

Putting essential oils in your humidifier for skin benefits is not safe for most machines and might not help your skin anyway.

Humidifiers are designed to add moisture to the air — that’s it. They’re not diffusers. Most manufacturers explicitly warn against using essential oils because the oils can damage plastic parts, clog the wick or filter, and void the warranty. Worse, ultrasonic humidifiers can break oils into tiny particles that you end up inhaling deep into your lungs, which can irritate airways — especially in dry winter air when your respiratory system is already stressed.

For skin? The benefit of a humidifier in winter is simply keeping the air from getting bone-dry so your skin doesn’t lose moisture as fast. Essential oils don’t add any extra hydration. If you want aromatherapy, get a $15 diffuser and run it separately. If you want skin benefits, apply diluted oils to your skin (after patch testing) or use a good moisturizer.

Your skin just needs water, not a scented mist.