Essential oil inhalers, explained

Aromatic oils are volatile: they lift off a wick or off warm skin and reach the nose as vapour. Cooling molecules such as menthol and camphor create the sensation of an open, clear airway, while the smell itself shifts how alert or settled you feel.

Nothing is being absorbed into the lungs the way a medical inhaler works. The effect is sensory and topical — which is exactly why it is a cosmetic product rather than a medicine.

Peppermint & menthol — a stuffy head, long drives, staying awake.

Eucalyptus & camphor — that cold, wide-open breath.

Clove & cinnamon — warmth on stiff shoulders and cold mornings.

Lemongrass & citrus — focus, travel fatigue, a heavy afternoon.

Stick: close one nostril, breathe in slowly for two or three seconds, swap sides, two or three rounds. Cap it straight away.

Roll-on: a stripe on each temple, behind the ears, on the back of the neck or the wrists. Breathe in from the wrists. For a sore muscle, roll it on and rub it in. Reapply after a few hours.

Avoid the eye area and broken skin, and patch-test on the inner arm the first time.

A stick is instant and dry but ends when you cap it. A roll-on keeps releasing from the skin for hours and can be used on aching muscles too. shnort is the second kind: fifteen Thai botanicals in 8ml apothecary glass, across four scents.

See the four scents or read the buying guide.

Cosmetic aromatherapy, not medicine — not intended to diagnose, treat or cure anything. Ask a doctor before use in pregnancy, on young children, or if you have asthma or a skin condition.