Container for the three KININ collection, a personal diffuser line that I was sent free to review on my site.

Aromatherapy is big business these days, even though it’s got a pretty long history. I have a few diffusers in my house, and even though I can’t condone or support the messages that an essential oil will cure your cancer or something like that, I do think they have a place and be beneficial. So when I got an email about KININ personal diffusers, I was immediately intrigued.

There are a lot of medical definitions for Kinin, but the most simple and straightforward to understand in plain English I found: a number of widely differing substances having pronounced and dramatic physiologic effects.

But in terms of the product, they have 3 varieties of personal diffusers that are a blend of essential oils designed to help the user Focus, Recover, and/or Relax. (I’ll get into the “personal diffuser” thing in a bit.) I am a bundle of nerves and stress, most of the time, but especially lately. Anyone who has read my Twitter has probably picked up on hints of that. So when I saw these, I thought for sure Relax was going to be the best thing for me.

KININ Blends

Well… Relax is probably my least favorite. I mean… it does help me relax some, but the blend is not my favorite in terms of scents. Copaiba has been getting some buzz in the essential oil world because one of the big MLM distributors recently introduced it to their lineup, but it’s been available from others for a long time. It contains a dietary cannabinoid so it’s getting buzz from that revelation, but it is legal in every state and does not/will not get you high. It’s not even made from a cannabis plant.

Recover, on the other hand, is probably my favorite. I like the blend and at the recommendation from the folks with KININ, I have tried using it after running workouts. I can’t give you some kind of miraculous story of improved endurance or some kind of dramatic change in my athletic performance, but I feel like it is a nice way to calm down after a run, particularly a hard effort.

But maybe Focus is my favorite? The recommendation was to use this BEFORE a workout. The tangerine and cinnamon in it are a delightful combination. Nootropics are said to be something that enhances cognitive function, but I’m going to be honest… I’m a bit fuzzy on these. Everything that I read about them so far seems vague; like if I were to say “it’s fabric” when someone asked what a shirt was made out of, without specifying that it’s silk, cotton, or polyester.

Delivery Method

So each blend comes in a tube as I’ve shown here, and inside the tube is the personal diffuser. And this is the troublesome part for me… it’s a vaporizer. There is no nicotine in the product, it’s all natural with organic essential oils and a palm derived kosher vegetable glycerine. Healthwise, everything I read says they’re perfectly healthy and actually have some real benefits. I’ve felt like they’ve been beneficial, but the cynic in me wants to think that’s purely placebo.

But back to the vaporizer… it’s like a smoking action. You hold it to your lips, inhale, then blow it out your nose. A cloud of vapor comes out and you can smell/taste the blend. And I wouldn’t want my daughter to see me using this because I think that smoking is one of the most disgusting habits* in the world and I don’t really like the idea of something that so closely mimics the action of that act.

In order to make essential oils usable in a vape format, they have formulated a proprietary method of blending pure essential oils (steam and co2 extracted) with coconut derived, kosher vegetable glycerin and a food grade emulsifier. The vapes are specially designed to use high-resistance, low-temperature methods to create the vapor without losing the critical terpenes that make the product bioactive.

As long as they’re used properly, they are harmless. Different varieties of essential oils could be dangerous, so that’s why it’s not recommended that people just go try and create their own vaporizer effect.

Verdict

So I’m torn on these, I like the blends and how quickly they seem to have a positive effect. But I don’t like how they look like smoking. I will say, I have very sensitive nose/lungs for smoking and start to struggle with breathing if a smoker is anywhere near me. But these haven’t had any kind of impact like that on me, so that’s good.

The recommended dose is to start with 3-5 complete breathing cycles, and adjust up or down to achieve your personal desired result. Each one lasts 250-300 breaths. With daily use, that most likely works out to a month.

The individual blends sell for $24 each or you can purchase the collection for $60. There is also an option to subscribe and you’ll get a 10% discount. The subscribe option is only available directly from the KININ site, but you can purchase the individual blends or the collection from Amazon.

* Sorry, not sorry. Smoking is gross. If you smoke, stop or get help stopping.