When you learn how to make reed diffusers, the first thing that will strike you is how simple and cost-effective it is. All you need to do is combine a light carrier oil like Grapeseed oil with a high-proof alcohol like Vodka, then mix in your chosen scents. You can choose to use essential oils, fragrances, or a combination. This gives you complete control of the process and keeps it as pure as possible if this is your aim.

Using the porous reeds and placing the reed diffuser in a place with some airflow allows the scents to evaporate and pervade your home. Leaving your home smelling fresh, clean, and with a heavy air of mystery that lingers in the air. Reed diffusers make excellent gifts for friends and family at a fraction of the retail price. 

What Are Reed Diffusers?

Reed diffusers are one of the simplest and most effective aromatherapy products you can make at home. They are super easy and fast to assemble, and you'll have natural fragrance wafting through your house in no time.

There is no need to pay inflated prices for fancy-looking diffusers when making your own is an absolute doddle.

If you are unsure what reed diffusers are, they consist of a bottle of 'scent' into which you place several sticks like 'reeds,' which you place wherever you want fragrance. You soak the reeds in the oil solution, and they absorb the solution by capillary action. This solution then evaporates from the reed's surface, making it an excellent method for infusing essential oils into your home's air.

Their popularity has increased radically over the last 15 years, and every home and gift store now sells a version.

However, when you look back at the history of using either reeds or sticks to disperse fragrance, you can see that cultures worldwide, for at least the last two millennia, have been utilizing similar principles. It may be the newest craze, but the idea itself is ancient.

Good ideas tend to last the test of time, and a reed diffuser is undoubtedly a prime example of that. Quick to make, simple to use, why wouldn't you?

What Are The Benefits Of Making Your Own Reed Diffusers?

When you unpack a new diffuser, it is a beautiful thing. Yet, essentially it is just a bunch of reeds, a pretty bottle (with a cap that is about to become redundant), and what I always like to think is a 'magic' solution in the bottle.

I hate to be the one to demystify this and steal your joy, but these magical bottles often contain just a carrier oil, some have alcohol, and some include oil dispersants to allow the oils to penetrate the reeds more readily.

Yes, I know, THAT'S IT! Very little magic, disappointingly. 

 

 

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Control, Flexibility, And Cost Effectiveness

However, it does mean that this will be a doddle to replicate in the comfort of your own home, and you can create personalized blends tailored to your family and the needs of your home. All this flexibility is for a fraction of the price of commercial reed diffusers.

Reed diffusers generally use less fragrance than other methods, which allows them to last longer without being too overwhelming or decisive. When things are too heady, they can give you a headache, so you can exercise complete control over the strength and depth of the scent you want.

The reeds work by releasing small amounts of liquid into the porous reed, wicked up the length of the reed, and then evaporates slowly from the surface of the reed.

This method has a very subtle diffusion effect throughout your chosen spaces in your home in a very cost-effective way.

Control can also come from choosing to use essential oils, fragrances, or both; we will look at that in much more detail shortly.

Safer Than Scented Candles

Reed diffusers are safer than a burning scented candle, especially if you have a home with pets or children.

There is no need to worry like you would if a burning candle is in the room.

You need to be cautious of the toxicity of essential oils if it spills or if your minor child gets a hold of the reeds. Though with the dilution rates, you are likely to be using, you can minimize this risk anyway.

You can see the safety data of every essential oil sold by VINEVIDA on the web page for that particular essential oil. Always check them out before using any essential oils that are new to you. 

How To Use Reed Diffusers

We already know that reed diffusers work by way of capillary action. This is where the solution with the essential oil is drawn up through reeds. Place it somewhere in your home with some airflow to help distribute the wonderful fragrance around your room.

You could place them by a door or a window for that beneficial airflow in fragrancing the spaces in your home.

Consider the size of your room or space when designing reed diffusers; you won't need as much essential oil for a small bathroom as a large sitting room.

Where the whole point of the method is that the solution evaporates, your reeds will eventually dry out. This is where you remove them from the bottle, flip the reeds over, and pop the other end instead. Shaking the solution in the bottle can also help enliven the fragrance's strength.

If you use a large bottle, say 250ml, you may find that your reeds eventually get blocked with dust and will no longer absorb the solution. Replace them with new reeds. It is worth buying a good number of reeds when you start, not only for this reason but also because you will realize what great gifts they make.

Place your reed diffuser on a coaster or mat to protect precious surfaces, and always place a cloth underneath, or do it on a kitchen surface when flipping the reeds and shaking the bottle.

While they are safer than burning candles, we recommend keeping them out of the way of pets and children.

I expect a 100ml reed diffuser to last for up to a month. However, with a few tricks, you can extend its lifespan to 3-4 months. I had one that lasted two years, just by cleaning the reeds and occasionally refreshing the essential oil blend. It was in a place with little airflow, contributing to it lasting so long.

Essential Oils Or Fragrances For Reed Diffusers?

The easy answer here is that you can use both.

Liz looks at this in-depth in her article When To Use Fragrance Oils Versus Essential Oils.

When you begin your design process, you must consider that essential oils have chemical constituents and properties that can affect your mood and well-being. Fragrance oils smell nice. 

If you want to create an aroma that will encourage relaxation and calm in your older child's bedroom, then you want to use essential oils. Because you want the properties, those essential oils bring to the mix.

If you want something super strongly scented to combat bathroom whiffs, a fragrance oil might suit the job.

There are times when you should combine both. Rose essential oil, while impressive, is also costly. But you may still want to harness essential oil's chemical constituents and properties into your reed diffuser. Here you can use a few drops of Rose essential oil and bolster it with a Rose-based fragrance to deepen and strengthen the scent profile. This gives you the very best of both worlds.

It is one of the few aromatherapy projects where I will happily intermix essential oils and fragrances because it ideally allows you to tailor a reed diffuser to your needs. It also allows you to achieve more effective results in a very cost-effective way. I will show you some examples of how to do this in the recipe sections.

Best Essential Oils For Reed Diffusers

This comes down to what ambiance and effects you are trying to achieve, so rather than focus on particular essential oils, let's look at this from the point of view of what you are trying to create.