Homemade Reed Diffusers: How-To & Tips

Reed diffusers are decorative air fresheners for the home that work with scented oils and reeds. The oil travels up the reeds to release their fragrance into the air around them. No need to use aerosol sprays, light candles or plugin air fresheners, the process handles itself naturally.

They’re very popular since you can choose from an endless amount of fragrances, have no open flames (candles) to worry about and they don’t plugin so no dangling cords to hide or fuss with. If you’d like to try making your own diffusers and reed diffuser oil instead of buying refill kits (also a perfect way to customize your favorite scents), here are some tips and recipes showing you how to do that.

How To Make A Reed Diffuser

Make Your Own Reed Diffusers And Oils With A Few Simple Ingredients

• Choose glass bottles and vases that have a small opening at the neck and that compliment the room you are placing it in. You can use a clear glass container or one that’s decorated, the choice is yours. The reeds you use should be at least double the height of the glass container.
• You can purchase a package of reeds that are marketed for reed diffusers (they’re fairly cheap) or try thin bamboo skewers, they work just fine too.
• Pour a liberal amount of scented reed diffuser oil in the glass container then stick the reeds or bamboo skewers inside. After about an hour, turn the reeds over so the other end can wick up the oil, this will help speed things up.
• Position the reed diffuser in a location that is not near electrical appliances (in case of spills) and won’t be in danger of being accidentally knocked over.
• After first filling the reed diffuser with fragrant oil, give the reeds a chance to soak up the oil, soon you’ll be able to enjoy their light fragrance.

That’s all it takes to make your own!

Making Your Own Reed Diffuser Oils

You can make a homemade version of reed diffuser oil with just a few simple ingredients that you can easily find locally.

• Mineral Oil, Sweet Almond Oil or Safflower Oil: Select a combination of your favorite essential oils and add as many drops to the carrier oil (Mineral Oil, Sweet Almond Oil or Safflower Oil) as you need to achieve the fragrance you’re after (a good amount to start with is about 12 drops of EO per 1/4 cup of oil). Next add a splash of vodka to help the oil travel up the reeds better. You could also mix the carrier oil with your favorite perfume instead of essential oils (no addition of vodka will be necessary if using perfume).
• Vodka, Essential Oils & Water: Mix approximately 12 drops of essential oils with 1/4 cup of water then add a splash of vodka. The alcohol helps the essential oils bind with the water. This method will evaporate faster than using oils, but still works.
• Liquid Potpourri: Liquid potpourri can be used in place of reed diffuser oil, you should be able to find this in the candle or crafts section of a department store (like Walmart).

Tips

• Rotate the ends of the reeds or skewers once a week to refresh and prolong the fragrance.
• Experiment with different scents and when you find a favorite combination, keep notes of the amounts of essential oils and carrier oil used so you can duplicate it next time. These make nice gifts too (with attached “recipe” card).
• Once you find a favorite recipe for the scent, double or triple the batch and keep the excess in a sealed glass jar until needed. This will save time as well as keep a ready supply of diffuser oil on hand.
• The smaller the opening at the neck of the glass container the better, this will force the oils to travel up the wick to diffuse their scent rather than evaporating up through the neck.

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