How to Make Reed Diffusers from Schmeg.com

   

Reed Diffusers - The New Trend in Home Fragrance

For a long time, scented candles held sway as the most romantic way to fragrance your home. But now savvy decorators are turning to reed diffusers instead. There's no smoke, and no melted wax to clean up - just a charming, Zen-like arrangement of natural bamboo reeds that provides up to six months of fragrance.

Reed diffusers were used in ancient times, and have recently been rediscovered. The method is very simple. Long bamboo reeds are placed into an opened bottle of essential scented oil, where they draw up the oil and release the fragrance into the air. As the scent fades, you turn the sticks over in the oil so that the fragrance is refreshed. The oil can also be poured into a slim vase, such as a bud vase, to hold the reeds.

There is no smoke, and no fire danger from hot wax or fallen candles. The reed diffusers make an elegant statement in a room and are particularly suited to an oriental style of décor.

You can buy reed diffusers from home wares shops and on the Internet. The pack will come with the thin bamboo reeds and a bottle of essential oil. You have a range of delicious fragrances to choose from in commercial reed diffusers, including heady aromatic mixes like jasmine, rose, honeysuckle and violet, or a more invigorating mix of lemon, lime, orange and jasmine. For those who like a really different fragrance, there is vanilla latte, crème brulee or Christmas Tree.
Reed diffusers can be quite expensive but it is a worthwhile investment as the fragrance lasts for months.

However, if you are a crafty person you can make your own. Some fragrance suppliers now offer bundles of bamboo reeds for making diffusers. To create your own diffuser, simply mix a few drops of essential oil in an egg cup or shot glass of carrier oil (such as almond oil) to create a fragrance you love and place the oil in a beautiful antique bottle or small vase. Arrange the bamboo reeds in the oil in a pleasing pattern, and leave them to soak up the fragrance and diffuse it around the room.

Some really clever crafters have kept the cost low by using bamboo skewers from kitchen departments - these may not last as long but do provide fragrance in the same way as bamboo reeds.

If you want to make diffusers to give as gifts or as craft items for sale, there are kits you can buy which make nine reed diffusers and offer a choice of carrier oils - DPG (Dipropylene Glycol) which is thicker and often used for cosmetic oils, and IPM (Isopropyl myristate), which a colorless and odorless ether that some reed diffuser manufacturers believe diffuses the fragrance better. These kits work out less expensive per diffuser than buying them singly.

You can also buy reed diffusers that repel mosquitoes with a secret formula of plant extracts that are released through willow reeds, a very attractive alternative to smelly mosquito coils and sprays.

Reed diffusers are an ancient idea brought to new life, but whether you buy or make your own, you will find that reed diffusers are a safe and very effective alternative to smoky candles.