If you were to drop in to my home at any time, chances are that you would find a diffuser humming away or a candle burning. It is not a secret that I love creating ambience through scent and am a bit of a candle and essential oil junkie. While I love both candles and a diffuser, there are times where I appreciate a subtle and constant scent that requires no turning on or lighting. Plug ins and air fresheners that contain artificial scents tend to give me a headache and smell unappealing to me which is just one of the reasons why I use natural options.

Enter my new favorite: a reed diffuser

Reed diffusers are not a new concept. In fact, you have probably seen them at gift shops, in a friend’s home or in the candle aisle at Target or Walmart. I’ve seen them priced anywhere from $8-50 – going the DIY route is definitely more economical and you know exactly what is in the liquid – nothing artificial. They are unobtrusive and decorative while providing just a touch of scent to any room. I love the ability to choose my own scent and vessel and the fact that they are surprisingly simple and inexpensive to make. I am already thinking ahead to Christmas and hostess gifts and imagining how cute these would be tucked in a bag with several essential oils ready to go.

Supplies – find the links at the bottom of this post:

  • clean glass bottle – look for a small vase with a narrow neck around the house – here’s what I used.
  • 5 to 7 diffuser reeds
  • 1/4 cup light carrier oil. I like using almond oil, but fractionated coconut and apricot can be used as well.
  • 1 tablespoon of vodka. You can also use rubbing alcohol but just keep in mind that the scent may be affected by the stronger rubbing alcohol odor.
  • 20-30 drops of essential oil – this can be one scent my suggestion is to custom blend your favorite scent. I also have some ideas for you at the bottom of the post too.

Directions:

  1. Add all of the ingredients into a liquid measuring cup and stir to combine.
  2. Pour the mixture in to your bottle or container using a funnel and put the reeds in. Let the reeds sit for an hour or so to fully absorb and then flip them over.
  3. You can turn the reeds over every week or when the scent in the air starts to dissipate. I also do this when I am expecting company to just freshen up the air. Be sure to use fresh reeds with each combination you create.

Just a word of caution, if you have small children and/or pets, keep the reed diffuser out of their reach. This solution would do a number on your floors or fabrics 😉

Looking for some scent combination ideas? Just click on the image to see some of my favorites: