Make em yourself!
Easy Homemade Reed Diffusers
Seems everywhere you shop today, you see reed diffusers. You know, the pretty glass bottles with the fragranced oil inside and sticks coming out. Well I discovered a cool way to make 'em yourself- for FREE!
My first inkling was to throw the offensive thing away, but I resisted. The glass diffuser bottle was pretty and could be re-used, after all. I had to discard the oil, no question about that. The smell lingered, so it was necessary to hand wash the bottle inside and out with hot, soapy water.
How do you make your own fragranced oil? Well I am not a chemist, and I could never compete with Martha Stewart, but I am crafty. With a little trial and error, I was able to mix baby oil with some cherished old perfume that I love but no longer wear (does anyone remember Jontue? Yes, I realize I am now dating myself for the whole world, but that's okay; I'm cool with it). This perfume is very light and subtle, so I used half perfume and half baby oil.
Well I am now one happy girl. My old cherished scent is finally being put to good use! I have future plans for my other standby fragrance I don't even think they make anymore: Paco Rabanne Eau de Metal (it's killer!!). Even though I don't wear the dozens of old fragrances from my youth, I could never part with them. (Why do women do that? Discuss!) I think its great; because now I can custom make my fragranced oil 1-2-3!
If you have essential oils laying around, combine them with baby oil. Once the potion is mixed and settled and you are loving it, transfer to your glass bottle and please use a funnel if the opening is narrow.
As far as glass bottles, who doesn't have a few very cute bud vases collecting dust somewhere in their kitchen or dining room? Well, dust 'em off people. It is time to give them new life as they take on their new role as reed diffuser decanter. Not a pack rat? That's okay, just hit the dollar store.
Share! Share!
tell eveyone what you used in your reed diffuser "potion"
Kim wrote
You can buy great frangrance oils on the web. I make my own body scrubs with these scents. http://the-common-scents.com/ they have every frangrance known to man
Posted June 12, 2009
Ranada wrote
I've read on the packaging of a diffuser i purchased that it said it cotains etOH(ethyle alcohol) and frgrance oil. You can't just go out and purchase etOH, but you can go to your local liqour store an pick up a bottle of Everclear,which is almost 100% etOH(i know this would be a good substitute because i wroked in a lab that substituted with everclear for an analysis). I also suggest using equal parts baby oil or some other thin oil that's easily absorbed by the reeds. Then add fragrance or essential oils to your liking.
Posted April 25, 2009
Deaths Persephone wrote
http://www.reeddiffusers.org/reed_diffuser_q&a.htm wood won't work properly, nor bamboo or chopsticks, alcohol and DG just make the fragrance disappear quicker. Get some info from a company who's been doing reeds for 27 years. I have no position in the compnay, just impressed by the quality and respect them.
Posted April 22, 2009
wyolady wrote
Dipropylene Glycol is what is used in the ones you buy. Use 2 oz DG to 2 oz essential or fragrance oil. This will make them last for at least a month. I sell it. 16 ounces for 20$ shipping included. This size makes eight 4 oz bottles. Great for gifts! ranchsoap@yahoo.com
Posted April 18, 2009
Nick wrote
Another blog told me to use grapeseed oil and essential oil. When the oil from my diffuser ran out, I tried the grapeseed oil, and it does NOT work at all. It's too thick and never evaporates, because it's not oil that was distilled from a plant, it's oil that is cold pressed out of the seeds; all grapeseed oil is.
I have real SD alcohol for perfume making, and I mix 15% pure essential oil with that to make perfume. For example, 85ml of SD alcohol, and 15ml of essential oil measured with a syringe. But baby oil works a little better than grapeseed oil when you mix it 1 part with 2 parts SD alcohol. It's still not the same as whatever oil comes with the reed diffusers, because I don't think that is even oil. I think it's water and alcohol and some other solvent.
I've seen diffusers that use an entire block of wood that has a pensil size stick go into the oil to draw it up into the block. Works much better.
Good oil combination: jasmine 50%, "black opium" 25%, lavender 25%
Posted March 29, 2009
almost done (sor.ry ) Reed diffusers
And what about those sticks? I for one grew bored with the straight ones that came with the reed diffuser kits. I have experimented with and had good results from plants in and around my yard. Dried hydrangea stalks or thin walking stick branches have both worked for me and they are so curvy and beautiful to boot. I have also "borrowed" long thin strands of balsa wood in varying lengths from my husband's workshop (thanks, Hon!). Any porous wood will do the trick.
I dare say my homemade reed diffusers are much nicer than the ones I used to buy. At the very least, they smell way better! In conclusion, you can really play around with this idea, and it is a lot of fun! Plus you never have to spend another cent on a store bought reed diffuser. Very cool indeed!
