Reed
Diffusers: What Are They And How Do You Use
Them ?
By Sara
Westbrook
It seems that reed diffusers have been taking
the home fragrancing world by storm these
days. My friend Abby has told me how
wonderful hers smells and my Aunt Grace
is completely in awe about how they work. And
me ? I was absolutely clueless as to what a
reed diffuser was, how it worked or whether
or not I should be jumping on the bandwagon
for this one. I nodded in agreement as if I
had the slightest clue of what they were
talking about. So to prevent another
uncomfortable head nod from happening in the
future, I decided to find out exactly what
this reed diffuser stuff was all about.
Reed diffusers are a way to fragrance your
home or office or any space that could use a
little freshening. To put it simply- a glass
container (jar, vase, bottle, etc.) is filled
with a specially scented oil. Then you take
wooden sticks, called reeds, and put them
into the oil. That's it. Very simple !
That's all most of us need to know.
For those of you that would like a more
detailed explanation, read on.
Let's start with the reeds. Reeds should be
made of rattan. Rattan reeds are made up of
"channels". Basically, if you look
into the end of a reed (either end) you will
notice (look closely) that the reed is made
up of a bunch of "channels". They
resemble hollowed out tubes. They run from
the top of the reed all the way to the bottom
of the reed. When you insert the reeds into
the specially blended diffuser oil,
the oil gets "sucked up" (much
like a straw) through these channels.
The oil is pulled to the top of the reeds
naturally and is released into the air
through evaporation. Be certain that you are
using real rattan reeds and not bamboo chutes
or skewers. Bamboo contains "nodes"
(not channels) that will block the oils from
traveling up to the top.
The specially scented oil is made up of a
reed diffuser "base" with fragrance
oil added to it. Look for diffuser oils that
are designed especially for use in reed
diffusers. The best diffuser oils are made up
of uncut fragrance oils mixed with
a base that is not made up of alcohols
or dipropylene glycol. Alcohol is highly
flammable and causes the fragrance oil to
evaporate too quickly. This, in turn forces
you to have to buy more oils in a shorter
amount of time. Good diffuser oils will last
a long time (approximately one month per
ounce). Avoid diffuser oil blends that
contain alcohols. Also to be avoided is
dipropylene glycol. Dipropylene glycol, (DPG)
is a solvent used to "thin out"
fragrances. Though DPG is used to thin our
fragrances, the DPG itself is a little to
thick to properly travel up through the reed
channels. Again, look for diffuser oils that
are alcohol and DPG-free for best results.
I have tried reed diffusers and oils from
several sites. I avoid online retailers
who use alcohol or DPG in their bases or
claim to use "bamboo" reeds.
I like the complete gift sets from TheDiffusery.com and thought their
pricing was budget-friendly. ($15.99-$19.99
for a complete gift set). Their base is
alcohol and DPG free and they have
a great selection of scents. I highly
recommend their lavender and fresh laundry
scents. Both smell nice and strong and I have
received many compliments on these ! You can
also buy refill oils, replacement reeds
($1.29 for a pack of 10) or glass containers
separately if you'd like. I shop here most
often.
I have also tried and liked the diffuser sets
offered by K.
Hall Designs . Their
grapefruit-mint is fabulous ! These
diffusers and refills are a bit more pricey,
($46 for a complete set) but I like the fact
that they have other products to match your
diffuser scents. Bath and shower gels ($24)
and body parfum ($44) make great gifts !
I personally love that reed diffusers are
flame-free. Although I love candles, I hate
the soot it leaves around my home and I hate
always worrying about starting things on
fire. Reed diffusers are a safer option in my
opinion because I don't have to remember to
blow them out ! :)
Go ahead. Jump on the bandwagon, this trend
is a great one ! And now that you know
exactly what reed diffusers are and how they
work, you will never be left nodding your
head unknowingly again !
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Sara
Westbrook, a freelance writer from Indiana,
enjoys flea markets, cooking and thinking
outside the box. She is available for hire
and specializes in home and decor articles
and dabbles a bit in medical writings as
well. To contact Sara: rollinwithsara@yahoo.com
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