Reed Diffusers

I recently noted an article in Better Homes & Gardens Magazine which showed how to make your own Reed Diffusers at home.

The article recommended mixing essential oils with olive oil and using some wooden skewers as reeds. This sounds like a great idea, cheap and easy, but in reality is messy and won't work.

The reasons it won't be an effective way of scenting your home are three fold and relate to the items used - olive oil, essential oils and wooden skewers.

1. Olive oil is too thick to use as a reed diffuser base, it will not be drawn up into the skewers at all.
2. Essential oils evaporate easily. They need to be blended with fragrant oils to maintain some staying power.
3. Wooden skewers do not have the channels that proper rattan reeds have, meaning that the product will not be drawn up into them efficiently enough to allow for scent diffusion into your room.

It's not worth wasting good olive oil trying to make your own diffusers. Skinflint Reed Diffuser oil is only $16.00 and is available in 6 different fragrances, including two which have essential oils in them. It's made with a 'dry oil', specially designed to allow uptake into the rattan reeds without clogging. 

You can fill your own decorative bottle or purchase a square glass bottle for only $6.50 on the Skinflint website. Much easier than mucking around with olive oil and skewers!