Last Updated on July 8, 2019

Reed diffusers add a special touch to any decor, but they can be quite pricey and full of toxic ingredients. I’ll show you how to make your own DIY essential oil reed diffuser with a few simple supplies.

Reed diffusers are a nice, natural way to freshen the air in your home and they look very pretty and inviting. They have become very popular the past few years.

The only downside to their popularity is that when you buy something that’s more trendy, it tends to be made with cheaper ingredients. For something of this nature, that typically means toxic, synthetic ingredients are used for the fragrance.

The great thing is that you can make your own reed diffuser using a fun, upcycled glass bottle and some fun decorative wood décor, along with essential oils.

I have found this to be a very easy DIY that you can feel really good about. You will not only save yourself some cash, but supply your family with healthy benefits from the essential oils, instead of exposing them to toxic synthetic fragrances that can bring them harm.

For a winter blend, I use Eucalyptus and Wintergreen. They bring a light, sweet and fresh aroma to the room, but they are also both great at relieving your sinuses from stuffiness and your head from pressure.

Less than five minutes after I made mine, I could already smell it really well, and felt relief in my sinuses in no time.

You can use any of your favorite essential oils and your favorite carrier oil for this project as well, so get creative and maybe even make a few for friends and family for gifts. They are perfect for a guest room or bath!

DIY Essential Oil Reed Diffuser Tutorial

Supplies

Nice decorative glass bottle, preferably with a skinnier neck to help hold the reeds together
Wooden decorative twigs or diffuser reeds. Choose ones that have a slicker finish, like bamboo, not fragile ones that will easily peel or chip off. The number you’ll need will depend on the bottle size you choose.
¼ – ½ cup carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil or sweet almond oil
20-30 drops of essential oils: I used 12 wintergreen essential oil and 13 eucalyptus essential oil drops in my fairly large bottle
Funnel
Whisk
Mixing bowl or glass measuring cup

Directions

For the carrier oil, you want it to be along about the bottom 1” of the bottle, so obviously that depends on the width of the bottle you have. I used ¼ cup and it was fine for mine and my bottle is of a good size.
Place the carrier oil in the mixing bowl or glass measuring cup and add your essential oils.
Whisk together well.
Give it a test sniff – if you feel it’s not strong enough, add a few more drops and mix again.
Then, using your funnel, pour the oil into the bottle until it is all transferred.
Then add your reeds and make sure to push all of them down all the way to the bottom of the bottle so they’re in the oil. If they are too high, they won’t draw up the oils, so just double check to make sure none are displaced.
Now, you get to watch as the reeds drink up the natural oils.
Place your reed diffuser in your favorite space and enjoy!
Once you notice the oils have dissipated and the reeds are no longer dark in color, you will know you need to refill the oil. It typically takes a week or two for this to happen, depending on size of your bottle. You can always drop in some more essential oils to freshen it up in the meantime too.