Reed Diffuser the Perfect gift for someone special including yourself. What is a reed diffuser? A container with slender porous reeds that soak in fragrant essential oil elixirs and fill the home or office with blissful aromas. A diffuser lasts from one to six months. Prices range up to $53 for smaller; $84 for larger.

These are some Spanish bottles that can be used for reed diffusers. You will want to be sure to be able to get taller reeds for these.

This is a fun apothecary style jar. You could even leave the label on this.

There are four key components:

1. Vase
2. Fragrant Oil
3. Reeds
4. Coaster or saucer under vase (to protect furniture)

There is a great variation in vases. Certainly lots of styles. The main thing the vase needs to do is hold the oils.

Q: Do I need to fill up the vase to work? No. You do not need to fill all the way.  Pour some in, cap and place the rest in a dark cool place. You can fill it, forget it, and flip reeds. Or you can strore and pour. meaning pour some in and refresh every now and then.

Q: Will any vase or jar do.? Yes you can use anything glass. Plastic can melt from the oils...Use a coaster or saucer please. 

Q What about the size of the opening? Narrow is preferred. Some diffusers that have a wide opening are sold with a cork in the center and reeds around the sides. Other have other reducers. You can a more open vase. With some formulas that may be too much.

Q. What do I do with used reeds? Some people store the scented reeds in a spaghetti jar and open the top. You can add to potpourri.. You can reuse them..asiest to use with similar smells.Glass picks up scents too. To refresh vase, wash and rinse; then fill with coffee.  To clean a vase,  a paste with white vinegar and salt. Or try baking soda.. 

Q What kind of vases are there? Apothecary jars -c;ear or colors (corked stopper), boston round glass clear or amber (screw on lid), or a narrow neck vase. Oriental vases from Chinatown. Some are decorated with glass beads.Message in a bottle vases, decanters, Mexican blown glass, and filled with under water scenes. Imported glass. Spanish glass has a lovely green blue color. Spanish glass comes in many shapes. We added a few pictures.Please be careful with the colored glass. Some of it is painted on and scratches off. Gallery glass, nail polish is not good as the oils can destroy it. Tape over the name of the oil so you can read it later as soon as you get them. Wrap the bottle with a paper towel to sniff... to absorb any wayward oils. One drawback is the lack of "Early American" or "Country decor".. Use some country wallpaper, wrap a vase or jar.
Then there are Alora diffusers. They are unique. Some may be like an air freshener with a spray top as well as a diffuser.You may need to interchange tops. Alora customers are much better off buying Alora. Diffusers are not interchangeable. If you like one, buy the same one so you will be happy with your purchase.  

Diffusers may have alchohol which means the formula changes over time and gets thick. Some early ones were a very large dark amber glass jar in a burlap sack with a beaded accent. The diffuser was hidden.

Reeds: are made from one of two woods. Rattan and Bamboo. Both work well (meaning they wick) despite any misdirection from a particular web site. Rattan reeds can come slightly curved or straight.  Oh, there is also misdirection about straightening the rattan reeds too..suggesting that the reeds do not wick well after that. Some feel Bamboo do not wick well  The key is the oil formulation. That is proprietary. With the right oil all reeds will work and they work well. We have no preference. But customers sure do. Some like one kind some like the other.  If you reeds do not wick, flip them. They do not need to draw the oils all the way through..it you have fragrance oil exposed to the air (either through exposed vase or on the tips of the reeds), you are scenting the room. 

Reeds come in three basic sizes:

4  thin - 7/64th inches thick

5 medium /thin 3/8ths thick

6 thick /extra thick 11/64ths thick

The size is selected by customer preference and the vase.

 Fragrant Oils:

Each oil is it's own formula. No design houses blend the same. Oils change over time, with some like Frankincense getting better! Alchohol based formulas like Alora Ambiance will thicken over time. You can sse a cover / hide the vase. That is normal per the manufacturer.  Some oils layer. That is normal. And if you like a particular diffuser oil buy from the same vendor. Alora Ambiance customers need to buy Alora. 

Other uses for Diffuser Oils. 

• Oils with DPG, 1/2 oz refills generally, are terrific for scenting potpourri. The DPG tends to retain the fragrance.
• Fragrance Oils are not good for the eyes. We do not recomend adding oils to eye pillows for that reason.
• You can use a few drops of diffuser oils in the bath.. or just put a few drops on a cotton ball..to scent an area.

Nothing beats a pine scented diffuser at Christmas.

Reed diffusers make great gifts.  When in doubt, a Vanilla scent is considered universal.  In fact Givaudan, top perfumer created a vanilla scent for an ice rink. Wow. Oils can make you feel good.

What About Alora Ambiance? Two oz sell for for $45. 8 oz for $76..few new scents like Fiesta for the Holiday for $50 for 8 oz.  Please note: some Alora scents are not well received. This is an Alora Ambiance EBAY ad from 12-10-2005 lisitng 4424428784

This is a room freshener with a warm and woodsy fragrance composed of alcohol and a mixture of amber, patchouli, sandalwood, and vetiver. You will receive a 16-ounce bottle of fragrance; sticks which measure approximately 17 inches tall; and two wood caps: one regular and one open. I received this as a gift and used it for about 2 weeks, but decided that the fragrance isn't quite to my liking. Therefore, it's not brand new, but since this size bottle lasts for 4-6 months, there is still a lot left! I still have all of the original packaging.  This kit retails for $76.00.

 You see..Alora customers do not like the scent; in this case Caldo. However the seller was upfront about it. You got to like that.

Alora Ambiance 16 oz reed diffuser. shows a sample vial below and two wood caps. You remove the shipping cap, then insert the reed cap and reeds to use.

Some scents are light some are strong. Best to buy directly from a place where you can smell them to be sure..and in between smell coffee beans. Yes..because you cannot sniff scent after scent.

Scents come in

Florals (Rose, Ylang Ylang, Orchid, Asian Plum, Hyacinth, Jasmine, Honeysuckle, ) 

Citrus (Cool Citrus Basil)

Fruit/Vegetable (Cucumber Melon, Raspberry Tomato Leaf, )

Fresh Outdoor types (Ocean Mist, Ocean Breeze, Fresh Air, Clothes Pins, Cotton..)

Spice (Cinnamon, cloves, anise, black pepper)

Bakery (Cinnamon buns, Hot apple pie, fudge brownie)

Light blends (Starlight grove,  Pennies from heaven)

Vanilla (Enchanted Vanilla, vanilla blends Sandalwood Vanilla)

Woods, (Pine, Cedar, Fir, Fireside, Santas Pipe)

Designer (Many Bath and Body Words, Types, Yankee Candle Types and even perfumer types). 

and more..seasonal blends are common and new scents are created each year.

Some are nothing like they say. Juniper Breeze is well not Juniper..some have lots of ingredients for high, middle and base notes..we call this intrique.

If you have an odor concern, there are odor eliminator scents. Vinegar works wonders just put out in a bowl, or throw some cinnamon sticks and cloves and spices in a pan on the stove..and used coffee grinds in the fridge does great for there too. You can supposedly even use Vanilla extract to scent, but at $7.00 an oz. wow. Some sellers offer a Vanilla Sandalwood..now that is exciting.

Have fun.