DIY Reed Diffuser

If you are the kind of person who buys candles and forgets to actually use them, give reed diffusers a try. They provide a constant fragrance without you needing to do anything more than flip the sticks or refill the oil occasionally. Plus, it is really simple to create your own reed diffuser fragrance using essential oils, water, and vodka (or gin). As if you needed another reason to keep alcohol on hand.

DIY Reed Diffuser

Supplies:
5-6 Bamboo skewers or reed diffuser sticks from the craft store
Essential oils (see ideas for combinations below)
1/2 cup water
Splash of vodka or gin
1 container (I used an empty reed diffuser bottle from Target, but any kind of vessel with a narrow opening will work)

Directions:
To make the oil concoction, mix 20-25 drops of the essential oils into the water, then add the vodka and stir. The vodka acts as an emulsifier to keep the oil and water mixed. Don't worry, the scent of the essential oil will cover up the smell of the vodka.

Pour the mixture into your container (a funnel helps), then add the reeds. Flip the reeds every few hours to refresh the scent.

I used the lemon verbena and coconut essential oils that were leftover from the soaps I made for Samantha's baby shower. Here are some other possible combinations to try:

Peppermint + Lavender
Lavender + Lemon + Rosemary
Cinnamon + Wild Orange
Grapefruit + Lemon + Lime
Lavender + Eucalyptus
White Fir + Cypress
Juniper Berry + Lavender
Bergamot + Patchouli
Lemon + Basil

If you don't have vodka on hand you can add your essential oils to 1/4 cup of carrier oil instead of the vodka/water mixture. Fractionated coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and safflower oil make good carrier oils. Heavier oils like olive will work, they just take longer to travel through the skewers or reeds, so you may need to flip more often in the beginning.

This DIY takes less than 5 minutes, much less time than it would have taken to go to the store to buy a new reed diffuser. That should leave you plenty of room in your schedule to enjoy a cocktail with the remaining vodka. Cheers!