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Homemade Reed Diffuser DIY

August 25, 2015
make your own reed diffuser

reed diffuser DIY

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Now, I’m not really crafty, but I’ve got a great DIY for you today.  This homemade reed diffuser tutorial is so simple it’s basically foolproof!  If you can add some liquid to a bottle then this is the DIY for you!

I have a small old bottle collection, and I wanted to use some of them in a practical way, rather than just have them gathering dust on a shelf.  At the same time I was also looking for a way to freshen my bathroom without going down the chemical air freshener route because the smell of standard air fresheners and synthetic fragrances (especially the plug in ones) makes me feel sick, and I don’t like using essential oil burners because of having a small child in the house.

I came up with this idea for a homemade reed diffuser because it had the dual purpose of practically using my bottles, and it scents my bathroom in an environmentally friendly and natural way without the use of chemicals or synthetic fragrances.  Win!

It worked so well I thought I’d share my technique, because I’m good like that!  Here’s how you can make your own homemade reed diffuser for pennies, in minutes, and with only a few ingredients:

homemade reed diffuser

Homemade Reed Diffuser DIY

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Homemade Reed Diffuser DIY

Make your own environmentally friendly and delicious smelling homemade reed diffuser using only a few simple ingredients in minutes.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 Jar

Ingredients

  • Clean glass jar preferably with a narrow mouth
  • 60 ml of sweet almond oil
  • 30 drops of essential oil of your choice.
  • A handful of reed sticks

Instructions

  1. Pour 60ml of sweet almond oil into your glass jar
  2. Add your essential oil(s). I used 10 drops of rosemary oil and 20 drops of grapefruit oil as I wanted a clean citrus smell for my bathroom.
  3. Wipe down your jar with a cloth to remove any oils that might have dripped down the sides.
  4. Add your reed sticks.
  5. After a few hours remove your reed sticks and place in upside down to help the oils travel up the sticks.
  6. Place in a spot away from children and pets and enjoy the lovely aroma!

Homemade Reed Diffuser Notes

make your own reed diffuser

I bought my sweet almond oil, essential oils (rosemary and grapefruit) and reed sticks from eBay.  I’ve got plenty left of each to make heaps of reed diffusers!

Use a bottle or jar with a narrow opening as the oil will evaporate at a slower rate than a jar with a wide opening.

If the smell starts to go a bit flat try taking the reed sticks out and placing them back in the liquid upside down.

The scent in this homemade reed diffuser isn’t as strong as its shop bought counterparts, so don’t expect a really strong fragrance.  For that reason I find it best to place the diffuser in a small area, such as a bathroom, rather than trying to scent your living room.

Some people also swear by adding vodka to their diffuser as they say it helps the oils travel up the reeds.  I didn’t have any vodka in the house so wasn’t able to try this.  Let me know if you do!

I hope you enjoy making!  The diffuser would make such a lovely homemade gift, so definitely one to keep in mind if you’re ever in need of any eco friendly gift ideas!

ps: if you like this try my homemade beeswax candle DIY!

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Arts & Crafts, Life & Style

How to Make Beeswax Tealight Candles

January 3, 2015
how to make beeswax tealight candles

ecofriendly tealights

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I find January to be such a dark month, especially once the Christmas lights have been packed away.  I think we need a bit of light and sparkle to get us through the month, so at the weekend I experimented with making my own beeswax tealight candles.  It was so easy and successful (for a crafting novice like myself!) that I’ve put together an easy guide on how to make beeswax tealights for you, to brighten up your month too.

I always assumed that making candles would be difficult or would require some specialist equipment or tools, but the good news is that you don’t!  In fact you can make these beautiful beeswax tealight candles in about twenty minutes flat in your own kitchen with nothing more than an old tin can and a saucepan of water!

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How to Make Beeswax Tealight Candles

This quick and easy diy guide on how to make beeswax tealight candles takes just twenty minutes and requires no specialist tools or equipment. Create stunning candles in minutes!
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 21 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 metal or ceramic containers I used old pie tins
  • Approximately 300g beeswax pellets for four tealights I bought mine from Trustleaf
  • 4 candle wicks petroleum free (Again, I bought mine from Trustleaf)
  • Clean tin can
  • Saucepan
  • Newspaper
  • Bamboo Skewers

Instructions

  1. To gauge how many pellets you need per holder, simple fill your container with beeswax pellets. Pour these into the tin can, and then repeat, as I found that to get the right amount of wax you need double the amount of pellets that your container can hold.
  2. Put some newspaper down to protect your work surface.
  3. Put your tin can containing the pellets into a small saucepan of boiling water, and keep boiling. Just take care not to get any water into your can.
  4. Whilst the pellets are heating in the can, stir with a bamboo skewer to help the wax break down into liquid. It should take around 15-20 minutes to completely liquefy.
  5. Once the wax has completely liquefied turn off the hob, and using an oven glove very very carefully lift the hot can out of the water, and slowly pour the wax into your container. Take extreme care with this as the wax will be very very hot.
  6. Add your wick - it may need supporting with a skewer until the wax starts to firm up again.
  7. Once the candles have hardened trim your wick to no more than 1cm in height.
  8. Burn as you would any other candle.

As with any candles always burn on a heat resistant surface, and never leave a burning candle unattended.

You can use any metal or ceramic container that you like.  I picked up these old metal pies tins on eBay last year and have been hoarding them until I could decide how best to use them, but I saw that Artemis of Junkaholique made candles in enamel mugs that looked really pretty too.  I’ve also seen candles made in teacups before, and you could even use tin cans!

If you want to make scented beeswax tealight candles you could add some essential oils to the pellets as you’re melting them down.  Lavender is one scent that immediately springs to mind that could be really nice!

I think these beeswax tealight candles would make a lovely eco-friendly gift idea.  I kind of wish I had thought to make them before Christmas, but hey, it’s a good excuse to keep them all to myself!

beeswax candle DIY

Here’s to a light and bright January!

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