How to make a reed diffuser?

How to make a reed diffuser at home?

You will need a few ingredients:

special base for home fragrances with reeds, for example AUGEO CLEAN MULTI,
natural or synthetic fiber reeds,
bottle with narrow neck,
fragrance oil.

What do you need to know before you make a home fragrance with reeds?

Learn more about the base you have chosen for the home fragrance - what is the recommended ratio between it and the fragrance in the blend, can the desired fragrance be used for this product at the required concentration? For example, a slow evaporating Augeo Clean Multi base is usually used at 80-75 per cent in the blend, the rest is a fragrance oil.

Check the fragrance oil's IFRA document, issue 49 or 50 (the older ones are no longer valid) - whether its category 10A (which includes reed diffusers) indicates a desired concentration is safe. For example, if you want 20 percent of fragrance oil used in this product, the number listed in category 10A must be at least 20; if the number is 20 or more, it means it's safe for use in reed diffusers. In the descriptions of the fragrance oils we offer, you'll find a link to the IFRA document for each fragrance. When selecting new fragrance oils, we try to ensure that the IFRA 10A category is no lower than 20%.

How do you measure base and fragrance oil?

Prepare a home fragrance blend according to the desired ratio of base and fragrance in grammes and only then measure the required volume in millilitres - the weight in grammes of different blends won't equal the volume in millilitres as the densities of all fragrance oils are different. Mix the two ingredients well in a bottle, put the reeds in and let them absorb the fragrance.

You'll need a bottle with a narrow neck, sticks, a special liquid base for home fragrance and an aromatic or essential oil that you dilute with the liquid base. It can be a ratio of 85 percent base and optimally 15 percent fragrance or 80 percent base and maximum 20 percent fragrance, depending on the intensity of the fragrance and the manufacturing recommendations in the fragrance description. The concentrations given apply to the use of the aromatic and essential oils we offer.

Calculation examples:

90g of the base requires 15% fragrance concentration - 90gx0.15=13.5g fragrance. The total weight of the blend is then 90g+13.5g=103.5g.
For 100g of blend with a concentration of 20%, 83g of base and 17g of fragrance are needed.

Mix these two ingredients in a clean metal, glass or PET plastic container or immediately in a perfume bottle until the mixture is homogeneous, seal it and let it stand for 2-3 days (this is especially important if you're using thicker oils). To start using the home fragrance, dip the home fragrance sticks in (about 7-8 per 100ml bottle or less if you want a less strong scent) and let them soak. For the fragrance to disperse optimally, the sticks must protrude at least 2/3 of their length from the bottle.

How do you take care of the scent in the house?

It's best to keep your home fragrance in a warm environment where the air can circulate freely. In a smaller room, the smell of the house will be stronger and vice versa - the larger the environment, the weaker the smell will be perceived. You can also adjust the intensity of the scent by the number of sticks - more sticks give off a more intense scent, but the scent also wears off faster. After a while, when the scent has become weaker, you can replace the sticks with new ones, it's not necessary to turn them over, like rattan sticks. If the scent is still too weak even though you have used about 20% scent concentration in the base, it's possible that the concentration in the liquid base is too high and clogging the sticks, then you should reduce the amount of scent to a scent to base ratio of 15:85.

Which fragrances are suitable for making home fragrances?

Our fragrance oils are suitable for making home fragrances. Before choosing a fragrance oil, please read the description to find out what the acceptable concentration of that fragrance in the base may be and how high it may be. As a rule, it's 15 - 20 percent fragrance in a liquid base. It's always advisable to test the 15:85 ratio between fragrance and base first. The fragrance is quite intense and doesn't clog the sticks. A higher amount in a fragrance base doesn't necessarily mean that the fragrance is stronger. On the contrary, it can clog the sticks and it becomes difficult for them to distribute the fragrance effectively.

Who can conduct a mandatory cosmetic evaluation for skin care products?

If you plan to manufacture and market cosmetic products using the aromatic or essential oils we supply (e.g. bath and body products, perfumes, hair care products, skin care products, antiperspirants, deodorants, etc.), you'll need a cosmetic evaluation of the formulations. This can be done by companies such as the Dr. Koziej Institute in Poland.

What to do if the scent of my reed diffuser is faint or I have other problems?

There can be various reasons for this. In this table, we will offer some solutions and ideas:

Problem	Solution
Fragrance oil is viscous (looks rather like thick oil than water), too much concentration was used and the reeds clogged very quickly.	Use percent or less fragrance oil, do not use natural fiber reeds.
Fragrance oil is too weak on it's own	Use a higher concentration in the mixture - 20 percent or more, use an alcohol base (up to 5 - 10 % of the total base mass), use synthetic fiber reeds. If the evaporation of the scent is still not strong enough, it might be worth trying a more intense fragrance oil.
The scent evaporation was good at first, but soon it disappeared	Most likely the reeds are clogged - replace them with the new ones, it also might be that you used too much fragrance oil and the mixture is still too viscous.
I can only smell a reed diffuser when I pass by	Change the place of the reed diffuser - the best place is where the air is constantly moving, for example, a corridor, a lobby, do not put other things or furniture very close to the reed diffuser. The evaporation rate will be higher in a warm place and when you put more reeds into the bottle. It is also possible that you became "nose-blind" and cannot smell it anymore - ask your guests if they feel the reed diffuser and how they rate its strength on a ten-point system - you may be surprised! Also keep in mind that a 100 ml bottle is most suitable for 10 - 20 sq. m. room.
The evaporation of the scent is too slow	Change reeds to synthetic fiber, put more reeds into the bottle or flip them once a week, try making a base with 10% of vegetable ethanol base, which will speed up the evaporation. You can also keep your reed diffuser closer to the air conditioner or heater.
The evaporation of the scent is too quick	Use less fragrance oil in the mixture (10 - 15%), use natural fiber reeds instead of synthetic, use slow evaporation base (e.g. Augeo Clean Multi), put fewer reeds, do not flip them, reed diffuser in a cooler place, away from windowsills, heaters or direct sunlight.
Reeds are thick / too short, they cannot effectively soak the mixture up	The reeds are possibly too short - at least half of the length of the reed should be sticking out of the bottle for the efficient evaporation.