What's the deal with reed diffusers?
Updated: Nov 1, 2022
As someone who is in love with making natural skin care products, I am always trying out new ingredients, testing out recipes, and working on improving your favourite products. Because I buy natural raw ingredients in bulk from suppliers I had never heard of before I started SaltZ&Co in 2017, I sometimes find amazing fragrance-related things... like a reed diffuser kit on sale for like, $15, that would be double the price elsewhere.
Reed diffuser who what now? What is the deal with these little sticks and oils that you may have seen in friends' homes? To discuss this properly we have to have a little overview of aromatherapy - the practice of using essential oils made from plants, flowers, herbs, roots and trees.
First, what is the point of aromatherapy?
To find the answer to this question I consulted Dr. Axe, whose website talks about many alternative treatments. Aromatherapy has been a buzzword for a long time among yoga types, but apparently it's been around even longer: 5,000 years! And not 'just' used by the highly advanced cultures we typically associate with this sort of thing, like the Eastern cultures, but by Greeks and Romans too. There's got to be more to it than making the house smell nice, right? Here's what breathing in those high quality essential oils can do for you:
Pain management, particularly joint and muscle pain
Better sleep, less fatigue
Reduced stress
Lower blood pressure
Improved libido
Better appetite and digestion
Elevated mood
Disease fighting
Healing of respiratory infections
Improved hormonal function and relief of PMS and menopause symptoms
How can breathing lovely natural scents like lavender and peppermint do all this? The deal is that plants contain natural protective chemicals that help them survive in Nature. When you take these active ingredients out and distill them, the protective chemicals work on humans, too. In addition, the fragrance has positive effects on the limbic system, or the 'primitive brain', where we recognize and respond to scent.
There are lots of ways to make aromatherapy work for you, from soaking in fragrant bath salts (hello!) to using essential oils diluted in your massage oil. Or, of course, you can diffuse the essential oils into the air with one of these reed thingies.
I just had to try this diffuser. I was going to give it as a gift but I thought nah, I have to keep this! So I put lemongrass essential oil into the base carrier oil that was provided with the diffuser. After a couple of hours I definitely felt calmer and more relaxed!
New to aromatherapy?
Dr. Axe recommends starting by adding essential oils to the bath with Epsom salts (HELLO!) but we have already done that for you. I would definitely recommend the reed diffuser to take it to the next level. It's really actually simple to use and doesn't require candles/flames or an electric outlet like the fake stuff!
Another option is to use an all natural spray like Smells Like Team Spirit or Laving Me, Laving You Lavender Linen Spray. In your home, these scents start strong to clear odours and freshen, then dissipate to a subtle freshness. We also retail essential oils that you can burn in these clay diffusers if you do like the soft light of a candle coupled with the soothing effects of aromatherapy. You can check out our full natural home fragrance and accessories line here.
Enjoy your sweet smelling home sweet home!