Colored, straight, wavy, curly, or twirly there are rattan reeds for nearly every taste so read on and find the right ones for your next diffuser project!
Getting straight to the point, here are some of my favorite diffuser reeds from Amazon. If you want, you can also skip down to the section on what to look out for when selecting diffuser reeds for a few warnings and a little guidance to make sure you get exactly what you you’re paying for.
The Classic
They say classics are classics for a reason and honestly I’ll probably always just stick with the classic rattan diffuser reed.
These are affordable, gimmick free, and they always work great.
This particular one comes in a ton of sizes from 6.3 to 12 inches. They are also biodegradable, so once you are finished with them you can easily compost them as long as you have been diffusing something that is natural like an essential oil blend.
Subtle colors
If you don’t want to go with the classic natural rattan reeds above but want something that is simple and subtle then you can’t go wrong with either of these options.
Simple but natural looking black
Warm rustic brown
And…as promised the Wavy, Curly, and Twirly!
Ok, I might have taken a little liberty with what I’m calling these. According to their descriptions each of these is “wavy”, but, I think my names are much more fun!
Wavy reeds
I think these are a really nice organic shape, not too cutsie, and just right if you want a natural and more organic look to your diffuser.
Curly reeds
Technically, the maker of these diffuser reeds calls them “wavy spiral”. I think that is pretty much the definition of curly so I’m sticking to it.
Twirly reeds
Yeah, I just called them twirly because it rhymed with curly…
And…the too cute
Not for me…but maybe its your thing! If so, go for it and try out these flower looking diffuser reeds!
How to Choose Reeds for a Diffuser
Read product listings very carefully. Sometimes the product descriptions are misleading or the relevant information is buried in a pile of marketing filler.
Look for Rattan Reeds
In general I like to look for rattan reed diffuser sticks. Rattan is a broad term for several hundred species of climbing palms and is a natural material.
You might have to do some digging in the product descriptions to see if they are actually made of rattan or not.
Many products list themselves as “reeds” which at first glance sounds very natural. However, several of these products are actually made of a poly & cotton blend.
What you’re looking for is products specifically saying made from Rattan. Read here for some more context on the ethicality of rattan as a material.
No Bleeding
If you are getting colored diffuser reeds make sure you look for ones that at least claim to be not bleed. There’s no guarantees here, but at least if they claim it, it might be true.
Fun colors typically means synthetic materials
As I said above, some product pages will mix natural rattan reeds and synthetic ones based on the color so read the description for each color you look at to ensure you are getting exactly what you expect to!
For example, these diffuser “reeds” on Amazon the majority of the reeds are cotton and polyester synthetic reeds. The colors may be super fun, but since they are synthetic, they aren’t for me.
Check the length
Make sure you know what length of reeds you need. In general make sure that your reeds will stick out of your diffuser about 3-6 inches. The farther they stick out of the bottle the more surface area for your scents to diffuse into the air.
If you go much longer than that it can start to get a little top heavy or snag passersby in a high traffic area.
How many should you get?
Don’t buy too many, but also don’t buy too few, these things don’t last forever.
If you are just a casual user and only break out the old diffuser seasonally then 25-50 should last you for at least a year or more.
If you are a heavy user then going for a larger quantity of 100 should be a great place to start.
When do you need to replace reeds?
This is a hard question to answer and it is affected by a few factors. Since rattan is a natural material it’s really hard to say how long this will take as every piece is a little different and can have different capillary sizes. Dust in your home can get into the oil and clog the reeds. What your diffuser oil is made of and even temperature call all affect how long your diffuser lasts.
That being said, your reeds should last from 2-4 months.
In general you should be flipping your reeds fairly regularly to help refresh the reeds. This helps the reeds to better pull your oil upwards and diffuse them into the air.
You can do this once a week or like me, do it whenever you notice the scent beginning to fade. When flipping your reeds no longer improves the scent being put off by your diffuser its time to replace them.
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Well, that’s it! I hope you found some awesome reeds for your next diffuser project! Let me know in the comments if you run across any other great options out there!
Lance
Last update on 2024-04-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API