Essential Oil Database

Aromatherapy Reeds are what aromatherapists call “passive” diffusers. Rather than using air, heat or steam to send scent into a room, these diffusers use plain old evaporation.

Most come in two parts—the “vase” that holds the oils and the reeds. To use them, simply place several milliliters of any essential oil into the vase then arrange the reeds, upright, as artistically as you like. The reeds, which are typically made of bamboo or straw, will “wick” the oil upward and speed diffusion into the air.

Typically, this type of diffuser is used more for its artistic effect than actual aromatherapy. Because there is nothing to spread the scent molecules throughout the room, users often find the scent concentrated around the vase while the rest of the room is left starving for scent.

But because they use no heat at all, they can be used with any oil—little to no mutation of the scent will occur. This means you can use them with even very sensitive scents like rose. And because there are no parts to clog, you can also use them with resins and other viscous oils—something you might not be able to do with a nebulizing diffuser.