DIY Reed Diffuser in 20 Fall Scents {pumpkin spice, apple orchard, vanilla bean candle & more}

Ever wonder how to make your own reed diffuser with essential oils?

It’s actually a very easy DIY project that takes just a few common ingredients and a couple minutes to make.  But you need to get the ingredients and ratios right so that the scented mixture will be thin enough to travel up the reeds and scent the room, but not too thin that it evaporates too quickly.  Thankfully, I’ve done all the research and experimentation for you.  Simply follow the recipe below and you too can make your own homemade reed diffuser.

Then customize your base recipe with any of 20 different fall scents.  I’ve included recipes for all my fall favorites like pumpkin spice, apple orchard, vanilla bean candle, candy corn, gingersnap cookie, and more!

So now there’s no need to use artificial fragrances like store-bought room sprays, candles, or plug-ins.  You can make your own reed diffusers to make every small room and nook in your home smell amazing, naturally!  These are the perfect way to freshen small spots like bathrooms, closets, foyers, offices, and bedrooms.

What do you need to make your own reed diffuser?

This website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link. 

I experimented to find a DIY reed diffuser recipe that both does a great job scenting the room and doesn’t evaporate too quickly.  The trick is using a mix of a light, viscose carrier oil with high-proof alcohol to thin the oil even more.  By blending essential oils with a bit of carrier oil and a good amount of high-proof grain alcohol, the EOs still keep their scent and therapeutic properties, but now they’ll be spread out in a much thinner liquid that can easily travel up the reeds to scent the air.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own homemade reed diffuser:

• essential oil

I use essential oils as an all-natural way to scent my reed diffusers.  Cinnamon, clove, sweet orange, vanilla, cedarwood, and spruce are just a few of the essential oils that evoke feelings of warm, cozy fall favorites.

See all 20 fall-scented recipes below to find your favorite essential oil combination.  There are essential oil recipes for pumpkin spice latte, apple orchard, gingersnap cookies, mulled cider, vanilla bean candle, and many more.

• light and viscose carrier oil (optional)

Adding oil is optional and you can leave it out, but I’ve found adding a bit of oil helps slow down evaporation and also helps carry the essential oils up the reeds to scent the room.

You want a light, thin, free-flowing oil like apricot kernel oil, sunflower oil, or safflower oil so that it’s thin enough to travel up the diffuser reeds.

While many DIY reed diffuser recipes only use alcohol and essential oils or a watered-down version of this vodka and EO mix, those blends will evaporate very quickly and aren’t true reed diffuser blends.  Instead, it’s best to also use a carrier oil along with the alcohol and essential oils.  Carrier oils don’t evaporate so they help prolong the life of reed diffuser scent.

Keep in mind that heavier and thicker oils (like olive, jojoba, and avocado) won’t travel up the reeds well, so for better results, stick with the lighter/thinner oils like sunflower oil, apricot kernel oil, or safflower oil.

• high-proof grain alcohol

Alcohol is to help thin out the oils.  You need a thin, low viscosity liquid for a reed diffuser so that the fragrance will easily travel up the reeds and scent the room.  If the reed-diffuser mixture is too thick, it won’t travel up the reeds very well, and as a result, the essential oils won’t scent the air.

You’ve heard the saying water and oil don’t mix, right?  Well, that comes into play with the chemistry of making a well-formulated reed diffuser blend.  Essential oils act as oil so you need to blend them with something that will make a uniform solution yet be light and thin enough to travel up the diffuser reeds.  That’s where alcohol comes in.

If you only used essential oils and water, they wouldn’t mix.  The essential oils would float on top of the water.

Alcohol is like water in that it’s an extremely thin liquid and easily travels up diffuser reeds, but high-proof alcohol is different from water in one very important way.  When enough high-proof alcohol is combined with essential oils (and carrier oil), the alcohol and oils form a uniform solution that blends everything together perfectly.  This oil-essential oil-alcohol solution is perfect for reed diffusers because it’s thin enough to travel up the reeds but also highly fragranced, so it scents small spaces perfectly.

The key is to use 140 proof or higher grain alcohol.  You’ll find these in the grain alcohol (or vodka) section of your local liquor store.  I use Everclear, but there are also a couple other high-proof grain alcohol you might be able to find at your liquor store.  Look for grain alcohol that is 140 proof or higher.  Regular vodka has too much water content to work for this.

• • • Everclear (190 proof, 92.4% ethanol)
    • Spirytus vodka (note: While most vodka sold in the United States is only 80 proof or 40% alcohol, Spirytus vodka is 192 proof, 96% alcohol.  When using vodka in this reed diffuser, make sure that you choose a vodka that is at least 140 proof so that it will form a solution the essential oils that will travel up the reeds)
    • Golden Grain (190 proof, 95% alcohol)

• glass jar with lid

It’s important to shake up the oil and alcohol mixture extremely well so that the alcohol can act as a solvent and dissolve the large oil and essential oil bonds.  Using a glass jar with a lid (like a mason jar) makes it easy to shake the reed diffuser mixture really well.

Just stirring the mixture with a spoon won’t work as well, and the alcohol might not form a solution with the essential oils and oil.

• small neck vase

Any narrow-opening container made of an essential-oil-safe material can be turned into a reed diffuser.  Glass, ceramic, earthenware, wood, or stainless steel all work great. Look around your home, you probably already have something that will work.  The smaller the neck of the bottle, the slower the oils will evaporate from the vase.

• Almost anything (with a narrow neck) works as a vase– match your décor!

• reed sticks

Usually made from rattan, reed sticks are specially made with little channels in them to help move the reed oil mixture up through the reeds and into the air.

While some people use bamboo skewers instead of reed sticks, I don’t recommend this as a substitution because they just don’t work as well at wicking the oil mixture, which means the oils tend to stay in the vase and don’t spread all the yummy scents into the air.

How to make homemade reed diffuser oil

step 1:  add 40-50 drops essential oil to a mason jar

see below for 20 of my favorite fall-scented essential oils blends.  There are recipes for pumpkin spice, apple orchard, vanilla bean candle, mulled cider, woodland walk, candy corn, pumpkin spice latte, and more.

tip: You need to use an 8 ounce or larger glass jar with a lid.  If you don’t have a mason jar, it’s completely fine to use a jelly jar or some other glass jar with lid.

step 2:  add 1/2 tablespoon of a light oil (optional)

Choose a light carrier oil so that it will be easy for it to travel up the reeds and scent the room.  Apricot kernel oil, safflower oil, or sunflower oil all work well because they are light, thin oils with low viscosity (meaning that they flow easily).

Adding the carrier oil is optional and you can leave it out, but I’ve found adding a bit of carrier oil (like apricot kernel oil or safflower oil) helps slow down evaporation and also helps carry the essential oils up the reeds to scent the room.

step 4:  stir well

Mix until the essential oils and carrier oil are blended.

tip: You can stir with a wooden or metal spoon, or you can simply swirl the oils around the mason jar until they are well blended as I’ve done in the photo below.

step 5:  add 1/2 cup of Everclear alcohol to the mason jar

The alcohol is to help thin out the oils.  You need a thin, low viscosity liquid for a reed diffuser so that the fragrance will easily travel up the reeds and scent the room.  If the reed diffuser mixture is too thick, it won’t travel up the reeds very well, and as a result, the essential oils won’t scent the air.

You’ve heard the saying water and oil don’t mix, right?  Well, that comes into play with the chemistry of making a well-formulated reed diffuser blend.  Essential oils act as oil so you need to blend them with something that will make a uniform solution yet be light and thin enough to travel up the diffuser reeds.  That’s where alcohol comes in.

If you only used essential oils and water, they wouldn’t mix.  The essential oils would float on top of the water.

Alcohol is like water in that it’s an extremely thin liquid and easily travels up diffuser reeds, but high-proof alcohol is different from water in one very important way.  When enough high-proof alcohol is combined with essential oils (and carrier oil), the alcohol and oils form a uniform solution that blends everything together perfectly.  This oil-essential-oil-alcohol solution is perfect for reed diffusers because it’s thin enough to travel up the reeds but also highly fragranced, so it scents small spaces perfectly.

The key is to use 140 proof or higher grain alcohol.  You’ll find these in the grain alcohol (or vodka) section of your local liquor store.  I use Everclear, but there are also a couple other high-proof grain alcohol you might be able to find at your liquor store.  Look for grain alcohol that is 140 proof or higher.  Regular vodka has too much water content to work for this.

• • Everclear (190 proof, 92.4% ethanol)
  • Spirytus vodka (note: While most vodka sold in the United States is only 80 proof or 40% alcohol, Spirytus vodka is 192 proof, 96% alcohol.  When using vodka in this shower mist make sure that you choose a vodka that is at least 140 proof so that it will help disperse the essential oils in the water)
  • Golden Grain (190 proof, 95% alcohol)

step 6:  put on lid and shake mixture well

Shaking helps the alcohol dissolve the essential oils and carrier oil so that the alcohol, essential oil, and carrier oil all form one uniform solution (that stays mixed).

step 7:  see below for how to use homemade reed diffuser oil

20 Essential Oil Blends for Fall-Scented Reed Diffusers

I LOVE that I can use my essential oils to make so many different autumn-scented reed diffusers!  With just a few essential oils I can customize my base diffuser recipe to become pumpkin spice or apple orchard or vanilla bean candle.  You can even make scents perfect for Halloween (like candy corn, friendly ghost, or witch’s brew).  It’s really easy to do, and every time I get the exact fall diffuser that I want.

click here for free printable of recipes and instructions

1.   Cinnamon Buns

15 drops sweet orange

15 drops cinnamon

12 drops vanilla

8 drops cardamom

2. Autumn Breeze

16 drops lemon

16 drops sweet orange

16 drops fir

3.   Pumpkin Spice

15 drops sweet orange

6 drops vanilla

6 drops cardamom

10 drops cinnamon

6 drops clove

6 drops ginger

4.  Sweater Weather

25 drops eucalyptus

15 drops juniper berry

7 drops sage

5.   Stay Cozy

12 drops cedarwood

12 drops spruce

12 drops cypress

6 drops vetiver

6 drops sage

6.   Woodland Walk

25 drops cypress

12 drops fir

12 drops sandalwood

7.   Evening by the Fire

14 drops fir

7 drops frankincense

7 drops sandalwood

7 drops lavender

14 drops sweet orange

8.  Mulled Cider

24 drops sweet orange

10 drops cinnamon

7 drops clove

5 drops nutmeg

3 drops cardamom

9. Flannel

12 drops cardamom

4 drops cinnamon

7 drops sweet orange

3 drops clove

12 drops cedarwood

3 drops spruce

10.   Vanilla Bean Candle

35 drops vanilla

7 drops cedarwood

5 drops cypress

3 drops spruce

11.  Enchanted Forest

10 drops spruce

5 drops pine

8 drops patchouli

10 drops lavender

5 drops frankincense

5 drops cedarwood

12.  Apple Orchard

10 drops lemon

10 drops green mandarin

8 drops copaiba

8 drops fir

6 drops cedarwood

6 drops frankincense

13.  Friendly Ghost

12 drops spearmint

12 drops lemon

12 drops sweet orange

12 drops vanilla

14.  Gingersnap Cookies

14 drops ginger

8 drops cinnamon

4 drops clove

8 drops vanilla

8 drops tangerine

8 drops ocotea

15. Witch’s Brew

5 drops ylang ylang

15 drops eucalyptus

15 drops lavender

15 drops spearmint

16. Trick or Treat

21 drops copaiba

10 drops bergamot

6 drops grapefruit

8 drops cedarwood

17. Candy Corn

15 drops lemon

15 drops sweet orange

10 drops copaiba

5 drops vanilla

18. Spooktacular!

7 drops frankincense

7 drops cedarwood

7 drops sandalwood

7 drops ginger

7 drops clove

15 drops sweet orange

19. Pumpkin Spice Latte

15 drops coffee

10 drops cinnamon

4 drops clove

4 drops ginger

6 drops sweet orange

6 drops cardamom

20. Graveyard

18 drops coffee

18 drops sweet orange

5 drops cinnamon

5 drops clove

Want more fall scents?  Find ideas & recipes for more fantastic autumn aromas here in my fall diffuser blends post and here in my Halloween diffuser blends post

How to use homemade reed diffuser

step 1:  pour reed diffuser mixture into a small, narrow-opening glass vase or jar.

tip: The wider your diffuser opening, the faster the reed diffuser mixture tends to evaporate.  So if you’re using a container with a slightly wide opening, then just add an inch or two of diffuser mixture to your container at a time and leave the rest of the mixture in the sealed mason jar.  Then refill your diffuser as needed.

step 2:  trim reeds to desired length for your vase or jar

step 3: bundle 5-8 diffuser reeds and insert them into the neck of the vase

step 4:  fan the reeds out

step 5:  Allow the oil mixture to saturate the reeds.  After a few hours, flip the reeds over so that the other end of the reeds will now be in the oil mixture.  This will help the oils travel up the reeds and scent the rooms.

step 6:  After another 24 hours, flip the reeds over again.  The oil will saturate into reeds, and as it wicks up the reeds, it will release the aroma into the air.  It will take a few days for the reeds to absorb the oil.

step 7:  Flip sticks every few days to refresh scent.  Replace the oil-alcohol mixture once it evaporates and replace the reed sticks about once a month.

Tip: Reed diffusers work best in small, enclosed spaces like closets, bathrooms, foyers, bedrooms, offices, and pantries.  The scent is not as strong as traditional ultrasonic diffusers and can get lost in larger, more open rooms.

Where to get supplies?

This website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link. 

reed sticks – click here for natural-colored reed diffuser sticks or click here for black reed diffuser sticks

reed diffuser bottle – You can use any narrow-neck glass jar or vase.  The amber glass diffuser I used in the photos above is from the fall Hearth & Hand collection from Target.  The black beaker in the Halloween diffuser blend photo is from Michael’s Crafts.  Click here for reed diffuser bottles you can buy on Amazon.

apricot kernel oil

safflower oil

sunflower oil 

Everclear (140 proof or higher grain alcohol) – Find Everclear in the grain alcohol (or vodka) section of your local liquor store.  I use Everclear, but there are also a couple other high-proof grain alcohol you might be able to find at your liquor store.  Look for grain alcohol that is 140 proof or higher.  Regular vodka has too much water content to work for this.

click here for free printable of recipes and instructions

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Please note: Products mentioned in this article have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information on this page are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This website is not a substitute for professional care.  Always consult your medical doctor regarding your medical care. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

Disclaimer: Please know that this website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link.