Hello everyone! I would like to talk about Reed Diffusers that can impart your room with a scent.

With more time spent at home due to covid-19 pandemic, those who were not interested in room fragrances before, or those who are itching to travel but must settle for the scents of Paris, are now looking to fragrances to escape their doldrums.

In the proceeding article, I would like to talk about the commercially available reed diffusers and their most effective uses for those who are considering trying room fragrances.

The Meaning of Reed Diffuser

“Diffuse”, the root verb in the word “diffuser”, means to spread or cause to spread over a wide area or among large number of people.

Here, we call it a diffuser in the sense of “something that diffuses fragrance”.

A reed, in this situation, is considered a tool to focus or direct the diffusion.

“Reed” also means a tall, slender-leaved plant of the grass family and it is also one of the materials for the sticks.

The reed sticks

The sticks, which are used to draw up oil are made of the following materials, with rattan being the most common material:

　1. rattan

　2. reed

　3. bamboo

　4. wisteria

　5. fiber rod (chemical fiber stick)

The reed sticks are used to draw up the fragrance oil in the container to volatilize and diffuse the fragrance into the space just as grass and flowers draw water up from their stems.

These sticks have a porous interior and draw liquids upward by capillary action, otherwise known as “wicking”, named after the way a candle’s wick draws wax through it to the flame.

How to Choose a Diffuser

＜Alcoholic or non-alcoholic＞

The glass container of the diffuser contains fragrance and alcohol, such as ethanol.

This alcohol percentage is high, which is used to make the reed stick better absorb the fragrance’s ingredients in the solution.

Therefore, if you smell the solution directly, the smell of alcohol may overwhelm your nose.

The higher the alcohol content, the higher the effervescence, and thus the better the fragrance.

However, it also vaporizes faster, so the scent will not last as long.

In my experience, 100ml lasts 3 weeks to 1 month on average.

(Note: This varies depending on the shape of the container, fragrance ingredients, room environment, etc.)

There are also non-alcohol diffusers, but even in those, volatile solvents are mixed in to diffuse the fragrance ingredients.

Their volatility is a little weaker than that of ethanol and other alcohols, so the reed doesn’t draw them up as well.

If you want to improve the aromatic intensity, it is recommended to switch to a fiber rod which draws the liquid better.

Or you might place the stick in upside down or change it to a new stick as soon as possible as the reed’s drawing power will be poor if the inside of it becomes clogged.

In cases like this, you could first try washing the sticks with neutral detergent and dry them well.

However, if the oil remains in the sticks or doesn’t dry well, the aroma will be not absorbed.

It is recommended to purchase a new set of sticks as there are many commercially available sticks sold separately at low prices.

Also, as the amount of oil in the container decreases, more force is required to draw the oil up to the top of the stick.

Therefore, a diffuser that does not contain alcohol will use oil more slowly, and the oil is more likely to remain in the diffuser for a longer period of time.

The fragrance, in this case, will be weaker but will last longer.

If you do not like a strong fragrance, this is a good choice.

If you prefer a more intense fragrance, you may find it somewhat lacking.

When you find a commercially available diffuser you would like to try, please read the back of the package carefully.

If there is no indication of alcohol or ethanol, it means it alcohol is absent.

Knowing the pros and cons of “alcohol and non-alcohol” helps you to choose the right diffuser.

Plant-based alcohol

Plant-based alcohol is generally made from raw materials such as sugar cane and sugar beets, and starchy raw materials such as sweet potatoes, corn, and wheat.

It is made from local crops and goes through the process of grinding, steaming, saccharification, fermentation, and distillation.

The majority of this fermented alcohol is used in food and beverage products.

In recent years, high-purity alcohol distilled from crude alcohol (alcohol with impurities) has been produced from agricultural crops overseas.

I hope the article has been helpful if you’re searching for reed diffusers.

As for our HP series diffusers, they use plant-based alcohol.

If you are interested in them, please check our website.

I believe that reed diffusers can bring you joy and make your time at home more comfortable and refreshing!

Please enjoy reading the next coming article 🙂