Reed Diffusers

Reed Diffusers are an attractive and easily customizable way to fragrance your home.  FromNatureWithLove.com recently added a Reed Diffuser Base, and Diffuser Reeds to our product line, giving me the chance to experiment with these new items.  I had a great time experimenting with colors and scents, but was surprised to find out that not all colorants will behave themselves when added to Reed Diffuser Base.  I took some pictures of what happened when I added our line of Liquid D&C and FD&C colorants to our Reed Diffuser Base.

Coloring Reed Diffuser Base
Reed Diffuser Base reacts well with most Liquid FD&C and D&C Dyes.  The base can be colored drop by drop, and colors can be mixed and matched to achieve your own unique shades.  While most of the dyes work beautifully in Reed Diffuser Base, there are some dyes that did not color well.  Take a look at the following photos to see how each dye behaved when added to Reed Diffuser Base.

This picture shows our line of Oil Dispersible D&C Liquid Color Additives.  As you can see, the colors dispersed well, and after two weeks have not faded or morphed in color.  (1. Liquid D&C Violet #2 Oil, 2. Liquid D&C Red #17 Oil, 3. Liquid D&C Green #6 Oil, 4. Liquid D&C Yellow #11 Oil)

This pictures shows our Reed Diffuser Base colored with our warm colored Liquid D&C and FD&C Dyes.  These colors also stayed bright and bold after 2 weeks have gone by.  The most surprising color in this batch was the D&C Red #22.  This color turned a bright fluorescent color that seemed to shimmer both pink and orange.  (1. Liquid D&C Red #33, 2. Liquid FD&C Red #40, 3. Liquid D&C Red #22, 4. Liquid D&C Orange #4, 5. FD&C Yellow #6, 6. FD&C Yellow #5)

In this photo you can see the Reed Diffuser Base colored with our cool colored Liquid FD&C and D&C Dyes.  This batch had the most surprising results.  In the first bottle, the Liquid FD&C Green #3 never fully dissolved, leaving small particles suspended in the base.  The Liquid D&C Green #8 and the Liquid D&C Violet #2 produced virtually no color at all, even after I added an excessive amount of dye. The other two colors, Liquid D&C Green #5 and Liquid FD&C Blue #1, however, turned out quite nicely, neither morphing nor fading after a 2 week period. (1. Liquid FD&C Green #3, 2. Liquid D&C Green #5, 3. Liquid D&C Green #8, 4. Liquid FD&C Blue #1, 5. Liquid D&C Violet #2)

In this last photo I tried experimenting with an Essential Oils and some Herbs. In the first bottle I added Tangerine Essential Oil, but no dye.  As you can see, the Essential Oil added its own natural color to the Diffuser Base.  In the second bottle I added dried Juniper Berries.  The Diffuser Base remained clear after two weeks and I think the Juniper Berries look quite nice floating in the bottle.  In the third bottle I added Annatto Seeds, a Natural Tinting Herb.  The seeds immediately added color to the Diffuser Base, but after two weeks that color has become much more intense. (1. Tangerine Essential Oil, 2. Juniper Berries, 3. Annatto Seeds)

Scenting Reed Diffuser Base
Both Skin Care Fragrance Oils and Candle Fragrance Oils can be used to scent Reed Diffuser Base.  Add between 25% and 50% Fragrance to your base to load it with your favorite Fragrance.  Certain Essential Oils can also be used in Reed Diffuser Base, but the results will vary.  For instance, I added Tangerine Essential Oil to the bottle of base shown above.  For the first week the base smelled fine, but after two weeks the scent began to morph slightly.  The new scent was not offensive, but it was not nearly as pleasant as plain Tangerine Essential Oil.  For some reason the Reed Diffuser Base did not seem to be fully compatible with this Essential Oil.  I would highly recommend testing Essential Oils in small batches with Reed Diffuser Base before committing to a large batch.  Allow your test batch to sit for 2 - 3 weeks and pay attention to any change in aroma or appearance.  Some formulators also recommend using a higher concentration of Essential Oil in Reed Diffuser Base.  You may want to try to raising the concentration of Essential Oil in the base to between 50 - 75%.  If you prefer a more fool proof method of scenting your Reed Diffuser I would recommend using Fragrance Oils.

Displaying & Packaging Reed Diffusers
Reed Diffusers should be made with a glass bottle or vessel preferably with a small neck.  Our line of Boston Round Glass Bottles make great Reed Diffusers and come in a variety of sizes and colors.  Our natural rattan Diffuser Reeds can be used at their full size or cut carefully with scissors to accommodate small sized bottles.  When you are ready to use your diffuser dip about 5 reeds into the bottle then flip the reeds upside down, reinserting them into the bottle.  This will begin the wicking process.  Repeat this process whenever you need a sudden burst of fragrance.

Comments

[Armi]

Hi, Emmy! Thank you so much for doing the testing for us. This was a really cool article and very informative.
Keep up the good work!

[Emmy]

Thanks, Armi! Testing out the Reed Diffuser Base and colors was my pleasure! The scientist in me really loves a good experiment.

[Erin Whalen]

Hi Emmy!

My hubby surprised me by saying that he'd love to add this to our product offering! And, I have to agree with him that they look like they would be fun to make!

I do have a question for you, before we start this new venture...

Since this is not a body-care product, what are the labeling requirements? Is it sufficient to say something like, "Diffuser Oil Base and Fragrance Oil" (I don't think we're going to color them). Or, do the ingredients for the Diffuser Base have to be disclosed?

Thanks for your help!
Erin

[Emmy]

You asked a great question! The exact ingredient information in the base is a proprietary secret of the manufacturer so the best way to list the base would be as you said, "Diffuser Base" or "Fragrance Base". Because it is a home product you won't have to worry about the same labeling requirements. These would require similar labeling to what is required of candle makers. You'll need to add: Your company name and contact info, the products size, product contents, type of scent, instructions. If you need more info on home fragrance labeling try doing a Google search on air freshener label requirements or candle label requirements.