How To Make DIY Diffusers!

I’ve always loved diffusers. There’s something about the subtle aroma that calms me (and makes me feel as though my house is cleaner than it actually is)

When shopping recently, I realised just how expensive diffusers can be. I had a lot of essential oils and dyes left over from my candle making so I thought, how hard can it be to make my own? And the answer to that question, it’s not too tricky at all! If I can do it in less than ten minutes in my Friday, sleep deprived state I’m currently in, then so can you. Probably more efficiently and without making as much mess, I hope.

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You will need…

• a container (such as a jar, small vase or recycled diffuser pot)
• a base oil
• essential oil(s)
• diffuser reeds
• alcohol rub (optional, I didn’t use this)

Choosing a base oil

The base all dilutes the essential oils so that the smell isn’t really potent and overpowering. I made the mistake of taking a good old sniff of the lavender essential oil I used and safe to say I think I should start to hallucinate any time now (from my experience, don’t do it).

There are many base oils you can choose from, ideally you want to go for something without too much scent. Some examples include…

• fractionated coconut oil
• almond oil
• grapeseed oil
• safflower oil
• soy bean oil

Alternatively, if you don’t want to purchase one from the list above you can use a solution of rubbing alcohol or vodka with water.

I use coconut oil a lot so this would’ve been my first choice as I already had some, but as it solidifies at room temperature, it will not work. If you choose this, it must be the fractionated type.

Essential Oils

Some people take a lot of time to choose flavours that go together well, and if you’re clever like that then do it! I however am far too impatient for this so decided just to stick with lavender as it’s pretty safe that it will smell good.

Lavender is obviously known for it calming properties, and after what seemed a stressful week I feel like I could really do with some calm right now! Below are some other ideas for essential oils you could try.

Peppermint – good for headaches, digestion, energy boosting.
Frankincense – stress reduction, hormone balancing
Tea Tree – insect repellent, heals acne and helps congestion
Chamomile – relaxing and fights bacteria
Cinnamon – calming, treats headaches and kills germs

So how do you do it?

To start, add 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of your chosen carrier oil to the container you’re using.

I opted with grapeseed oil in the end because it’s a little more mainstream which I found in a big supermarket and my impatient self didn’t want to wait for postage from Amazon.

I suggest you use a funnel because the hole you have to pour the oil in to is very small. However, if you’re like me, you don’t really have these things to hand when you need them so I went straight in knowing I’d make such a mess and I was right. In hindsight I do wish I’d put gloves on because I got oil all over my hands!

Next, take your essential oil and add 20-30 drops. Obviously you can change this amount but if you do more then there’s potential for it to get too overpowering.

Mix the two together. This should be fairly easy but make sure they have fully congealed.

OPTIONAL

If you want to be a little bit fancy then you can add your own dye to make the mixture look a bit less like wee. Make sure you use oil based dyes rather than water based e.g. food colouring as they will not work.

I decided to add some dye to my diffuser, because I did lavender I thought I’d use a violet colour to match. Unfortunately it did come out more pink than violet but I like it anyway!

And that is all there is to it. There are so many different variations of this you could try, there’s definitely some more scents I’d like to give a go around Christmas time!

I hope you enjoyed this #Blogtober day 18 post, let me know in the comments if you decide to make one yourself!