The 6 Best Reed Diffusers for 2020

The NEST reed diffuser takes our top spot, for a few key reasons. First of all, the sleek, modern design. When you're buying something that's going to be displayed in your home, it can't be tacky or kitschy, and the etched glass and dark reeds are a great accent in all decors. 

Our favourite scent was the Cedar Leaf & Lavender, it's woody and herbaceous, but not overpowering or too floral which can be off putting. 

Expect 3 months of aroma at least, at which point you'll need to refill the bottle - a great opportunity to try some other great scents - or go with what you like. You won't be disappointed with this choice. 

While some folks only like the scent of frasier fir during the holidays, this woody diffuser brings the smells of the forest straight into your home. 

Some fir scents can smell artificial, but it's evident how high quality this diffuser oil is from the strong, accurate aroma. It comes with a number of reed sticks, so if you find the aroma too strong, you can just remove some sticks to reduce the diffusion.

It's one of the longest lasting reed diffusers we reviewed, giving you at least 6 months of scents, landing it on spot #2 of our list. Bring the forest into your home with this reed diffuser. 

The OOJRA reed diffuser is a premium option, as you can likely tell just by looking at the packaging. They've done a great job of marketing themselves to be a premium choice for homes and spas, but how does their product actually stack up?

As essential oil purists, we can't quite say that the French Lavender scent is our favourite lavender but that being said, it does smell nice and it's very strong, so even though it's only included with 5oz of oil, it's going to last a long time. 

It's on the feminine side of the aroma scale (if that exists) and so keep that in mind if you share a space. Overall, it's a beautiful looking, and smelling reed diffuser that makes a great gift or living room accent. 

Aquiesse Luxe Linen has been producing reed diffusers and oil for years, and they've built a loyal following as a result. So loyal, in fact, when they changed out the bottle for one you see above, people were (rightfully?) outraged. 

If you're like us and you compare the look of this amber bottle to the others on the list, you might not be impressed. Though the aesthetics of the bottle aren't ideal, the amber glass IS actually quite useful, since essential oils degrade from light, so Aquiesse retains its aroma better than others. 

Even though it's maybe not the most pleasing design, the aroma of Luxe Linen is absolutely divine. The intoxicating smell is reminiscent of warm linen, with hints of sandalwood and herbal tea. They may have lost a couple customers due to the ugly bottle, but they've gained many more thanks to the wonderful smell and long lasting diffusion.

Cocod'Or is a candle and fragrance company founded in 2002 specializing in the research and formulation of fragrances. So, it's no surprise that we've included them on this list.

Full disclosure, it is April at the time of reviewing this product, so our pick here is their April Fresh scent. It's sweet and floral, with a hint of berries, encompassing the smells of spring.

They make many more great scents for their reed diffusers, a few of our favourites include their Garden Lavender, English Pearfree and Pure Cotton. 

The best part of the Cocod'Or reed diffuser? They also include option floral decorations to spruce up the simple glass bottle. It's a gorgeous accent to any home or office, with a wonderful fresh scent. You can't go wrong with Cocod'Or's products. 

A reed diffuser is just one of many types of essential oil diffuser. Other examples of oil diffusers include ultrasonic, nebulizing or heat diffusers.

A reed diffuser is an evaporative diffuser, using passive evaporative action to take the oils from the bottle, up and out the reeds and into your air. 

The reeds are called rattan reeds, which is actually the inner core of a plant, the rattan palm. They do also make synthetic and bamboo reeds, though rattan are most common. 

A reed diffuser works using something called capillary action. It's the same way an oil lantern works. The porous reeds soak up the oil from the bottle, and due to the nature of the oil, capillary action actually forces the oil up to the top of the reed, against gravity. Once at the top of the reed, evaporation takes effect and the oils diffuse into the air. 

The beauty of a reed diffuser is that you really don't have to do anything at all! There's no water to regularly refill, or a button to turn it on or off. Here are a few things you'll want to consider doing to get the most out of your reed diffuser. 

The biggest thing we recommend is to adjust the number of reeds in the oil, to provide the right amount of aroma for your room. For large rooms and stronger smells, use all the reeds they provide. For smaller rooms, you won't need all the reeds so you can store them for future use. 

The oil will last 3-6+ months, depending on how much is included, so eventually you will need to refill the oil either buying some, or making your own. Thymes also has a great article on how to use their reed diffuser you can check out. 

NEST Fragrances put together this great video on how to care for their reed diffusers, and you can apply it to any other brand you decide to purchase too. 

It's actually quite easy to make reed diffuser oil, using your favourite essential oils. We've written up a quick guide for you, but in essence, you'll be combining your favourite essential oils or blends with a light carrier oil like safflower or almond (so it easily diffuses). You can read more about that here, so you never have to buy more refills ever again! 

If making your own reed diffuser oil goes well, you may you're feeling up to it, you may want to try make your own DIY reed diffuser, especially if you already have a beautiful container you have in mind to display and add functionality to. We wrote up this article to show you everything you're going to need to do it, so check it out!