Have you ever walked into a room and the scented plug-in or reed diffuser just blows you away, bombards you with unnatural smells that give you a slight headache, and sometimes even allergic type reactions? Ok, so I am one of those people, sensitive to chemicals. But even if you are not sensitive, you are still breathing in the same toxins as I am. When I was a teenager I received an award for a paper I wrote titled “Do you mind if I give you cancer?” It was about secondhand smoke. That was in the seventies, when people asked if you minded if they smoked. Isn’t being forced to breathe in others fragrance choices a lot like being forced to breathe in secondhand smoke? I had no choice as a kid. I was mad. It gave me headaches, and my childhood dog died at 7 years old with a huge lung tumor. I remember blaming my father and walking home, after asking the vet if this could be from smoking. He said it could be. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t, but when I was kid my dog died, and it was the smoke. It is a loss of control over our personal environment. Obviously you cannot walk into someones home and expect them to get rid of these products, but in our own homes, offices and cars…we can choose. We can choose natural, non-toxic options if we opt to scent our spaces. I feel better knowing that I am not hurting others and my pets when I choose essential oils to diffuse in my home and car. I believe most people mean well, putting these reed diffusers in their homes. They might look nice and natural, but the ones that you buy are actually often full of harmful and toxic chemicals like phthalates, acetone, toluene and petroleum-based chemicals, which I don’t want in my home…do you? These nasty chemicals can cause headaches, respiratory problems, skin irritation, allergies, headaches that add to the toxic burden that we are bombarded with daily anyway! The good news? You can make your own easily, with just a few ingredients!
All you need is:
1/4 cup of carrier oil (sweet almond or safflower oil) you want a light oil.
20-30 drops essential oil
2 Tbsp of vodka. This is optional, some people say it works fine without.
Reed sticks (you can order on amazon)
Your choice of glass container. Narrow top is best.
Mix all in a glass measuring cup and pour into your jar. Put your reeds in.
The oil will saturate into the 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.
Flip sticks every few days to refresh scent.
Replace the reed sticks about once a month.
Note: I believe many people are desensitized to natural, amazing, aromatic compounds we were given by God and nature. We have been bombarded with chemical, laboratory created, fake scents for so long, that a natural scent may not be “enough” for us. I challenge you to try essential oils. In your reed diffuser. In your diffusers at home. On your skin, and even in your body. They were created in nature. They are healing and non-toxic. I would take that fresh natural scent, that I love to breathe in, over that chemical, knock me in the face, lab scent any day….Will you join me???
Elissa XOXO
Leave a Reply