The Reeds I buy from my supplier are all natural and responsibly
harvested rattan which make the best diffuser reeds. No dyes added to make them
the various colors other sellers like to offer. Reeds are naturally a
whitish-eggshell color. Occasionally there are naturally occurring streaks of
Grey, Black, Rust, or Purple running the length of the reed. They are cut with a sharp blade using specialized
equipment to insure a clean cut every time. This way the reed isn't compressed
and is able to carry the fragrance to the top of the reed.
The reeds are 3mm in diameter, for maximum flow or
"wicking" of your reed diffuser oil. The slightly wider reed also
helps get thicker fragrances "airborne".
The length is 10 inches.
Flipping the reeds every couple of days will refresh the
smell. A suggestion of 6-8 reeds works well. More is always good
but remember the oil will be used up more quickly. If the smell begins to die
out, replace the reeds you have been using. Overtime (usually every 2 months),
the reed sticks become clogged with too much fragrance and dust.
From Wikipedia: Interesting information on where Reeds are
Harvested:
There are between 550 and 600 species
of rattan, which can be found in rainforest areas from South China to Australia
and Fiji to West Africa and Madagascar. Basket reed is produced from the core
of this thorny palm (mostly genera Calamus, Daemonorops or Plectomia) which
grows like a vine into the forest canopy. Rattan for commercial use is
harvested mostly in the jungles of South East Asia and Indonesia.
Native peoples travel into the
rainforests, sometimes whole families for months at a time, to pull as many of
the wild vines down from the forest canopy as they can. Much of the vine is
left behind, tangled in the treetops, the roots are left to grow again. The
vines can be smaller in diameter near the roots and larger in diameter near the
ends.
Once rattan has developed, they do
not increase in diameter as they age, they only increase in length. Some
species of vines can grow to a few hundred feet.