Lance Carson
Incense has been used for thousands of years to create aromatic spaces, and it's easy to make your own at home. The key to incense that burns well is choosing the right base materials, which act as the engine to burn the incense completely. The base is usually made of wood powder, which can come from a variety of woods, including cedar, pine, sandalwood, juniper, spruce, and cypress. The scent of the wood will come through in the incense, so it's important to choose a wood with a pleasant aroma. Once you've chosen your base, you can add aromatic ingredients like herbs, resins, or essential oils to create your desired fragrance. The final step is to add a binder, such as gum or wood, to hold the incense together. With the right ingredients and a little experimentation, you can create incense that greets the rising sun with a clean and invigorating aroma, purifies indoor spaces, or enhances relaxation.
How to Make Wood Incense
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Base Materials | Wood powder, tree foliage, plant materials, flower buds, bark, gum binder, makko powder |
| Wood Types | Sandalwood, cedar, pine, apple, fir, alder, red sandalwood, juniper, spruce, cypress, lavender, mugwort |
| Aromatics | Herbs, resins, essential oils, decoctions, hydrosols, extracts, marshmallow root powder, lemongrass, rosemary |
| Binder | Gum binders (guar gum, xanthan gum), wood binders (joss powder, "tabu no ki" or "makko"), marshmallow root powder |
| Ratios | 50% makko powder and 50% material, 1/8 teaspoon of binder for every 2 tablespoons of material |
| Preparation | Pulverize ingredients, mix dry ingredients, add water to activate binder, form into cones or sticks, dry for 2-4 weeks |
| Burning | Burn over charcoal, mica, or makko |
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What You'll Learn
Choosing a base
Choosing the right base for your incense is essential, as it determines its burning properties and can even enhance its scent. The base is the "engine" of the incense, providing the heat needed for it to burn completely. While various materials can be used as bases, wood powder is the most common and often forms the bulk of the base.
When selecting a wood base, it's important to consider its burning characteristics and scent. Hardwoods like cedar, juniper, pine, spruce, and cypress are popular choices due to their slow-burning properties and pleasant aromas. However, it's crucial to be cautious with certain types of wood, such as oak, which can be tricky to work with and may require more experience. Fragrant wood options like sandalwood, apple, fir, and alder can add a strong scent to your incense, but they also contribute heat, which is essential for burning. If you're new to incense-making, starting with low-scent base materials like red sandalwood, alder, or charcoal might be easier, as they allow you to focus on blending other aromatic ingredients without being overwhelmed by the base's scent.
In addition to wood bases, non-wood plant materials can also be used. Lavender, for example, is a popular choice due to its high essential oil content in the stems. Tree foliage, such as dried and powdered pine needles, can enhance burning characteristics, but overuse can negatively impact the scent and create irritating smoke. Similarly, some tree barks, like cinnamon or cassia, can produce smoke that may be physically uncomfortable. Therefore, it's important to use these ingredients in moderation.
Another important consideration when choosing a base is its function as a binder. Binders are necessary to hold your incense mixture together and can be wood-based or gum-based. Wood binders, such as joss powder or "tabu no ki" (also known as "makko"), act as both a base and a binder, simplifying the process. However, they may require a larger quantity in your mixture, typically around 50%. Gum binders, such as guar gum or xanthan gum, are more potent, with a typical recipe using only 1/8 teaspoon for every 2 tablespoons of material. They add no scent of their own, allowing your aromatic ingredients to shine.
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Selecting a binder
Wood binders, on the other hand, are easier to work with and, in most cases, act as a base material in addition to being a binder. Common wood binders include joss powder (sometimes called jiggit) and "tabu no ki" (sometimes, incorrectly, called "makko"). Makko is a special blend that often includes tabu no ki, but it is more than that single ingredient. It usually contains other ingredients to improve the burn and enhance the scent of the incense. If you are using a wood binder, you will typically need a higher proportion in your recipe—many recipes are 75% wood binder.
When choosing a binder, it's important to consider the type of incense you want to create. If you are making incense cones or coreless sticks, you will need to use more binder than if you were making incense pellets or balls. Additionally, the fineness of your wood powder will impact the amount of binder needed. If your wood is finely powdered, you can use less binder, but if it is more coarsely ground, you will need to increase the amount of binder.
For example, if you are using makko powder with finely powdered wood, you can use around 15-20% makko, but you may need to increase the amount if your sticks turn out to be too fragile. It's important to experiment and adjust your recipe as needed to find the right balance of binder for your incense.
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Gathering ingredients
When it comes to gathering ingredients to make wood incense, there are a few key components to consider: the base, the binder, and the aromatics.
The base is the "engine" of your incense, providing the heat needed for it to burn completely. Wood powder is the most common type of base, with various types of wood powder available for use. If you're just starting out, it's recommended to use wood types like sandalwood, cedar, pine, apple, or fir, as these are traditional bases with strong scents. You can also opt for low-scent base materials like alder, red sandalwood, or charcoal, which contribute very little to the overall fragrance. Some incense makers also like to use tree foliage, such as dried and powdered pine needles, but be mindful that too much can negatively impact the scent and create smoke that may irritate the eyes and throat.
The binder is like a glue that holds the incense together in your desired shape. There are two main types of binders: gum binders and wood binders. Gum binders, such as guar gum or xanthan gum, are more potent, with a typical incense recipe using just 1/8 teaspoon for every 2 tablespoons of material. Wood binders, on the other hand, are easier to work with and often act as both a base and a binder. A popular wood binder is "makko," which is a blend that often includes "tabu no ki" (sometimes called "jiggit"), clove, and possibly sandalwood. If you're using a gum binder, you'll need to add water to activate it, but this water doesn't have to be plain—it can be another water-based liquid.
The aromatics are the ingredients that provide the scent you want. You can use a variety of natural resins, woods, and herbs to create your desired fragrance. If you're a beginner, start with a simple recipe of three ingredients, such as one wood and two herbs, or one resin, one wood, and one herb. As you get more comfortable, you can experiment with different combinations and a greater number of ingredients. You can also include liquid scents like essential oils, decoctions, hydrosols, and other extracts to enhance the fragrance.
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Mixing and grinding
When it comes to mixing and grinding your own incense, there are a few key steps to follow. Firstly, it is recommended to keep the number of ingredients to a minimum when starting out – perhaps one wood and two herbs, or one resin, one wood, and one herb. This will make it easier to manage the complexity of scents and ensure a pleasant result.
The next step is to choose a recipe and gather the required ingredients. It is important to pulverize or grind the ingredients thoroughly, and a suggested order of grinding is woods first, then herbs, and finally resins. Resins can be messy to grind if they are young and soft, so it is advisable to freeze them beforehand and grind them last to avoid having to clean your mortar and pestle multiple times. Weigh each ingredient after grinding, and separate your dry ingredients from any resins.
Mix all your dry ingredients together, and then separately mix your resins. Add the resin mixture to the dry mixture and combine thoroughly. At this point, you can return the mixture to the mortar and pestle for a final grind to ensure a complete blend of aromas. Congratulations, you now have a "loose non-combustible incense mixture"!
To enhance the scent and create a single bouquet of fragrances, it is recommended to age the mixture for a couple of weeks. This allows the aromatics to permeate each other. You can then form the mixture into cones or sticks, or burn it as-is over charcoal or on mica. If you are creating incense cones or sticks, a finer powder will burn better, and you will need to manage the water content and drying time carefully to avoid curling. A clay extruder can be used to form sticks without a bamboo core.
The type of wood you choose will impact the scent and burning properties of your incense. Traditional choices include sandalwood, cedar, and pine, which can add a strong scent to your blend. However, woods like alder and red sandalwood have very little scent, making them easier to work with as they contribute less to the overall fragrance. Wood powder typically forms the base of the incense, providing heat and ensuring a smooth, even burn.
Binders are another important component, acting as a form of glue to hold the incense together. Wood binders, such as joss powder or "tabu no ki" (also known as "makko"), can serve as both a base and a binder. Gum binders, like guar gum or xanthan gum, are stronger but require careful measurement to avoid over-binding. Water must be added to activate the binder, and this can be plain water or another water-based liquid.
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Shaping and drying
Shaping your incense mixture is a creative process that depends on your preferences. You can crumble the mixture and spread it out on a surface like cotton cloth, cardboard, a wooden board, or wax paper to dry. Alternatively, you can form pea-sized balls and spread them out to dry. The drying time can take 2-4 weeks, depending on the climate and humidity. During this time, the mixture should be turned daily for proper drying.
Another option is to place your incense mixture in a ceramic jar with a lid and allow it to age for up to a year. In Japan, it is traditional to bury the ceramic jar in the ground for this ageing process. This type of mixture can be burned on charcoal or directly on makko, a special base and binder blend that simplifies incense-making.
If you want to make incense sticks or cones, you will need to add a binder to your mixture. Binders act as a glue to hold the incense together in the shape you choose. Common wood binders include joss powder (also called jiggit) and tabu no ki (sometimes called makko). Gum binders, such as guar gum or xanthan gum, are more powerful than wood binders and are scentless, but they must be used sparingly to avoid interfering with the burn.
When making incense sticks or cones, the fineness of your wood powder will determine the amount of binder needed. If your wood is finely powdered, you can use less binder. For example, with a fine powder, you can use around 15-20% makko. However, coreless sticks are more challenging to make, as you must get the ingredients finely powdered, the water content right, and the drying time precise to avoid curling.
Overall, shaping and drying your incense involves important considerations about the final form of your incense and the burning properties you desire.
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Frequently asked questions
Sandalwood, cedar, pine, apple, fir, juniper, spruce, cypress, and oudh are all great options for wood incense.
Red sandalwood, alder, and charcoal are all very low-scent base materials that are easier to work with for beginners.
Wood binders such as joss powder or "tabu no ki" (also called "makko") are commonly used. Gum binders such as guar gum or xanthan gum are also an option, but they are much stronger so you will need less.
The ratio will depend on the coarseness of your wood powder. If your wood is finely powdered, you can use less binder. A good starting point is 50% wood powder and 50% binder.
Wood powder is the most common type of base material for incense, but you can also use other plant materials such as lavender, rosemary, or lemon leaves/peels. The base ingredients will impact the burn rate and scent of your incense, so choose carefully.
