Seamus Hammond
Incense has been used for centuries in various cultures for its aromatic and ceremonial properties. Making your own incense at home allows you to create unique fragrances and form meaningful associations with different scents. Mixing incense involves combining various ingredients, such as essential oils, fragrance oils, and natural materials like resins, herbs, and woods. The type of ingredients and mixing methods vary depending on the form of incense desired, such as sticks, cones, or loose incense.
How to Mix Incense
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Frankincense, mastic, storax, sandalwood, cassia, juniper, lemongrass, cedar, pine, balsam, hibiscus, myrrh, herbs, spices, resins, essential oils, fragrance oils, makko powder, charcoal |
| Tools | Mixing bowl, flour sifter, gloves, mug, drying rack, plastic wrap, paper towels, pipette, charcoal briquette, ceramic plate, parchment paper |
| Techniques | Sifting, mixing, kneading, soaking, dipping, drying, heating |
| Shapes | Cones, sticks, coils, pellets, balls |
| Considerations | Proportions of ingredients, drying time, safety, cultural considerations |
| Benefits | Enhancing mood, creating associations, ceremonial use, improving focus |
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What You'll Learn
Preparing the incense mixture
Firstly, you need to select a base for your incense. This could be a natural base such as sandalwood, cedar, or pine, which will add a strong scent to your blend. Alternatively, you can opt for a low-scent base such as red sandalwood, alder, or charcoal, which will contribute less to the overall scent.
The next step is to add a binder, which acts as a form of glue to hold the incense together in your chosen shape. There are two types of binders: gum binders and wood binders. Wood binders, such as joss powder or "tabu no ki", are easy to work with and often double up as a base material.
Once you have your base and binder, it's time to mix in your fragrance. If you're using essential oils, it's recommended to test your blend on a single stick first. You can apply up to 20 drops of essential oil directly to the stick, or mix a larger batch of oils with DPG (Dipropylene Glycol) to soak the sticks for a stronger, longer-lasting scent. If you're using fragrance oils, simply fill a tall bottle with your chosen oil, dip the sticks, and then air-dry them on a rack.
For a more hands-on approach, you can roll your incense mixture into pea-sized balls. After rolling them in powdered herbs to prevent sticking, place them on a plate or parchment paper to dry for several days or weeks, turning them occasionally for even drying.
Finally, if you're making cones or sticks, you can add a combustible material to your mixture, which will make it easier to burn. Simply light one end, fan out the flame, and allow it to burn slowly.
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Choosing a base
Choosing the right base is crucial to the success of your incense blend. The base is the "engine" of the incense, providing the heat for it to burn completely. It also determines the burning properties of the incense and can complement or enhance its scent.
Wood powder is the most common type of base material, with different types of wood imparting unique characteristics to your blend. Sandalwood is perhaps the most traditional base, renowned for its creamy, soft aroma, and slow, even burn. This makes it an excellent choice for longer-lasting incense. Cedarwood has a more robust, earthy scent profile and is often used in grounding blends. Pine is another popular base, known for its fresh, invigorating scent, adding a bright note to your blends.
Other fragrant wood options include apple, fir, alder, and red sandalwood (which is not actually sandalwood). These woods have very little scent, but they can provide much-needed heat. If you're an experienced incense maker, you can also experiment with oak, but this type of wood is very tricky to work with.
In addition to wood bases, other plant materials can be used. Lavender, for example, holds more essential oil in its stems than in its flowers, making it an excellent choice for a strong-scented base. When using lavender, you can include the flower buds, stems, and a binder like gum to create a blend that burns nicely and provides a stronger scent than flowers alone.
When selecting a base, it's important to understand the intended use of your incense. Are you creating it for meditation, ceremonial purposes, or simply for fragrance? For meditation or spiritual work, opt for grounding bases like sandalwood or frankincense. If you're making an energizing blend for focus or cleaning spaces, consider fresh-scented woods or herb powders like rosemary or pine.
The type of base you choose should complement or enhance the essential oils you plan to use. If you're using heavy floral oils like jasmine or ylang-ylang, choose a lighter base like lavender powder or gum tragacanth. For deeper resinous oils like patchouli or vetiver, consider rich bases such as myrrh or copal.
Experimentation is key when creating personalized incense blends. Start by mixing small batches with different combinations of bases, adjusting the proportions to your desired strength. Observe how each combination burns and adjust the ingredients accordingly.
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Shaping the incense
Shaping your incense depends on the form you want it to take. Sticks and cones are the most common forms, but you can also create incense powder, coils, or masala sticks.
Shaping Incense Cones
To shape your incense into cones, you'll need to create a mixture that holds its shape. If your mixture is too wet or too dry, it won't burn effectively. Place approximately half a teaspoon of the incense mixture into a piping tip, similar to the type used for frosting. Tap the tip on a table several times and use a toothpick to loosen the mixture from the sides of the piping cone. This will create a hole in the centre of the cone, allowing it to burn better.
Shaping Incense Sticks
To form incense sticks, you can gently roll the incense dough between your hands, wooden boards, or with an extruder. Cut the sticks to your desired length and diameter, typically around 2-inch-long and 2-mm-diameter sticks. Pack the incense sticks tightly and allow them to dry on a plastic or metal screen or frame that permits airflow. The drying process can take anywhere from 2 to 7 days.
Powdered Incense
Powdered incense, also known as seal incense, is made by burning loose incense granules directly on an ash bed. To use seal incense, fill a metal incense burner with firmly pressed white ash. A small metal plate is hollowed out to form a pattern or seal.
Choosing a Base and Binder
The base material in your incense acts as a substitute for charcoal or other outside heat sources. Sandalwood, cedar, and pine are popular choices that can add a strong scent to your incense blend. However, you can also opt for lower-scent options if you prefer.
Binders act like glue, holding your incense together in the desired shape. Wood binders, such as joss powder or "tabu no ki," are commonly used and can also serve as base materials. Gum binders, such as guar gum or xanthan gum, are more potent but require careful measurement to avoid affecting the burnability of your incense.
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Burning incense cones or sticks
If you've made your own incense or purchased some, you might be wondering how to burn them properly. Incense cones and sticks are the most common forms of incense, and burning them is straightforward and simple.
Incense cones
To burn an incense cone, light one end of the cone, fan out the flame and allow it to slowly burn out by itself. You can also blow out the flame once you see a lit ember. If you are using backflow incense, which is a relatively new type of incense, the smoke will flow in the opposite direction of regular incense, i.e., downwards instead of upwards. This is because backflow incense has a hollow tunnel in the centre, and when smoke cools, it becomes denser and flows gently downwards.
Incense sticks
The most common form of incense used today is the incense stick. To burn an incense stick, place it in a suitable incense holder, using the end that isn't covered with incense material. Then, hold a flame to the end of the incense stick until it catches fire. Remove the flame and let the incense burn until you see a lit ember, then you can blow it out. Alternatively, you can hold one end of the stick and light the other end, or place the stick in an incense burner to keep it steady and angled upwards. Ensure that you place the incense on a heat-resistant surface with no flammable items nearby. Incense burners are designed to catch any falling ash, but you can also fill a bowl or cup with grain, rice, salt, or sand and stick the incense inside.
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Burning loose incense
Loose incense is usually in its most natural form, consisting of fragrant dried herbs, spices, botanicals, and resins, without fillers and added chemicals. It can come in powder form or an herbal blend. To burn loose incense, you will need a fireproof charcoal incense burner dish (ceramic, cast iron, etc.), a charcoal disc, charcoal tongs, loose incense of your choice, and a lighter or match. It is important to read the label of your loose incense, as some fragrances and chemicals may be added. Additionally, always place your incense holder on a fire-resistant surface and never leave it unattended.
To begin, spread a layer of sand or uncooked rice at the bottom of your heatproof bowl to add a layer of fire protection. Then, use the tongs to pick up the charcoal disc and light it with a match or a lighter until it begins to spark. Place the disc in the heatproof holder and wait for 2-5 minutes for it to turn a whitish-grey colour. Once the charcoal is burning grey, sprinkle a pinch of your loose incense blend onto the disc, allowing the resins and herbs to burn away to ash. Only use a pinch at a time, and use the tongs to remove the ash after each use.
Alternatively, you can burn loose incense without charcoal. One way is to shred small amounts of the loose herbs in your hands and then roll or mould them into a ball to burn. This method works well with mugwort. Another option is to place the loose incense in a heat-proof dish or bowl and light it with a match or lighter. You can also use a bay leaf to burn loose incense. Place your loose herbs on a large bay leaf and light it, ensuring that you keep it on a fire-proof surface.
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Frequently asked questions
There are two types of incense: combustible and non-combustible. Combustible incense is used when forming your mixtures into cones or sticks by adding a binding material and a combustible material directly to the incense mixture. Non-combustible incense is "loose incense" (just the ingredients themselves, after grinding and mixing) or "incense pellets" (loose incense where soft resins, balsams, raisins or dried fruits and honey have been added to form pea-sized "pellets").
First, sift the ingredients and mix them together in a bowl. If your incense mixture includes a lot of gums and resins, add 40-90% makko powder. If your mixture includes a lot of herbs, spices, and wood-based ingredients, add 5-30% makko powder. Then, add 5-10 drops of water to your mixture and knead it together. Once a firm dough starts to form, knead everything together with your hands.
If you want to make incense sticks, you can use either essential oils or fragrance oils. If you are using essential oils, you can apply up to 20 drops of oil directly to one incense stick. If you are using fragrance oils, fill a tall, empty bottle with your desired oil and dip your incense sticks in the liquid. Then, air-dry the sticks on a drying rack for a few hours, cover them in plastic wrap overnight, and blot them with clean paper towels the next day.
Sandalwood, cedar, and pine are all excellent bases that can add a very strong scent to your incense blend. Red sandalwood, alder, and charcoal are all very low-scent base materials, which may be easier to work with if you are a new incense maker.
