Anisha Riggs
Incense has been used for thousands of years for a variety of purposes, from creating aromatic spaces to enhancing religious ceremonies and medical practices. Making your own incense is a simple and inexpensive process that allows you to exercise your creativity and connect with nature. To make incense, you will need a few essential tools and materials, such as a grinder, a blender, a sieve, a bowl, and a binder. You can use natural resins, woods, and herbs to create your own unique incense blends, and form them into cones, sticks, or other shapes. The base material you choose will impact the scent of your incense, so it's important to select a base with a complementary or neutral scent. When burning incense, it's important to take safety precautions, such as ensuring proper ventilation and keeping it away from flammable objects and children.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Resins, woods, herbs, essential oils, decoctions, hydrosols, extracts, liquid scents, charcoal, gum binders, water |
| Tools | Mortar and pestle, blender, bowl, sieve, teaspoon, drying frame, syringe, extruder, moulds, respirator, gloves, scales, fondant extruder, coffee blender, brush |
| Safety Precautions | Keep unlit and burning incense away from children and pets. Avoid flammable objects. Avoid skin contact with the glowing tip. Do not leave lit incense unattended. Always burn in a well-ventilated area. |
| Shapes | Sticks, cones, coils, balls |
| Base Materials | Sandalwood, cedar, pine, tabu no ki, makko, charcoal |
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Tools and supplies
To make incense, you will need a variety of tools and supplies. The specific tools and supplies you will need will depend on the type of incense you want to make. However, some common items include:
- Mortar and pestle: Used to crush and grind dried herbs and other ingredients into a fine powder.
- Mixing bowls: These are necessary for combining your powdered ingredients and creating your incense dough.
- Measuring tools: A good scale and measuring spoons are important for accurately measuring your ingredients.
- Binders and bases: Binders such as gum binders (guar gum or xanthan gum) or wood binders (joss powder or "tabu no ki") help to hold your incense mixture together. Bases such as sandalwood, cedar, or pine add a strong scent to your blend.
- Liquid scents: Essential oils, decoctions, hydrosols, and other extracts can be added to enhance the fragrance of your incense.
- Water: Water is necessary to activate your binder and form a dough. Distilled water is recommended, but any liquid that is mostly water can be used, such as tea, coffee, milk, fruit juices, or herbal teas.
- Molds: If you want to create specific shapes for your incense, such as cones or sticks, you may need molds. However, it is possible to form cones by hand without a mold.
- Drying surface: Parchment paper, wax paper, or a ceramic plate is needed to place your incense creations on while they dry.
- Incense burner: A heat-resistant bowl or burner filled with ash, sand, or pulverized lava rock is necessary for burning your incense safely. Charcoal briquettes can also be used in conjunction with the burner.
- Safety equipment: It is important to have proper ventilation when burning incense. Respirators, gloves, and eye protection can also be useful to prevent inhalation of incense ingredients and accidental burns.
Remember to always work in a well-ventilated area and keep unlit and burning incense away from children and pets.
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Ingredients
Incense has been used since before the Stone Age and is deeply intertwined with religious ceremonies and the practice of medicine. Making incense is a simple, inexpensive, and creative process that can be done using commonly found and locally grown botanicals.
The ingredients used to make incense depend on the form of incense you want to make. If you want to make self-combustible incense (sticks, cones, etc.), you will need a fine powder, which can be made by grinding dried herbs, resins, and woods. Common herbs used for incense include cedar, lavender, sage, and sweetgrass. Frankincense, myrrh, and copal are popular resins. Sandalwood, cedar, and pine are excellent bases that can add a strong scent to your blend, but be aware that some base materials, like sandalwood, have very prominent scents of their own. When grinding your ingredients, it is recommended to grind the woods first, then the herbs, and save the resins for last, as young and soft resins can make a mess of your mortar and pestle. It is best to freeze resins before grinding to make them easier to powder.
After grinding your ingredients, weigh them and keep them in separate bowls, with one bowl for dry ingredients and another for resins. You will also need a binder to hold your mixture together into a stable dough. Common binders include gum binders like guar gum or xanthan gum, wood binders like joss powder or "tabu no ki" (incorrectly called "makko"), and honey. Makko powder, derived from the bark of the Thunberi tree, is a very forgiving base and binder that is excellent for beginners. When using a wood or gum binder, you must add water or another water-based liquid to activate the binder. This can include tea, coffee, milk, fruit juices, or herbal teas. Essential oils can also be added to supplement the amount of water used, but they cannot be used to replace water.
Once you have a properly mixed batch of incense dough, you can form it into any shape you wish. Sticks and cones are the most common forms, but you can also make joss sticks, coils, or masala sticks using an extruder.
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Binders
When choosing a binder, it's important to consider the scent of the incense you want to create. Wood binders can have a strong scent, so they may affect the overall fragrance of your incense. Gum binders, on the other hand, have no scent, so they won't impact the fragrance. Another factor to consider is the amount of binder needed. Wood binders often require a higher quantity in recipes, with some calling for up to 75% wood binder.
To activate a binder, you must add a water-based liquid to your blend. This can be plain water, or other liquids such as tea, coffee, milk, fruit juices, or herbal teas. It's important to note that essential oils do not contain water, so they cannot be used as a substitute for water. However, they can be used to supplement the amount of water in your blend.
When working with binders, it's recommended to start with a small amount and gradually increase as needed. This is especially important with gum binders, as adding too much can cause the incense to bind too strongly and prevent it from burning properly. With the right binder and careful measurement, you'll be able to create incense that holds together well and burns evenly.
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Moulds and shapes
If you want to make stick incense, you can use a fondant extruder or a syringe to shape your incense mixture into sticks. You can then lay these out on a drying frame, such as a fly screen, to dry.
If you want to make cone incense, you can shape your incense mixture by hand. Take a small pinch of the incense mixture and form it into a cone. The best cones for burning are tall and skinny, with flat bottoms. You can then place these on a flat surface to dry. You can also use a conical mould to shape your incense mixture into cones. Place around half a teaspoon of the incense mixture into the mould and then turn the cones out onto a piece of parchment or wax paper to dry.
You can also roll your incense mixture into small balls. Roll these in powdered herbs to prevent them from sticking and place them on a ceramic plate or a piece of parchment paper to dry.
If you are just starting out, it is recommended that you stick to making cone incense as this does not require a mould.
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Burning and safety
Burning incense is a great way to create a beautiful, relaxing environment, but it's important to follow some safety guidelines to ensure you're doing it correctly and avoiding any potential hazards. Here are some detailed instructions for burning incense safely:
Use a suitable burner:
Place your incense in an appropriate incense burner or holder. A cup or bowl-shaped burner filled with ash, white rice ash, sand, or pulverized lava rock is a versatile option that works with most incense types. Always use a heat-resistant burner and place it on a heat-resistant surface to avoid damaging your furniture.
Ventilation:
Proper ventilation is crucial when burning incense. Keep the room well-ventilated by opening a window or using a fan to circulate the air. This helps to prevent the buildup of smoke and ensures a constant supply of fresh air. Ventilation is essential not only for your health but also for improving the scent of the incense, as the fragrance tends to be more pleasant in well-ventilated spaces.
Lighting and supervision:
Always light your incense while you are in the room and never leave it unattended. Incense should be lit from the top for sticks or on a charcoal disc for powdered incense. Ensure that you gently blow out the flame, leaving a small glowing ember to continue burning. Keep an eye on the incense throughout its use, and make sure it is completely extinguished before leaving the room.
Distance and placement:
Maintain a safe distance between the incense burner and any flammable materials, such as curtains, fabrics, or furniture. Keep the burner out of reach of children and pets, especially birds, as the smoke can be harmful to their health. Place the burner on a high platform to improve safety and reduce the risk of accidental contact with the flame or hot surfaces.
Health considerations:
Be mindful of any health conditions that may be aggravated by incense smoke, such as asthma. Thick, fragrant smoke can trigger respiratory issues, so it is recommended to opt for a lighter candle or smokeless warmer if you or anyone in your household has asthma. Additionally, be cautious of the potential impact on your health if you spend a significant amount of time handling incense ingredients or inhaling the smoke.
Extinguishing and reuse:
If you don't want to burn an entire incense stick, you can put it out halfway through and reuse the remainder later. Avoid dipping the burning stick into water, as it can affect the quality and burning properties of the incense. Instead, gently blow on the ember to extinguish the flame, ensuring it is completely out before leaving it unattended.
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Frequently asked questions
The bare minimum you will need is something to grind fine powder, a sturdy brush, a fine sieve, a bowl, a teaspoon, and your hands. If you want to make self-combustible incense, you will also need a fondant extruder or a syringe, and a drying frame.
You can use dried and powdered aromatics, such as resins, woods, and herbs. Common choices include cedar, lavender, sage, and sweetgrass, copal, frankincense, myrrh, and sandalwood. Many incense makers also include liquid scents such as essential oils, decoctions, hydrosols, and other extracts. You will also need a binder, such as gum binders (guar gum or xanthan gum) or wood binders (joss powder or "tabu no ki"), and water to activate the binder.
First, pulverize your ingredients by grinding the woods first, then the herbs, and saving the resins for last. Weigh each ingredient, then mix them together in a bowl. Add water to form a dough, then form the dough into your desired shape. Let the incense dry for at least 12 hours, then light the tip and blow it out after a few seconds.
Always burn incense in a well-ventilated area, away from drafts, open doors, and windows. Keep incense away from flammable objects and be careful not to brush against the glowing tip. Do not leave lit incense unattended and make sure falling ash falls onto a fireproof surface. Keep unlit and burning incense away from children and pets.
