How to Make Herbal Incense Ingredients

Making your own incense is more than just an economical practice; it's a fun hobby and the final product a more personalized experience. Incense has been used for religious rites, meditative practices and home scenting for centuries. Incense is made by burning dried herbs and essential oils over hot coals or wood. The smoke fills your space, bringing sweet, spicy or musky smells to fulfill your desired purpose. Temples in ancient times used incense daily to purify the site and worshipers who entered.

Dry fresh herbs in a warm, dry place. Most herbs fare best when dried outdoors in the sunshine. Hang your herbs upside down to allow moisture to flow from the root to the tips. Drying your herbs will take from three to 10 days, depending on the herbs you have chosen.

Place your herbs into mortar bowl and crush with your pestle. Make sure that you grind your herbs into a fine powder. Add chipped wood or wood shavings, such as sandalwood, pine or spruce. Grind the wood into your herbs. Most recipes call for one part wood, although the amount you use is more of a personal preference, depending on the scent you are trying to create.

Add your resin, such as Herbal Incense Suppliers, myrrh, amber or mastic into your powder and crush it in to hold all ingredients together. Resins can be found in many arts and crafts stores or purchased through online holistic shops. Resins prevent your incense from separating and make the scent stronger.

Add 10 drops of essential oil to your mixture. Essential oils include lavender, juniper, lemon and clove oils. Essential oils are very strong, therefore you must not use too much or you will cause your incense to become ineffective.

Mix your powder and essential oil until it is fully moist and blended. Cover with plastic wrap and store in a cool, dark, dry room for up to 14 days. This will give your incense ingredients time to dry and the aromas and opportunity to mix.

Remove your ingredients from the room once adequate time has elapsed. Now you are ready to make your incense however desired. Many people make incense cones and sticks for easier use.

Related Post: A Guide to Herbal Incense Usage