How to Make Your Own Incense

When we think of incense, most of us conjure thoughts of an old wizard's smoldering cauldron or even the days of Haight-Ashbury when groups of hippie would gather around with the haunting scent of incense hanging heavy in the air.

No matter how you may think of incense, it is one of the more popular aromatic items sold today. The prices unfortunately can be from $2.00 for a pack of 5 sticks to $50 for more elaborate types of incense. That is why many people have taken to making their own rather than hunt for that 'perfect' aroma in stores and malls.

Begin You Begin. Incenses are made out of many types of flowers, plants, leaves, roots, barks, woods, resins, gums and oils. But there are several ingredients that are the most popular and will keep 'popping' up in incense recipes. It's a good idea to keep these ingredients on hand:

Frankincense Myrrh Benzoin Copal

Rose Petals Bay Cinnamon Rosemary

Basil Thyme Sandalwood Juniper

Cedar

There are two types of incense, combustible and non-combustible. The more popular ones to make are the non-combustible, for obvious reasons. Also, they are easier to make.

Combustible incense can be burned in the shape of cones, bricks, sticks and other configurations. Non-combustible is usually sprinkled onto a hot charcoal block and thus the fragrance is released.

Non-Combustible Incense. First, like any good cook, you must make sure you have all your ingredients at hand. Each ingredient must be ground into a fine powder. You can use an electric grinder (one that you don't use for food) or a mortar and pestle. A small coffee bean grinder is excellent for this, but again, makes sure that it is only used for this purpose! Mixing coffee beans with resin may get you a trip to your local ER in a hurry! An electric grinder works best with resin that doesn't grind to powder so well.

Then mix all your powdered bark, leaves, roots, and flowers together. Add any oils or liquids that are part of your recipe. And just a few drops now! You wouldn't want to overpower anyone with your incense!

Oils are also a great substitute if you're missing an ingredient like, for example, rosemary or basil. Oils come in more varieties than you could possibly imagine. But only buy essential oils (EO) for this and do not use synthetics. Synthetic oils give off a nasty smell when burned.

Store in a tightly capped jar and label it.

Here are some simple recipes but you can experiment and create your own:

#1

2 parts sandalwood

1 part rose petals

1 part camphor

Few drops of tuberose bouquet and Jasmine oil

#2

4 parts frankincense

3 parts gum Arabic

2 parts myrrh

1 part cedar

1 part juniper

1 part calamus

1 part cinnamon

#3

2 parts cedar
1 part vetiver
1 part lavender flowers
1/2 part benzoin
handful of dried rose petals

#4

4 parts juniper tips
2 parts white sage
2 parts sweet grass

Combustible Incense. Combustibles, which are usually in shapes of cones, sticks, and bricks, are more difficult to create. There are those who prefer nothing but the combustible type and think the work is worth the result. So experiment and decide for yourself.

You will need Gum tragacanth glue or mucilage to mold your incenses. To make tragacanth glue, put one teaspoon of a ground herb in a glass of warm water. Mix it until all the particles have detached from one another. You will need to whisk this or beat with an eggbeater. Foam may cover the top but skim that off. Let the tragacanth absorb the water until it becomes a thick paste. For sticks, the mixture should be pretty thin. Blocks and cones should have a thicker paste. Gum Arabic is a good substitute for tragacanth and can be found in herb and grocery stores. We buy it at a local grocery in the organic section.

Now that you have made the tragacanth glue, cover it with a wet cloth. It will continue to thicken as it sits. If it gets too thick, add a bit of water and stir vigorously.

Then make up the incense bases. These are basic recipes:

(For cones)

6 parts ground charcoal (not self-igniting)

1 part ground Benzoin

2 parts ground Sandalwood

1 part ground Orris root (this will hold the scent)

6 drops of essential oil (it's best to use the oil form of one of the incense ingredients)

2-4 parts mixed incense

Another Cone Recipe

6 parts powdered sandalwood or Pine, Cedar or Juniper2 parts powdered Benzoin or Frankincense or Myrrh

1 part ground Orrisroot

6 drops of EO

3-5 parts incense mixture

Mix the first 4 until all are well blended. Add the drops of EO and mix again with your hands. Make this into a fine texture. You can run the mixture through your grinder or mortar again. Add 2-4 parts of the completed incense mixture. Combine this well with your hands.

Then using a small kitchen scale, weight the incense and add 10% potassium nitrate (saltpeter). If you have 10 ounces of incense, add one ounce of nitrate. Mix until the white powder is blended. Do not add any more than 10% of potassium nitrate or it will either burn too fast or not burn at all. You can buy potassium nitrate at local drug stores.

Next, add the traga glue, one teaspoon at a time. Mix it with your hands in a large bowl until everything is wet. Cone incense, you'll need a very stiff and doughy texture. If it's too thick, it will take forever to dry.

On waxed paper, shape the mixture into basic cones shapes. Once you've made up your cones, let it dry for 2 days to a week.

Block incense. Form a 1/3"-thick square of the dough on waxed paper. Cut it with a knife into 1" cubes. Separate slightly and let dry.

Stick incense. Add more trag glue to the mixed incense and base until it's wet but thick. You may use thin twigs, broom straws or long wooden cocktail skewers. Dip the sticks into the mixture, let them sit upright and then dip again. This takes several times of dipping. When they have enough of the incense on them, stick them into a mound of clay, old Play-do, or anything that will allow them to stand up straight to dry.

When making combustible incense, it's good to remember:

Never use more than 10% of saltpeter.

Keep twice as much woods to gum resins. If there's more resins, the incense won't burn.

To use Combustible Incense. Light it, blow out the flames after the tip is glowing and set it inside a censer. End of story.

To use Non-combustible Incense. Light self-igniting charcoal block and place it in a censor. One block is glowing and the saltpeter in it has stopped sparkling, sprinkle 1/2t or so of the incense on the block. It will immediately start burning and release its fragrance.

There are 3 rules of making incense:

Be careful

Be patient

Have fun!