How to Use Self Lighting Charcoal Incense Burners

Burning incense on charcoal Incense burners allows you the flexibility of using powdered incense or herbs you either buy pre-made or mix yourself. These can be used for many purposes including during a Wiccan ceremony.

What You Will Need
You will need a pair of tongs or tweezers to hold the charcoal briquette.

An incense burner. I use a brass one because it's sturdy and won't break. Never use glass because the charcoal gets so hot it will break the glass.

Small amount of sand to put in the bottom of the incense burner. This will distribute the heat from the charcoal and also let air flow under the charcoal so the briquette doesn't go out early.

Candle to hold the charcoal briquette over until it gets red hot.

Self igniting charcoal briquettes.

Lighter or matches.

Incense to burn.

Setting Up Your Burner
A good incense burner is a must, you must find one made out of something that will not break if it gets hot. Never use glass as the charcoal briquettes get extremely hot and may shatter the glass. I have found that a brass incense burner works best.

Once you have the burner put a little bit of sand in the bottom to sit the charcoal briquette on. This will help keep it lit and distribute the heat as well as keep the briquette insulated.

Light the candle and get out one small charcoal briquette and the incense or herbs you plan to use. Make sure to close the paper on the roll of briquettes because air and moisture can make the briquettes harder to light.

How To Light Charcoal Briquettes
The easiest way to light the briquette is to hold it over a flame. Using a lit candle I've found is the easiest way because you will have to hold it over the flame for about 30 seconds. After you have lit a candle, grasp the charcoal briquette with a pair of tongs or tweezers. The charcoal gets very hot very quickly so you don't want to be holding it with your fingers.

Hold the briquette over the flame for at least 30 seconds. You will see small sparks moving across the briquette and this is normal. Blow on the charcoal where you have been holding the flame to it. The end of the charcoal you have been holding over the flame should glow red hot when you blow on it, that is how you know the charcoal is lit and ready to be put in the burner.

Set the charcoal briquette into the burner with the side up that has a small indention in it. That indention is there to hold your incense. Sprinkle about ½ teaspoon of powdered incense or herbs on top of the charcoal briquette. It will start to smoke almost immediately. To maintain the burning of the incense you will have to scrape off the burnt incense and ash every 10 minutes or so and add more to the charcoal.

Never try to remove the hot charcoal from the burner before it has cooled. The charcoal is very hot and could burn you. Let the charcoal burn all the way and turn to ash before removing the debris if you wish to. I have found that leaving the ash in the burner and setting a new charcoal briquette on top the next time I want to burn incense works well. Just mix the sand and ash in the bottom of the burner and use again next time.

Sources:
http://www.sweetmedicineshoppe.com/charcoalbriquetteforincense.aspx