Creativity 101: How to Make Incense

Creating your own incense can be a fun and inexpensive hobby. You can create incense to enhance any of your moods, give away as gifts, or simply make your home smell yummy. Many of the ingredients that are used in incense can be found in your garden or local grocery store, which means that learning how to make incense can be as easy as it is fun. If you have the creative itch, why not learn how to make incense for your own home today?

Step One: Find a Recipe and Collect Ingredients

The first step in learning how to make incense is to determine what type of fragrance you want to enjoy. Different scents serve different purposes, and if you are not sure about which fragrances will be best for you, consult a book or the Internet for the finer points of aromatherapy and incense. It is also a good idea to learn how to make incense by following a recipe, especially if this is your first attempt in this area. A recipe will ensure that you get the right blend of scents and ingredients to create incense that will burn well and smell good.

You will also need to decide how you want to burn your incense, before you embark on learning how to make the incense of choice. Incense that is crafted into cones is much easier to use and burn, but will require a few extra steps and ingredients to make. On the other hand, noncombustible incense is made by simply collecting and grinding your ingredients, but it takes a special burner and some specific know-how to use properly. The choice is yours, but you will need to make that choice before learning how to make your incense.

Step Two: Prepare Ingredients

Preparing your ingredients will usually require the assistance of a mortar and pestle and an electric coffee grinder. The grinder will break up ingredients, especially those that are harder to chop like wood, and the mortar and pestle will complete the process so that you ingredients end up in a fine powder consistency. If you are preparing noncombustible incense, your work is more or less complete at this point. For cones or other types of combustible incense, you will need to follow a few more steps in learning how to make your incense, which will include adding a binding material that will allow you to shape your incense into shapes that can burn, and a combustible substance that will help it burn.

Once your incense is complete, you will need to purchase the proper burner that will allow you to enjoy your incense efforts safely. Light up your hard work, and enjoy the aromatic qualities that result.