Wood Scents: Sandalwood, pine, cedar, juniper, pinion pine Herbal Scents: Sage, thyme, lemongrass, rosemary, star anise Floral Scents: Lavender, iris, rose, saffron, hibiscus Other: Orange flower, cinnamon, calamus root, frankincense, vanilla, myrrh[1] X Research source If you’re mixing scents, start with only a few drops at a time until you get a combination you enjoy. There are very few combinations that will smell “bad,” but you should still experiment to find what you like best.
If you’re preparing multiple incense sticks at once, it helps to measure out the essential oils in a graduated cylinder. Always wear gloves whenever you’re working with undiluted essential oils, as they can really irritate your skin. [3] X Research source Feel free to make lots of incense sticks at once, if you’d like! Depending on the size of your batch, you might need multiple bottles of essential oil to get the job done. Tip: Want to work with fragrance oils (man-made chemicals) rather than essential oils? Just fill a tall, empty bottle with your desired fragrance oil and dip your incense sticks in the liquid. Then, air-dry the sticks on a drying rack for a few hours, cover them in plastic wrap overnight, and blot them with clean paper towels the next day. [4] X Research source
If the sticks don’t fit, transfer your essential oils to a sheet of aluminum foil that’s partially folded into a V to ensure none leaks out. Make sure all the sides of the stick soak up the essential oils. You can also place your incense sticks in a larger container if you’re making a big batch.
You can also let your sticks soak for a full day before you burn them. [8] X Research source Keep your incense sticks stowed away where children and pets can’t reach them.
While you don’t have to apply DPG, it can help your incense give off less black smoke when you light it. [10] X Research source
Good mojo: 4 parts palo santo, ½ part tonka beans, ½ part nutmeg, and ½ part star anise[11] X Research source Clarity: 2 parts aloeswood, 2 parts sandalwood, ½ part rose petals, ½ part calamus, ¼ part spikenard[12] X Research source Protection: 3 parts white sage, 3 parts desert sage, 1 part hyssop, 1 part lavender, 1 part bay laurel[13] X Research source Awareness: 2 parts sandalwood, 2 parts aloeswood, ½ part cassia cinnamon, ¼ part clove, ⅛ part of borneol camphor[14] X Research source
Base notes: Balsam of Tolu, burgundy pitch, cassia, cedar, juniper, sage, sandalwood Middle notes: Basil, cinnamon, clove, lavender, lemongrass, mugwort, turmeric Top notes: Bay laurel, cardamom, coriander, hibiscus, nutmeg, star anise, thyme[16] X Research source
Some incense makers suggest starting with 2-3 scents, using 1-2 tablespoons of each. Be sure to write down how much of each scent you end up using! You can buy your scents whole or powdered, but it’s much easier to work with pre-powdered scents.
It helps to freeze gums and resins for at least 15 minutes before you stick them in the mortar and pestle. If the ingredient is especially soft, leave it in the freezer overnight before grinding it down. Wood can be challenging to break down—it helps to break the wood into smaller pieces with a hammer before grinding them.
Toss out any of the large chunks that don’t make it through your sifter.
Let’s say you have a high-resin incense mixture that weighs 25 grams total. You could multiply 25 by 0. 5 (which represents 50%), which gives you 12. 5. So, you’d add 12. 5 grams of makko powder to your existing incense mixture. If you have a woody and herbal incense mixture that weighs 18 grams total, you could multiply 18 by 0. 15, which gives you 2. 7. So, you’d add 2. 7 grams of makko powder to your woody and herbal incense mixture.
If you add too much water, pour what you can out of the bowl and use your remaining powder to dry things out a bit. Some incense makers prefer to use distilled water. [24] X Research source
Your incense sticks can be as thin as a spaghetti noodle or nearly as thick as a wooden pencil—it really depends on your personal preference! If you’d like your incense to be on the thicker side, roll it so it’s slightly thinner than a pencil. If you’d prefer thinner incense, roll it so it has the thickness of a spaghetti noodle.
