Incense is a great way to add fragrance to your home, but there are a lot of different kinds out there. How do you burn them? What's the best way to extinguish them? What are the safety measures you need to follow? We're here to answer all your burning questions!
Methods Of Burning
Incense Sticks
There are a couple of ways to burn incense if you're using sticks, but first, there are two main types of incense sticks: the solid wooden kind and the core sticks. The solid wooden are exactly that whereas the core incense sticks are ones that have a bamboo core. They are both essentially used in the same way, but there are a few differences.
When it comes to burning incense sticks, there are specific holders for sticks that can be found basically anywhere from Amazon to your local Walmart. If you choose to go this route you can place your sticks inside the holes securely and light them. If you're using a core stick, be sure to place the bamboo side inside the incense holder and don't light that side. If your incense stick is solid wood then you can light either side.
When you light the sticks you want to make sure that it's not on fire. You want the sticks to smolder, not burn like candles. So, if the flame doesn't extinguish in a few seconds after lighting it then blow it out yourself and it should continue to smolder. What you're looking for in an incense stick is for it to glow red and let off a solid stream of smoke, though this could take about 30 seconds to happen.
Solid wood incense sticks can be burned right through to the end, which means they need to be stored correctly. When you're burning solid incense sticks you can place them in an incense holder or you can put them in a bowl filled with rice. If you're burning more than one stick at a time you can use the bowl method or you can also fill a bowl or cup with ash, sand, or rice.
There are different kinds of incense sticks as well such as masala sticks and hand-dipped sticks.
Once you're done, break off the smoldering piece of the stick and drop it in water. The remaining stick can then be used again!
Incense Cones And Coils
For these guys here you need to make sure that you're keeping them on top of a heat-resistant surface. The reason why is that these types of burners will burn all the way through because, unlike core sticks, they don't have something within them to stop the burning after a period of time.
For an incense cone, you'll want to put it in a specific burner that not only allows for you to burn it safely but is also high enough to accommodate the cone without extinguishing the flame. There are a lot of cone burners available on eBay, Amazon, and even Etsy. Careful with the burner that you have because the Incense Warehouse states that "charcoal tablets burned in a glass container without the use of sand or ash can cause the burner to get extremely hot and even shatter."
You'll need to light the point of the cone and wait about ten seconds before it starts to smolder. Much like the sticks, if the flame doesn't extinguish on its own you can do it by blowing or fanning it.
When it comes to the incense coils, there are some similarities between them and the cones. For the coils, you should place it on top of a heat-resistant burner and light the end of the coil. Once again, you'll need to extinguish the flame should it not burn out on its own. You can purchase special burners for incense coils, but if you don't want to go out and purchase one then all you'll need to do is stick it in a bowl lined with natural ash.
When you're ready to extinguish, you can snap off the end of the coil and reuse whatever's left for a later time. The cones tend to burn out within 20-60 minutes, so they're usually good for one sitting.
Safety Tips
There are some things that you'll need to keep in mind when it comes to burning incense.
- Make sure that you burn incense in a ventilated area. Keep them away from curtains or loose fabrics as well.
- You need to have incense smolder and not burn because not only will that give off the wrong kind of smoke and smell, but it's also dangerous because a fire would be burning. You want to extinguish the flame if it doesn't burn out on its own.
- Incense gets very hot (obviously) so make sure that you have yours on top of a heat-resistant burner and that it's not in an area where you could accidentally brush up against it.
- Never leave your incense unattended.
- Make sure that your burners are properly insulated so they can take the heat from the incense.
Incense Warehouse also provides a few other safety tips you should follow before you think about burning it at home!
So there are a few tips for you to get started with incense. Be sure to find the one that's best for you and follow the safety tips to a tee!