Incense & Incense Burners

Incense and incense burners — lavender in a curl of smoke

Incense has been part of human life since ancient times. The word itself comes from the Latin verb incendere — „to burn”. Ever since we tamed fire, we noticed that some plants and resins smell beautiful as they smoulder, and so fragrance became part of ceremonies, celebrations and home rituals. Today you light incense mainly for yourself: for an evening with a book, for yoga and meditation, or whenever you want to give your home a cosy atmosphere.

How is masala incense made?

„Masala” means „blend” in Hindi — just like the spice mixes of Indian cooking. A bamboo stick is rolled in a thick paste of resins, herbs and wood, so the incense smoulders slowly and evenly with a full, deep scent. It’s one of the oldest incense-making techniques in India. Made in this style are, among others, HEM incense in its distinctive hexagonal box, hand-rolled Satya, the Golden range, Namaste Mandala and Natural Botanical English Lavender.

Sticks, cones or backflow?

Sticks are the classic choice: Premium Incense Sticks — Lavender come 20 to a pack, and each burns for about 30 minutes. Cones release their scent faster and take up less space — Lavender Incense Cones include 15 cones and a metal holder. Most eye-catching of all are backflow cones: they have a channel inside, so instead of rising, the smoke flows down over the burner like mist over rocks. You only get this effect with the pair — a backflow burner plus backflow cones.

Palo santo, copal and white sage

Lavender pairs beautifully with woody and resinous notes. Palo santo, the „holy wood” of South America, has a warm scent with hints of citrus and resin — you’ll find it in HEM Palo Santo Masala Lavender and Golden Palo Santo & Lavender. Copal is an aromatic tree resin burnt for centuries in Central America during celebrations (Golden Copal & Lavender). White sage was a sacred plant for Native North Americans, and smudging with sage is a ritual known for thousands of years — today it’s above all a fragrant ritual before meditation or at the end of the day. Choose a hand-tied white sage and lavender smudge stick or Premium White Sage & Lavender incense sticks.

Burn incense every day, or run a yoga studio or massage room? The large packs — 500 g of sticks and a 1.5 kg box of cones — will keep you going for months. In the assorted backflow packs, each cone colour is a different scent: rose, lily, jasmine, lavender, green tea, sandalwood and patchouli.

How to burn incense

• Put a stick in a holder that catches the ash; place a cone on a holder or on a backflow burner — with the hole in the cone lined up over the hole in the burner.
• Light the tip, wait a few seconds for it to glow, then gently blow out the flame — incense should smoulder, not burn.
• Keep a backflow burner away from draughts so the smoke flows down nicely.
• After use, press a smudge stick or resin stick into sand in a heat-resistant bowl to put it out.
• Air the room after burning — next time the scent will be just as clear.

Safety

Never leave smouldering incense unattended. Burn it on a stable, non-flammable, heat-resistant surface, away from curtains, fabrics and anything flammable, and out of reach of children and pets. Only touch the holder and ash once they have completely cooled.

What else for a fragrant evening?

Prefer fragrance without smoke? Explore our oil burners for oils and wax melts, scented candles or reed diffusers. For an oil burner you’ll need some lavender essential oil, and every way to scent your home is in the Fragrance category. Light it, blow out the flame and let the lavender do the rest!