This article is about making combustible incense. It is much easier to just make powders and sprinkle them over charcoals, and more dramatic and mood-setting as well. However, combustible incense is much easier and more convenient to use once they've been made ahead of time.

Timesaving note- You can purchase premixed incense powder. Just add essential oils to get your desired scent.

It’s fun to make your own incense for ritual and household use. All you need are herbal and/or wood powders (about two ounces each), including benzoin, sandalwood and orris root, resins, essential oils, gum arabic, powdered charcoal, a whisk, two bowls, measuring utensils, wax paper and some water.

You will also need broom straws (if you’re making stick incense),

You can use your own herbs grown in your garden, dried and powdered with a mortar and pestle, or you can purchase the powder ready to go. Many health food stores have the powder available in bulk form, or you may be able to find it at your local Pagan supply store. Many of the powders you may wish to use come from woods, which are not easy to powder yourself, so you’re probably better off buying these. You can purchase just about anything you need for this part here.

Keep in mind that even if you are using non-toxic ingredients that some things can become toxic when inhaled and powdered herbs can easily become air born. Work in a well-ventilated area. Inhaling toxic fumes is never a good idea.

In addition to herbal and wood powders, you may wish to use resins. Some of the most common forms of incense are made from resins, which is really just hardened sap, including frankincense, myrrh, and benzoin.

You may also wish to use essential oils.

Gum arabic is necessary to mold your incense into shape.

Do not use barbeque charcoal. You can buy special charcoal for incense here. The other kind is too toxic and stinky. This will combine with certain herbs that will act as a base or holder for the scent of the other herbs.

Step One- Make a Moldable Incense Paste

Combine one teaspoon gum arabic and 8 ounces warm water in a bowl. Whisk until the gum arabic is completely dissolved. Skim off any foam that forms on the top.

Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and set aside for two hours. The mixture will thicken into a lovely gooey mass.

Step Two- Mix the Charcoal Base

Combine six parts ground charcoal, 1 part ground benzoin, 2 parts ground sandalwood (or other wood), 1 part ground orris root.

Step Three- Combine Your Scents

There are a lot of different recipes out there for combining herbs to make wonderful scents. It’s up to you to experiment. I’ll give you some samples at the end. It's best to select a base of wood or orris root as your main ingredient.

You just, well, combine your powders and blend them together. Simple as that.

If your ingredients aren't powdered yet, throw them in your mortar and grind them with the pestle. Think about what you intend the incense to be used for. Your intent will be ground into the herbs.

Step Four- Make the Dough

Now combine 2 parts charcoal mixture to 1 part fragrant herb mixture. Add a bit of your glue goo and mix. Keep adding it till you get a nice shapeable dough.

Step Five- Get in Shape

To make Cones- roll the dough into little balls of the desired size and then shape one end so that you have a cone. Place on wax paper and allow to dry about 10 days, turning every day.

To make sticks- Add some more goo to your mixture so that it’s a little wetter, but still very thick. Spread the smelly mixture on some wax paper. Roll your broom straws in the mixture until it’s evenly coated. You may need to do some manual manipulation. Leave one end uncoated to hold on to. Stick the uncoated end in some sand or clay to allow the sticks to dry upright. Give them about 10 days.