How to Make Church Incense

Church incenses are an integral component of some of the most sacred religious rituals. While partaking in these rituals is already a spiritual and personal experience, creating your own incense, especially based on your own recipe, can heighten this experience to a new level.

Things You'll Need

• Flowers
• Herbs
• Resins
• Essential oils
• Mortar and pestle
• Coffee grinder
• Charcoal tablets
• Candles

Instructions

1. Choose the ingredients you want to use. The typical ingredients list is quite short: flowers, herbs, resin and essential oils. The specific types you use will be based on the aroma you are trying to create. Avoid anything that may cause you to have allergic reactions.

2. Grind the ingredients you want to use for your church incense into one mix. You will need either a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder. You will also need a bowl in which to pour the mix and combine with the other ingredients and an airtight container to hold the contents afterwards. Grind the ingredients together and pour them into a bowl.

3. Experiment with the ingredients you want to use in your church incense. Sometimes a favorable mixture may only require two or three different ingredients. Test small samplings on a charcoal tablet to find a good combination. Make sure the tablet is burning evenly by ashing before placing any ingredients on it.

4. Hold the tablet with a pair of tongs to the flame of a candle and pull it away when it sparks. Wait until the surface of the tablet is slightly ashy before testing. Do not place too much on it, or you might smother the tablet.

5. Keep track of what ingredients you combined. When you have decided, grind together your chosen ingredients using the mortar and pestle or coffee grinder. Pour a few drops of an essential oil into a separate container or bowl. Since these oils are highly concentrated in their undiluted form, you should avoid getting any on your skin.

6. Mix the oil and the powdered ingredients in the bowl. Store the finished mixture in an airtight container.

Resources

• Make hypoallergenic church incense.
• View different ingredients to use for church incense.