How to Make Citronella Incense
Citronella is a plant that has a strong scent that is similar to lemon and has the benefit of naturally repelling insects. Citronella candles and torches are used outside for parties to keep away the pests, but you can also make incense with the dried citronella plant. The fragrant smoke that comes directly from the dried, burning herb will be even more effective in keeping away those annoying insects and you can do so safely and easily.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Citronella leaves
- Self-igniting charcoal
- Honey
- Glass dish
- Metal spoon
- Glass jar
- Lighter
- Incense holder
Instructions
-
-
1
Buy dried citronella leaves or pick some leaves from a citronella plant and hang them to dry. Crush the dried leaves on a glass dish with a spoon if it isn't already in a crushed, powdery form. When all of the citronella is crushed, use the spoon to gather the citronella leaf powder in the center of the plate.
-
2
Pour a little bit of honey next to the pile of crushed leaves. Use the spoon to start mixing the powder and honey together to form clumps of resin. The consistency of the resin should be more dry than damp, so don't add too much honey. Add just a little honey at a time if you need it while you are mixing. Store your resin incense in a clean glass jar with a lid.
-
-
3
Hold a lighter to a self-igniting rounds of charcoal, which are used to burn resin incense. These are found wherever resin incense is sold. Hold the lighter to the charcoal until it starts to spark and smoke. Place the smoking piece of charcoal in the center of a heat-safe incense dish or holder. When the charcoal stops smoking, place a small chunk of your citronella resin on top of the charcoal. The resin will then melt and emit a pleasant smoke that will keep the bugs away.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
The self-igniting charcoal burns very hot, so do not handle it while the incense is burning and keep it in a fire-safe container that won't burn table surfaces.
