Differences Between Incense Oil & Incense Sticks

Grind kitchen spices and herbs with makko for homemade incense.

The transformational powers of fragrant oils and incense are essential to religious ceremony and celebratory ritual throughout the world. Revered for their dramatic impact on cultural gatherings, the aromas of fresh-cut flowers, citrus fruits and herbal oils continue to inspire. Relegated to masking odors, today's artificial sprays are neat and convenient but just not the same. Carrying the mind and heart to other worldly realms are sandalwood, lavender and patchouli incense sticks and oils.

Creation

Infuse almond or grape oil with flowers or cinnamon sticks for fragrant oils.

Stick incense is a combination of ground herbs or spices mixed with makko or charcoal. Dried fruits, woods or even kitchen spices are added to a paste made from tree bark that when dried and lit, burns slowly. Charcoal burns quicker and leaves debris that is more ashen. Oil incense is derived from the essential oil of fruits or flowers distilled and bottled. Other forms of incense oil are combined with carrier oils, such as almond oil, to dilute the strength of the oil. Essential and carrier oils are heated with a candle, confined in a burner. Oil burns slowly and leave no residual debris.

Concentration

Pine bark binds powdered incense ingredients.

Pungent, fresh or woodsy aromas infuse the air with both incense oils and incense sticks, but essential oil is pure plant or fruit essence. Essence is the actual plant, fruit or herb oil. Essential oil requires only several drops to infuse an entire room. Stick incense can leave a smoke residue similar to tobacco or charcoal and may require periodic relighting to maintain its fragrance. Unwrapped incense sticks lose their fragrance and become stale and over time. Essential oils maintain their fragrance longer despite prolonged exposure.

Convenience

Incense ingredients are as plentiful as the imagination.

Convenience being relative, stick incense can be messy and dangerous around children, and breaks easily. Essential and carrier oil incense can also be messy if spilled, but are contained in an oil diffuser with a small hole for a candle. If left alone, oil burns slowly, and when the tea light extinguishes, the fragrance remains. Stick incense can be difficult to keep lit, but once burned away, can leave a stale smoke odor.

Cost

Incense infused carrier oils such as almond, grape and linseed.

Cheap incense sticks and oils cost more in the end because their fragrance does not last and they can cause combustion. Manufacturers use artificial ingredients and dilute the oils. Essential incense oil is 100 percent essence of fruit, plant or herb; it often costs more but lasts longer. Traditional or handmade incense sticks have a distinct aroma before being lit. Like a good cigar, stick incense is packed tightly, lights easily and remains lit. Essential oil will cost more initially, but lasts much longer than stick incense.

References

• University of Michigan: Product Scent and Memory, Aradhna Krishna, May O. Lwin, Maureen Morrin
• Herbal Musings: Making Herbal Incense, by Karyn Siegel-Maier
• New World Encyclopedia: Incense
• Univeristy of Maryland Medical Center: What is Aromatherapy?