Incense sticks are widely used to fill an environment with a range of fantastically fragrant aromas. These sticks are also popular thanks to their spiritual properties, resulting in the burning of these incense sticks becoming a popular practice in Chinese religion.
However, there are other forms of incense. Incense cones are an amazing alternative to traditional incense sticks. These cones are a great tool for wafting fragrant smoke throughout a room. With the help of this guide, you can craft aromatic incense cones that are perfect for creating a calming atmosphere.
What Are Incense Cones?
Like incense sticks, these cones are used for burning incense. They will fill a room with a specific aroma, which is a great way of ensuring that a location has a pleasant fragrance.
The main difference between incense sticks and incense cones is that they have different shapes. As the name suggests, these incense cones have a conical shape. Meanwhile, an incense stick is a wooden stick that has been covered with incense ingredients.
These incense cones offer a whole host of benefits that can make them an appealing alternative to traditional incense sticks. For instance, incense cones will usually take longer to burn thanks to their thicker shapes.
Moreover, incense cones will not disperse the ashes all over the place. As a consequence, incense cones are much cleaner to use.
How To Make Incense Cones?
Equipment
The exact list of equipment that you need to make incense cones will differ depending on the blend of herbs that you want to utilize. However, you will likely require the following tools to follow these instructions:
A combination of fragrant herbs
A teaspoon
A pestle and mortar
Liquid ingredients, such as water and honey
Mako powder
Piping cone
A toothpick
Instructions
If you want to make incense cones, all you have to do is:
Step 1 – Choose Your Herbs
One of the benefits of making incense cones is that you can customize them. As a result, you can use whatever herbs you want, allowing you to create a fragrance that appeals to you.
Certain herbs will work better than others. You need to not only take into account the smell of a particular herb but also its longevity. This is because some herbs will start to lose their potency over time.
As a result, when you burn these incense cones, they will have a weaker fragrance. Among the best ingredients that you can use include lavender, nutmeg, rosemary, cinnamon, peppermint, sweetgrass, cloves, sage, and basil.
You can use a combination of these various herbs to create the perfect blend. It’s recommended that you use approximately 1.5 tsp of each herb that you want to use. However, if you want a certain herb to have a dominant fragrance, add a little more of these herbs.
Step 2 – Crush The Ingredients
Once you have selected your herbs, you should pour them into a mortar. Using a pestle, begin to grind these herbs into a fine powder. This will ensure that the ingredients are fully blended. It should not take too long to grind these ingredients, though certain herbs will take longer to crush than others.
Step 3 – Add Liquid Ingredients
If you wish to use any liquid ingredients, including water and honey, should be added once the herbs have been entirely crushed. It’s advised that you use approximately 1 tbsp of water and any other liquid-based ingredients that you wish to use.
Stir these ingredients together to ensure that the herbs become mixed into the liquid. It’s important to achieve the perfect texture at this stage. If you use too much liquid, the mixture can become too wet and may not dry fully. Meanwhile, if the mixture is too dry, it will not be set.
To ensure that your ingredients combine, it’s best to use makko powder. When mixed with a little bit of water, makko powder will act as a brilliant bonding agent.
It is recommended that you use a ratio of 1 part makko powder to every 3 parts of herbs. Thoroughly mix the makko powder into the herbal mixture.
Step 4 – Mold The Cones
After you have blended all of the required ingredients, you will now need to shape these incense cones. As the name suggests, you will need to mold the mixture into a conical shape.
The best way of achieving this conical shape is to use a piping cone, which is the plastic component that often comes with a piping bag. Simply pour the herbal mixture into a piping cone. Next, thrust a toothpick into the center of the cone, which will make this cone much easier to burn.
Step 5 – Take Out The Cones
You now must remove the cones from the piping tip. Lightly hit the cones against a table to loosen them slightly. Then, use the toothpick to loosen the cone from its tip. Repeat the steps of molding the cone and then removing them to make as many incense cones as you desire.
Step 6 – Let The Cones Dry
Before you can use the incense cones, you will need to give them time to try. This can take a day or two. To dry the cones as fast as possible, you should place them in a container near a window on a sunny day.
Step 7 – Start Using The Cones
Once you’ve finished constructing these gorgeous cones, you can begin burning incense. It’s important to follow safety guidelines when burning these incense cones. This will include using them sparingly.
You should also keep these incense cones out of reach of pets or children and should never leave a burning cone unattended. When you are not using these incense cones, they should be kept in an airtight container to preserve them as best as possible.
Final Thoughts
Homemade incense cones are a great addition to your home. They allow you to burn whatever fragrant aromas you desire. These incense cones also make brilliant gifts. So why not make some incense cones?
Hi, my name is Andrea Daehma and I have been collecting and using crystals in my everyday life for just over six years now.
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