How to Choose Incense

When choosing incense it is important to choose the right type. If you have ever experienced a headache or a migraine from incense smoke the reason is probably because of the type of incense. Many types of incense are advertised as "hand dipped" or "double dipped" which means that a blank incense stick (bamboo or charcoal) was inserted into a container of a "cutting agent" such as Di-Propylene Glycol and synthetic fragrance oil. Unfortunately this is the simplest and easiest way to create incense in a vast array of scents. If the incense scent is "grape", "pina colada" or other such flavors then it is not all natural, authentic incense.

Look for imported brands such as Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa from India in the iconic blue box or consider Tibetan, Nepalese or Bhutanese incense. Which are often made solely from spices and various woods and are formed without a bamboo "core" or stick. They produce earthy, warm fragrances which are very different from the flowery scents of Indian incense.

Now that you can reliably choose authentic incense over synthetic types the next step is to choose a scent for a particular purpose. I will use meditation as an example but the emotional response produced by any given scent will affect your mood whether you are meditating or watching television or talking with friends. It has been proven over and over that the sense of smell is one of the most important senses to a person and it should be nurtured and protected. It is also well known that the sense of smell has powerful links to memory and the subconcsious so you might just be surprised at what you can discover about yourself by meditation with a good quality incense.

Lavender incense is excellent for "de-stressing" and relaxing. It can also help to induce sleep just like Jasmine or Violet. Obviously the more relaxed you are the easier it is for you to ease into sleep and the relaxing properties of the scent of Lavender have been known for thousands of years. A simple boat style burner and Auroshika's Essential Oil Lavender incense is a great way to start off with incense.

Cedarwood, Gardenia, and Egyptian Musk are great fragrances for stimulating sexual energy and desire. If you are using meditation to aid sexual desire, then consider trying fragrance oils as well. An oil warmer with a few drops of fragrance oil will give off quite a bit of fragrance with far less smoke than either stick or cone incense.

Myrhh, Orange and Lemon are wonderful for helping to restore energy and as a quick pick-me-up that does not involve caffeine or sugar. I personally like Tibetan Sandalwood incense for this because the scent reminds me so strongly of running around a campfire as a child with all the energy and exuberance that children are capable of.

Some other scents you may want to try as you explore the very wide world of incense are:

Ylang Ylang - has been used to help with depression and jet lag.

Patchouli - is said to have aphrodisiac qualities and is a great outdoor incense because it is a fact that it can help naturally repel insects.

Cinammon - helps with physical energy but can also aid with memory and recall.

Frankincense - promotes grounding and is terrific for prayer and meditation as well as quietly contemplating life.

I hope this quick guide gives you a useful starting point to explore the many, many types and scents of incense available.  Please feel free to e-mail us or contact customer support with any questions or concerns you may have.