How do you burn an incense stick properly?
To burn an incense stick properly, light the tip, blow out the flame and stand the glowing stick in a holder on a heatproof surface, in a room with a window open. Stay with it, put it out in sand or water, and burn one stick at a time whenever you want the scent.
To burn an incense stick properly, light the tip, blow out the flame, and stand the glowing stick in a holder on a heatproof surface, in a room with a window open; stay with it, then put it out in sand or water. There's no fixed number a day: one stick at a time, whenever you want the scent. Looshi makes artisanal incense, rolled by hand with real ingredients, with grounding scents from across the world.
- Set a holder on a heatproof surface, in a corner with air moving.
- Light the tip and blow out the flame.
- Stay in the room, one stick at a time.
- Put it out in sand or water.
- Light the next whenever you want the scent.
Set up before you light it
Set the holder up first, on a heatproof surface in a corner of a room with a window open, so a lit stick has a safe place to stand and the scent comes to you. Three Bears Emporium says never to burn incense on flammable surfaces such as wood or fabric.
No holder yet? Stand the stick upright in something heatproof, with a plate underneath to catch the ash. Looshi Wave Of Senses and Looshi Ring Of Serenity are both food-grade ceramic, safe under a burning stick and made to catch its ash, though a draught can carry ash past any holder.
The Wave Of Senses holds the stick securely, and a verified customer wrote, "Because of its design, the ashes fall right onto the grooves of the waves." The Ring Of Serenity is round and hand-thrown, and choosing between the two incense holders is a matter of taste.
Light the tip, then blow out the flame
Light the tip, let the flame catch, then blow it out before the stick goes in its holder. Nippon Kodo's beginner's guide gives the whole step in one line: light the tip of the incense and blow out the flame.
Hold the stick by its bare end and keep the flame on the tip until it catches, then blow once, gently.
Blowing out the flame is the easy step to forget, so make it a habit: flame on, flame out, then into the holder.
Stay with it while it burns
Stay in the room while the stick burns, because a lit stick needs watching. Three Bears Emporium says that if you leave the room, you should put out the incense first.
Burn one at a time, too. Vismay's guide says that for most indoor environments, burning one stick at a time is usually enough to create a calm and balanced atmosphere.
Keep the holder away from smoke detectors. Vismay also notes that because incense smoke naturally rises, placing it too close to a smoke detector may increase the chances of triggering a sensitive alarm.
For a small flat, see burning incense in an apartment; with animals at home, read whether incense is safe around pets.
Put it out in sand or water
Put the stick out in a bowl of sand or water, so the ember dies where it can't catch anything. Three Bears Emporium calls it simple: place the burning end in a bowl of sand or water.
Keep that bowl beside the holder from the start, so it's ready when you need to leave the room.
Bin the stub only once it's fully out. Three Bears Emporium warns that incense that's been put out isn't automatically safe to toss in the trash, because the embers could still be burning.
How often should you burn incense?
There's no fixed number of sticks a day: burn one at a time, whenever you want the scent, with a window open.
A 2008 paper in Clinical and Molecular Allergy by Lin, Krishnaswamy and Chi advises people to ventilate their house when they burn incense at home.
Nippon Kodo notes that burning times vary with the form of incense and the brand, and a Looshi stick burns for about 45 minutes. Its scent is in the paste the stick is rolled from, never in a coating or a dip: that's the difference between hand-rolled and dipped incense.
If you're new to incense, start with the Looshi Discovery Set: four scents of your choice from eight, two sticks of each.
If you still need somewhere to stand the stick, which incense holder to buy is the next question to settle.
Frequently asked questions
How many incense sticks should you burn a day?
There's no fixed number of incense sticks to burn a day: light one at a time, whenever you want the scent, and open a window while it burns. Vismay's guide says one stick at a time is usually enough for most indoor spaces.
How do I use an incense stick?
Use an incense stick by lighting its tip, blowing out the flame and standing the glowing stick in a holder on a heatproof surface, in a room with a window open. Stay nearby while it burns, then put it out in a bowl of sand or water.
Can I burn incense every day?
You can burn incense every day, one stick at a time, with fresh air moving through the room. Nippon Kodo's beginner's guide says incense can be part of a daily routine any time of day, whether that's the morning, the afternoon or the evening.
How long does an incense stick burn?
An incense stick's burn time depends on its form and its brand, as Nippon Kodo's beginner's guide notes, so no single number fits every stick. A Looshi stick burns for about 45 minutes, and that's how long to plan on staying in the room with it.
Is it safe to burn incense around pets?
You can burn incense around pets when you burn it in a well-ventilated room, keep pets out of the immediate area and never leave it burning unattended. Stop if a pet shows any sign of irritation, and don't burn incense around birds at all.
Sources
The Discovery Set
Can't pick a scent? Try four.
Any four of our eight scents, two sticks each, $20. And the full $20 comes back as credit toward your first box. Make room for four.
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