~Halloween Incense Sticks~
Incense has long been used for numerous applications, varying from therapy, meditation, as well as even a simple deodorant. Bitter Creek offers a variety of direct-burning incense sticks. Direct-burning incense (or "combustible incense") is lit directly by a flame and then fanned or blown out, leaving a glowing ember that smoulders and releases fragrance.
You can make your own hand made incense in your favorite scents! Make
incense to match your candles, soaps and bath & body products for
great gift sets! It really is easy!
Materials you will need:
*Glass or HDPE container (I used a 16oz glass jelly jar)
Bitter Creek offers a wide variety of colored incense sticks to choose from, as well as charcoal incense sticks. You can match colors to products that you already have, a certain season, or just plain charcoal sticks. They all turn out amazing! Here are examples of just a few of the colors that Bitter Creek offers:
Charcoal Purple
Blue Yellow
Start by mixing 1 part fragrance, to 2 or 3 parts incense solvent liquid (DPG), and stir well. I used one of the incense sticks that I was already planning on using, to stir the mixture together.
Before completely mixed
After completely mixed
Any of our fragrance oils can be used for incense, regardless of flash point or soap/lotion safety, etc.
*Note: Do not use alcohol in place of DPG, as it does not work well. Also, be sure to not use straight fragrance oil, as this will make excessively smoky incense!
Stir until you can no longer see any swirls left behind from fragrance that is not mixed in with the base. Depending on which fragrance you use, the mixture may not always be crystal clear, as fragrance oils range in a variety of shades, from clear, to light yellow, to even pink. (examples shown below). This will not affect your incense sticks at all. Just be sure to mix completely :)
Apple Flower (BBW Type)
vs.
Black Raspberry Vanilla
Soak the incense sticks in scent mixture for 24 hours in a glass or HDPE container. Soaking takes patience, but is necessary to allow the incense to fully absorb the oil. A shallow glass baking pan works well to lay sticks in and submerge in the oil. Or you can soak the sticks while still bundled in a tall glass vase or cylinder. Label each container if you are making multiple scents.
After soaking, pour the leftover oil mixture into a glass or HDPE plastic bottle, such as our fragrance bottles, for storage. You can use this again to make more incense, it doesn't go to waste! Don't forget to label your containers so later on, you know which fragrance you used.
Lay sticks out on a screen or drying rack with a few layers of paper towel underneath, or simply a few layers of paper towel to soak up any drips. If your sticks are still bundled, you can hang them to dry on a hook with paper towel underneath. Be sure to put them where they will get air flow to help them dry (you may use a fan to speed the process).
*Note: Do not bake the incense in an oven or microwave to dry it! Incense must be allowed to dry completely for at least 48 hours before burning. If incense is still wet or damp, it will not burn properly! Be patient and allow it to fully dry before using for best results. It is also important that you make sure the incense is totally dry with no wet or damp spots before packaging in plastic bags or tubes, etc.! Fragrance oils are very strong and can melt or eat through many types of plastic!
Wet incense sticks
Dry incense sticks
Once you have allowed your incense sticks to dry at least 24 hours, you can package them in plastic zip lock bags, paper tubes, or arrange them freely in glass jars. They smell amazing even when they are not burning! *Label the containers with a sticker or tie a label on, with the fragrance name on it, so customers know what they are smelling :)
*Tips*
~16oz of scent mixture should make approx. 500 or more sticks. Properly made, fully dried incense should burn for approximately 45 minutes to over 1 hour.
~Incense is very popular and a great seller at flea markets, craft booths, etc. Especially with the younger crowd! Most people package their incense in bags of 20 sticks, usually selling for about a dollar or more. That's about 3 to 4 times your cost, a great profit! Let the customers mix & match, they love variety! You may also want to offer a bulk package of 100 for a savings to your customers, and more volume sales for you! For a professional looking package, try printing your own "labels" on Avery business cards, and fold the card over top of your bag and staple it. Use a hole punch to make a hole in the top of the card to hang on a rack :)
If there is ever a fun Candle or Bath & Body product that you would like seen made, we would love to hear from you!
Please send your requests to info@candlesupply.com.
Happy Candle & Soap Making!
-Elya
