The word "incense" is derived from the Latin word "to burn" and has been used for centuries in religious, ritualistic, and spiritual ceremonies. Though the true origins of incense are undetermined since many early civilizations traded long before history acknowledged it, the practice of burning incense is most commonly attached to ancient societies from Egypt, India, Japan, and the Americas. In Egypt, tombs were found covered in the resin of incense, as ancient priests would use incense sticks to cleanse ceremonial tombs, protect the deceased from evil, and as an offering to the gods. In India, the use of incense dates back to 3300 BC, having been burnt in Hindu temples to create a sacred space for prayer and serenity. And in China and Japan, incense sticks were used to anoint sacred shrines to nature deities, seeing as the natural properties of incense were believed to link your being to the natural world.
- Shereen Campbell, astrologer, Reiki master teacher, and founder of My Little Magic Shop
Types of incense
The most common type of incense comes in the form of a stick. These incense sticks are easy to light and burn evenly, releasing the smell of fragrant flowers and essential oils into the environment. According to Shereen Campbell, a seasoned astrologer, reiki master teacher, and founder of My Little Magic Shop, throughout history, the cleansing and calming properties of incense sticks have been used for a combination of both mental and physical purposes. The mental clarity and cleansing that they provide helps create the environment needed for deep meditation, spirituality, and prayer while their aromatherapeutic properties can be used in a holistic healing context depending on which oils or herbs are used. Ayurvedic doctors consider lavender, sandalwood, sage, and rose to be calming while scents like cinnamon, ginger and mint help energize and stimulate the mind.
According to Campbell, incense can be used anytime you require mental clarity or activation. These are the best incense sticks to incorporate into your self-care and spiritual rituals.
Best incense sticks
HEM is one of the best known global manufacturers of incense sticks. Handcrafted in India, they create sticks in a variety of scents with locally sourced ingredients. According to Campbell, the general incense stick will contain sandalwood, a powerful cleansing and healing agent. This set of 6 sandalwood sticks are said to help reduce anxiety and promote a feeling of calmness because the main compound in sandalwood is santalol, a natural sedative that can ease nausea and relax the mind. It is also a natural antiseptic, which can cleanse the air of bacteria.
Crafted using an ancient Indian method called “masala incense,” where resins and oils are combined with herbs to make a dough mixture which is then pressed around a thin bamboo stick and coated in sandalwood or another aromatic powder, Nitiraj uses all pure and natural ingredients in their sticks. Thesei incense sticks are combined with lavender oil and carry a long-lasting fragrance and high quality burn.
Each stick of Satya incense is hand-rolled and manufactured in Malaysia and the scents are used everywhere from homes to Buddhist temples. This sweet and spicy scent combination is meant to reduce stress and help provide mental clarity.
Based in Japan, Shoyeido uses the secretive practices from the Kyoto Imperial Palace in the 18th century to create their incense sticks. The brand aligns their practices with the traditional Japanese use of incense, which highlights the beauty of fragrances. The popular Ruby blend is made with cinnamon, sandalwood, saussurea, and patchouli.
Made with high-quality charcoal and coated with herbs, resins, and oils, the scent blends used for these sticks have been extensively researched and draw from the brand’s historic origins. Gonesh has created in-demand incense sticks since 1923. The classic scent is fruity, and with 100 sticks in the pack, each burning for an hour, they sure give you a bang for your buck (and 60 hours of cleansing aromas).
This grounding and strengthening scent is made to clear and purify the air while putting your mind at ease. The charcoal incense is hand-infused with essential oils making the smell gentle and less overpowering than many of the others.
These clean-burning Japanese incense sticks come in a variety of calming scents, including a warm sandalwood. Each box includes 40 stick that burn for 25 minutes each, and a mini ceramic holder.
Made in Japan with organic woods and essential oils, Bodha incense has light fragrances and a smokeless burn. Each box comes with 50 incense sticks, and the scents include themes of Refresh, Ground, Calm, and Purify.
Bring a little bit of the outdoors inside with these incense sticks that smell like the forest. They’re made by extracting fragrance from wildflowers, plants, bark, tree trimmings, and more, and contain no synthetic fragrances. The Cedar scent has hints of ginger, cedar, and moss.
P.F. Candle Co.’s incense sticks are based and hand-dipped, have fragrances that are are great for relaxing, meditating, or just filling your room with luxurious coziness. The teakwood & tobacco incense sticks have a scent of leather, teak, and orange that will last between 2-4 hours.
This set includes seven pack of incense sticks dedicated to each chakra. The fragrances are made with a blend of essential oils, na and include patchouli, sandalwood, frankincense, sage, and more to help you feel centered. Each stick is made with sustainable bamboo and lasts for 60 minutes.
Lavender scent is sometimes used as a mood booster, so you can use these floral incense sticks on days where you need a little pick me up. The box comes with 120 sticks with a 35-45 minute burn time.
One happy reviewer said, “I’m all about good vibes and scents and this checks those boxes and more. They’re addictive. The relaxing Lavender smell envelopes your mind, body and soul. It’s calming, seductive and helps ease your mind (at least for me).”
Natural and organic, these incense sticks are hand rolled in essential oils and soaked for at least 48 hours. They burn for 40-50 minutes and the fragrance, frankincense and myrrh in this case, lasts up to 24 hours in a room.
Eliminate any unwanted odors in your house and replace them with natural incense sticks, which come in scents like rose, sandalwood, apple, lemongrass, white sage, and more. Each bamboo stick is hand-dipped and rolled and has 45 minutes of burn time.
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