Consider what exactly it is that comes packaged in a normal incense making supply kit. Usually, you will receive several hundred unscented punk sticks, along with a hundred or so polyethylene bags for storing the sticks. You will also receive a bottle of blending oil, which you will blend (in varying amounts…incense making supply retailers are often deliberately vague on these measurements) with smaller bottles of fragrance oils.

These fragrance oils will often be made available in a wide array of scents, some familiar, others not so much. Retailers will ask you to choose from, among many others, amaretto, coconut lime verbena, green tea, peppermint, lilac, and so forth.  Most of these scents can be easily and clearly imagined.  Other scent options, however, remain a bit of a mystery. Would you, for instance, like your incense making supplies to include rain, snowberry, moon light, or perhaps something called "happy time for women"?  Without being able to actually smell these scents, it is almost impossible to have any concept of what they will be like or whether you will enjoy them.

The basic point is this: making incense is a process that is at once easy and incredibly challenging. Though it can be immensely rewarding to order incense making supplies and concoct your own stick incense, it can also be very easy to find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer number of fragrances to choose from. And this doesn't even consider the process itself, which can be messy, and contains plenty of opportunity for error.

We would never try to convince you to avoid making your own incense. It can be fun, satisfying, and even a good source of income! But the fact of the matter is: if you want incense that has been refined over the years and informed by history – that is, if you want the best incense available – take the time to explore the sticks and cones made by pros. It is a whole new world.

However, if you are someone who truly enjoys making things from scratch in order to explore your own creativity and in order to see how things like these come together, then it is definitely worthwhile to try making your own incense!  There are a number of kits available, including stick incense its and rolled incense kits.  Rolling incense is very easy, and you can include all sorts of herbs and essential oils to create just the blend you want!  Rolling or dipping your own incense can also be an amazing meditative practice and is a chance to add your own energy to incense that you will be burning later!  Handmade incense cones and sticks also make amazing gifts, because you can personalize the scents to each gift recipient.

Incense making is a simple and inexpensive way to experience and enjoy the pleasures of the most luxurious scents of nature.  You can design scents to invigorate and bring energy in the morning, to create an exotic space for a party, to purify, enhance dreams, bring relaxation, or to make a seductive atmosphere.  If you use incense for ceremony or ritual, you will also be able to custom blend your incense for each ritual, therefore creating the perfect space for you work!

However, making incense can be confusing and complicated.  Therefore, if you are interested in starting out on this rewarding and enjoyable hobby, the best thing to do at first may be to purchase one of the many incense making kits which are available, so that you will get all of the materials that you need and some guidance as well.  Then, after you get the technique down and understand the incense making process a little more, you will be able to branch out and explore the many different types of incense that you can create with your own two hands!