The so-called "do it yourself" mentality is alive and kicking in the twenty-first century. Tired of blindly accepting the few options provided by companies, there is a growing class of consumers whose gung-ho attitudes and drive for self-reliance are fueling a market for the raw, bulk, and bare-bones ingredients that go into making their favorite products. As such, a new market has arisen to service these go-getters. This market revolves around instructional texts designed to provide assistance and confidence to those who wish to "do it" on their own.

When it comes to making your own incense, there are a number of valuable texts available on the market.  Among these texts, Incense: Crafting and Use of Magical Scent is often considered a good primer on the subject. Written by Carl F. Neal and published by Llewellyn Publications, Incense: Crafting and Use of Magickal Scent offers step-by-step guidelines to the would-be incense maker, providing all of the information you might need to know regarding making your own fragrances.

On the one hand, when it comes to an artisan craft like incense, those products produced by professionals with years of experience will probably have a certain elegance that homemade products may initially lack.  However, there is nothing comparable to the feeling of satisfaction of creating your own incense from scratch and enjoying its scent.  If you like, an online version of Incense: Crafting and Use of Magickal Scent is fully viewable as a Google book.

There are several other excellent books on the topic of incense making that you may want to look to for guidance as well. One that is a favorite of ours here is Scents of the Soul: Creating Herbal Incense for Body, Mind and Spirit by Ginger Quinlan.  This book focuses on the use of incense as a medicine, beginning with the preparation of incense from scratch and including step-by-step instructions for complementary meditation, breath work and visualizations that can help with all kinds of physical and psychic healing.  If you use incense as a tool for meditation and healing and are looking to start crafting your own, this is the perfect primer.

If you are interested in exploring the role of incense and incense making in Japanese culture, The Book of Incense: Enjoying the Traditional Art of Japanese Scents by Kiyoko Morita is a perfect introductory text.  This book describes the history of Japanese incense making as well as the set up and performance of the incense ceremony.  It can show you how to create and burn your own Japanese style loose incense and how to use scent to accent and improve your everyday life, as the Japanese royal court has done for centuries.  If you are interested in incense and its history and crafting, this book will definitely be a perfect addition to your library.

If you're interested in the process of crafting your own incense, these are the books we would recommend that you reference as part of your learning process.  In the meantime, if you need any of our wide variety of high quality, natural and finely crafted incenses, we'll be here!