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For thousands of years, people have burned incense in censers. They are used for purification and, above all, to connect with spirits. Their smoke and sweet aroma allow those who use them to strengthen their spirituality. In several religions, it is believed to bring people closer to the afterlife. For others, it is simply a way to relax at home.
What does an incense holder look like?
An incense burner or incense holder is a container designed to burn incense or perfume in solid form.
Incense burners are an ancient tradition. Their size, shape, and material vary considerably depending on the context of their use and the product being burned. They can be simple clay bowls, wooden or metal dishes, or intricately carved ornaments. In many cultures, burning incense has a spiritual connotation, which influences the design and decoration of the incense burner.
If you want to buy the best incense holder on the market, remember that it doesn't have to be the most expensive. Of course, the most expensive models are usually good, but it's always possible to find a better value for money. If you want to get the most out of your incense holder, choose it carefully and consider all its features, not just its price.
We'd like to share with you our list of the best incense holders from our catalog. This page features products with the best value for money.
When should I use my incense holder?
This is a question many people ask. Ideally, incense should be used for prayer. Some people prefer to light it a few hours before going to church. But nowadays, incense is increasingly used for relaxation and meditation. So you can easily use it at home.
Incense is generally used by burning it on charcoal. However, how you use it also depends on the type of incense you choose. There are incense seeds, sticks, and powders. Some are made from essential oils, neutral resin, or floral scents. Therefore, it's your responsibility to read the usage instructions on each product's label.
What are the benefits of using incense?
The benefits of using incense are numerous. The first recognized virtue is that it helps purify the home. For some believers, it helps reduce tension in relationships. Furthermore, it is an excellent way to enter into a symbiotic relationship with God, hence its use in churches.
Sometimes this product is used to alleviate certain illnesses. The goal is to use it so that the deity may act upon the ailment of a loved one. According to aromatherapy specialists, it acts on the human nervous system and calms emotions.
How to choose the right incense for the right environment?
Incense is available almost everywhere and in various forms. These should be chosen according to the type of incense: grain, cone, stick, or essential oil-based. Now you have to choose the one that suits your needs. Choose 100% natural incense, whatever its form.
Avoid brightly colored bamboo cones, as these are often made from synthetic materials. It's best to use unprocessed grain incense or incense sticks or cones made using traditional methods with natural ingredients.
Good incense is usually made from a plant base to which essential oil is added, regardless of the base of the incense stick, the cone or the traditionally made dhoop.
Incense holder with bamboo stem
While this type of incense can be quite pleasant, it's also the best-selling. Most of these incense sticks have one major flaw: they tend to be of poor quality, as the bamboo stems are often infused with synthetic fragrances, and they often burn poorly or unevenly.
However, you can find high-quality Indian incense sticks that contain this famous bamboo stick, or even a sandalwood base in the case of very high-quality incense sticks.
Bamboo incense holder for stemless sticks
Cylindrical incense is made exclusively from natural materials that have been ground into a powder and assembled into a pencil-sized cylinder. This type of incense stick offers the best, most even burn and is easier to regulate for fragrance diffusion.
Solid incense sticks are also easy to light and can be made to any length.
Tips for using your incense holder
Like any combustion product, incense generates certain polluting gases, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds and absorbed toxic pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and toxic metals).
Please note that the following woods are more or less toxic: Indian sandalwood, Japanese aloe wood, Taiwanese aloe wood, and smokeless sandalwood. The better the quality of the incense, the less polluting the smoke will be.
As with everything, let's use common sense.
To limit the risk of indoor pollution, ventilate each room with a window for at least 15 minutes every day, without exception, whether you burn incense or not.
It is advisable to ventilate the room for a few minutes so that the vapors dissipate and you retain the benefits of your incense, whether for its energizing, relaxing effects or simply for its aromas that bring a soft atmosphere to your home.
Safety is key: it's important to know how to burn incense properly, especially to avoid the risk of fire and ensure the smoke diffuses well. For this, you should use charcoal pellets. Make sure to use a glass, earthenware, or ceramic container.
The different types of incense holders
If you are unsure what type of Indian incense you are looking for, you can try one of our Ayurvedic incenses.
It's important to note that most Indian incense has a strong aroma and is therefore not for the faint of heart. If you prefer an incense with a mild, light scent, it's best to explore our range of Asian incense. If you're looking for even stronger fragrances, but perhaps not as sweet as Indian incense, you can explore some of our Tibetan or Nepalese incense.
Indian Incense Doors
Indian frankincense has been used for medicinal purposes and to honor religious rituals for thousands of years. Known for its rich tradition, Indian frankincense was a pioneer in establishing its value very early in human history.
Originally, Indian incense was used to mask odors and create pleasant, fragrant atmospheres. Ayurvedic priest-physicians played a key role in its continued use by establishing a structured and organized procedure for making Indian incense. In fact, it was the Ayurvedic medical system that provided the foundation for the method of making Indian incense. And it is this same tradition that continues today.
Indian incense holders can contain two main categories of incense: masala and charcoal.
Masala incense is usually divided into 3 categories:
- Indian Durbar incense: generally mild and spicy. Durbars contain solid and liquid fragrances mixed in a binder that doesn't dry completely, making the incense quite soft to the touch.
- Indian Champa incense: contains halmaddi, a resin from the Ailanthus malabarica tree, native to India. Nag Champa incense is probably the most famous of the Indian Champa incenses.
- Indian Dhoop incense is not rolled into a stick and has a very concentrated fragrance. This type of Indian incense is shaped like small logs and has a rather gummy consistency.
- Charcoal sticks are made from binding resins, such as sandalwood, which hold the ingredients together. These Indian incenses are typically black and generally lose their potency over time due to the large quantities of liquid perfume used in their creation.
This Indian incense is usually very strong, spicy and sweet by nature, and you'll be surprised at how quickly it perfumes a room, or an entire house, with its rich earthy aromas.
Tibetan incense gates
Tibetan incense is a material burned as a sacrifice or offering. High-quality Tibetan incense products are made exclusively with plants, resins, and natural ingredients.
The art of incense, whether Tibetan or otherwise, has long been considered sacred and its origins date back thousands of years.
Widely used for relaxation, meditation, and purifying the home environment, Tibetan incense has an aroma that often helps to calm and soothe restless minds. Incense is also frequently used in Buddhist temples and monasteries.
Made with natural ingredients, without harmful and carcinogenic glues, there are hundreds of different types of incense that have been used by monks and others for centuries. Compared to incense from other parts of the world, Tibetan incense is unique.
The main ingredient in Tibetan incense is wood. The wood is cut into small pieces and ground into a very fine powder.
Decorative incense doors
- Incense with the Buddha's hand : The thumb and index finger of the Buddha's hand touch to form a semicolon. In Buddhist traditions, the right hand represents wisdom; the thumb, meditation; and the index finger, air. In India, this gesture is often made by Buddha statues.
- Incense with lotus flower : The lotus flower is one of the most beautiful and special plants in existence. It is also known as the Nile rose or Indian lotus. It is able to survive in the most adverse conditions in swampy areas, hence its association with the obstacles that man faces in the process of living. It is sacred in China and India, and has great importance in Buddhism. It is linked to the purity of body and soul.
- Waterfall Incense Holder : These incense holders are beautiful to watch because of their dynamic movement. The smoke flows down the stones that the incense burner is meant to represent. Observing this phenomenon during meditation can help you feel free from negative emotions.
- Ganesh Incense : Probably the most beloved of all Hindu deities. The eldest son of Lord Shiva the Destroyer and his wife Parvati, Ganesh is the god of wisdom, scribes, learning, and the removal of obstacles. Before undertaking anything, a prayer is addressed to Ganesh to ensure success. Ganesh appears as a soft, pot-bellied figure with an elephant's head, four arms, and a broken tusk. He is often depicted seated with one leg bent beneath him. In three of his hands, he holds various objects that are symbolic tools of enlightenment.
What natural woods can be burned in an incense burner?
The stick is traditionally made of bamboo, but in the most popular varieties it can be made of cedar, sandalwood, juniper, pine or others.
The herbs can be as varied as those in Tibetan incense sticks, but it is common to find lemongrass, sage, thyme, rosemary, patchouli, lavender, hibiscus, jasmine, etc.
The main ingredients of most incense are: sandalwood, agarwood, pine or cedar wood; myrrh, amber, frankincense, snow lotus herb, hibiscus, saffron, red pine, clove, etc. When the mixture is homogeneous, it is extracted by hand into thin strips - traditionally using a bull's horn with a hole - and left to dry in the open air.
