Basic Incense Care

So you got an incense burner for your birthday, now what? Well obviously you use some of that birthday money and get yourself started with some incense! Here are some helpful tips so that you can get the best bang for your buck:

1.) If you have to pick the sticks individually make sure (although it's a pain) to use individual bags to wrap each of the scents you choose. If you store them altogether the scents have a tendency to blend into...well a gloppy smelly nothing scent which isn't what you wanted.  Avoid plastic ziploc bags because they are made with petroleum products and suck the fragrance right out of your incense. If you must transport them that way, try your best to remove them asap and see step 4 for more help.

2.) Label each of the bags (another pain, I know) but unless you have a smello-graphic memory you're not going to remember which scent is which. I've made this mistake a few times and regretted it, especially when I found a scent that I really loved and because it was unlabeled I had a hard time replacing it (if I could find it at all).

3.) The point of buying incense is to use it up eventually to buy more , so as a beginning shopper you want to experiment with all kinds of scents and find some that you like. So make a list of the ones you really like (or if you're like me, blog about them haha) and come up with some scents you regularly enjoy. Don't lose that adventurous spirit though, there are lots of companies out there and lots of scents to try! :)

4.) When storing your incense, try to use wax or rice paper bags (these work well), other methods of storage can be wooden boxes, or for shorter sticks I've read that cigar boxes work well. Keep the sticks in a cool dry place, moisture is baaad for incense. Good incense can last anywhere from 2-3 years! Lower quality incense usually loses it's fragrance much more quickly...so since you're just starting out I would suggest experimenting with some of the cheaper ones first and move onto the nicer stuff after you've experimented a bit.