Is it ok to burn frankincense in your home?

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adamvandyck

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One of my most favorite scents is the frankincense incense that’s used in mass and I was wondering if it’s ok to burn some at home for the scent.
 
If you rent, check your lease. If you live with other people, check for allergies. Otherwise, go for it.
 
where do you get frankincense?

is that substance even a real thiing/

if it is; i’d have my house reeking of it ( maybe)

i am going on amazon to search for frankincense

i will report back…
 
adamvandyck said:
One of my most favorite scents is the frankincense incense that’s used in mass and I was wondering if it’s ok to burn some at home for the scent.
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Yep! I do it all the time. A local Catholic shrine sells little bags of it. You will need to buy the charcoal, too. And it burns HOT!!! Think of it as taking a charcoal briquette used for cooking out of a grill. I had mine in a small metal container, and had that sitting on a folded washcloth, and it scorched the cloth!

So please be safe! I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about using it.

Darklight has good advice, too.
 
$18.95US for 4 ounces

no wonder it was a gift for the King of Kings
 
i’m not 100% sure i’ve ever “smelled” frankincense

is it a substance to be burned; does it thereby give off a fragrant odor?
 
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DarkLight said:
If you rent, check your lease
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Oh, yes. I’m someone who strongly associates smells with certain times/events/places, and I had a neighbor who burned incense that reminded me of my mother’s funeral. It was disturbing lying in bed at night and being reminded of it. It was like reliving it over and over again.
 
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Very carefully, lol.

They sell little charcoal disks specifically for incense. You light one and once it is hot, you use a spoon to sprinkle a little bit of the incense on the charcoal. It melts and smokes quite a bit. When it dies out, add more incense until the charcoal is all burned up.

See this video:

Also, I use something similar to this to hold the charcoal:
https://www.autom.com/product/incen...se-GC821/church-supplies-censers-and-supplies
 
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A lot of leases ban incense because people aren’t always very careful with it. It only takes one person who’s not watching what they’re burning. And depending on the building setup it can annoy the neighbors. I have pretty bad allergies - attending a Mass with incense leaves me feeling like I have a bad cold. Regular exposure can make me fairly sick.
 
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XXI_4 said:
Very carefully, lol.

They sell little charcoal disks specifically for incense. You light one and once it is hot, you use a spoon to sprinkle a little bit of the incense on the charcoal. It melts and smokes quite a bit. When it dies out, add more incense until the charcoal is all burned up.

See this video:

Also, I use something similar to this to hold the charcoal:
https://www.autom.com/product/incen...se-GC821/church-supplies-censers-and-supplies
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Years ago I have done this…loved those little charcoal discs that would spark and sparkle…
Used to have a local hippy who made and sold in little jars various incense…frankincense and myrh being some…it makes your house smell, unique…
 
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adamvandyck said:
One of my most favorite scents is the frankincense incense that’s used in mass and I was wondering if it’s ok to burn some at home for the scent.
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Frankincense? Now you’ve done it. The po-lice will be at your door in 4.683 seconds. Adieu.
 
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I haven’t tried this myself, but some have recommended this (available on Amazon)
Pinnacle Peak Trading Company Crottendorfer Christmas Frankincense Scent German Incense Cones For Smokers
 
From trying to clean out a thurible after burning frankincense, I have to say that it is not the easiest thing to use. The tar it leaves behind can be troublesome. The smell is nice and there is not anything to say that you can’t burn it at home but there may be easier (and cheaper) alternatives to pure frankincense. Cone incense or incense sticks are a cleaner, cheaper, safer, and easier alternative. Many Catholics I’ve encountered who want to burn incense at home reject the sticks outright because they have connotations to other non-Christian religions, but I’ve seen them used by our Orthodox brothers and there is nothing inherently ‘pagan’ about them.

There is also incense oil which can be used in an aeresolizer for this specific purpose which uses a method similar to those plug-in air fresheners.

God Bless,
Br. Ben
 
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I don’t think there’s any harm. Have not done that myself though.
 
I bought some frankincense incense sticks at our local hippy store, but now that I’ve read this thread about how complicated and messy to clean up it is, I wonder if it was actually frankincense I bought.

(I usually burn dragons blood and nag champa)
 
Around here it’s more that they have connotations that you’re trying to cover up the smell of other things you’ve been burning (generally substances of questionable legality).
 
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