PSA: You don’t need charcoal to burn resin and loose incense.

joyousmadness:

antinousforeverybody:

shadowsofdusk:

For that matter, you don’t need a charcoal burner, tongs, sand, or the willingness to handle something that sparks and burns dangerously hot. You don’t need any of the things that every website insists you need to burn resin, herbs, or loose/granular incense mixes.

All you need is a tea light, aluminium foil, and a shallow (fire safe) dish.

Drape the aluminium foil over part of the dish and pinch around the rim so it stays securely in place. Turn up the inner edge or dent it a bit if you’re working with resins that liquefy when they heat up. Put the resin/herbs on the foil. Light a tealight and set it so the flame touches the foil (it doesn’t have to be completely underneath). Done!

My setup looks like this:

If you want, keep delicate herbs further away from the flame so they don’t burn until they’re acrid. Try to avoid touching the foil because it conducts a lot of heat, though I’ve never gotten an actual burn from it. Most herbs you can just brush off when you’re done and reuse the foil. If you’re using resin, some residue will probably remain after several uses and you might want to replace it if you don’t want a slight undercurrent of frankincense or whatever next time (or keep that piece of foil reserved for that specific resin).

This cost me nothing. It’s sturdy and I can’t knock it over accidentally. It’s not as smoky as charcoal methods because it doesn’t burn as hot, and if you arrange things right you can get scent with no smoke which is great if you’re concerned about smoke inhalation. I can just blow it out when I’m done. It doesn’t get the nasty smell that people complain about with self-igniting charcoal. Resins last a long time because they are heated gently and just ooze, solidify, and ooze again when reheated. It’s not as pretty as fancy burners but it’s safe, fast, and functional.

I never see methods recommended that don’t use charcoal, and charcoal burning just isn’t accessible for me. Hope this helps others having similar issues.

This is VERY useful to me, as I live in a tiny studio. I think I could burn small amounts of resin using this method, as long as I could open the windows.

Reblog to save a Hellenic polytheist’s apartment.