Incense

Incense the word comes from the Latin word “incendere” which means to burn. It is used in reference to materials that release an aromatic smoke and fragrance when lit. Incense is often used in religious ceremonies, for medicine, aromatherapy and for general aesthetic reasons. Incense has been made into many different forms, shapes and sizes over the hundreds and thousands of years it has been in existence, but commonly today we think of incense as joss sticks or small coloured cones. It has been known to be in the forms of pastes, powders, liquids and oils however.

A wide variety of ingredients have been used to make incense historically speaking, but there has always been a preference for using locally sourced ingredients. Various different types of plant extracts are used in the preparation of incense including essential oils and resins and gums which form a dough like substance when mixed with water. Gums and resins make excellent fixers which is why they are used throughout the incense and perfume industry.

You can use many ingredients found in the garden when you are making incense such as herbs and spices, but using a gum is a good idea as it will hold the other ingredients together well in a dough like substance which makes the incense sticks or cones or other type of incense you are making, easier to prepare.

If any of you have any recipes or preparation techniques for making incense, please send them in to us here at Baldwins. We sell a range of essential oils and gums for making incense here at Baldwins so feel free to browse our site. If you have any questions about us or of course any of our products, don’t hesitate to contact a member of our team. We would be only too pleased to answer your questions and provide further information.

Cleanse your home

Have you ever walked into a home and just felt calm and relaxed and surrounded by warmth? Many people strive to create a positive and nurturing atmosphere in their home, and it seems the ones that are most successful are those who care not about expensive furnishings but instead about paying close attention to the use of colour and other decoration.

There are plenty of tricks and tips on how to create a home that is full of warmth and positive energy, a few of which I will outline below.

1. Give your home a good scrub

It is important to have a good clean of your home every now and again, sweeping up dust and making sure you get into all the corners. A clean house is important if you want to ensure a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere is created.

2. Use correct colours

Greens and blues are both very calming colours, so use these in rooms you want to be able to unwind in. Reds, oranges and other intense colours are natural stimulants and so are unsuitable for sitting rooms or kids bedrooms.

3. Don’t forget smells

Smells are an important aspect of setting a particular mood in a home. They should be created in as natural way as possible however rather than through a chemical air freshener. An increasingly popular method to give you home a pleasant scent is through burning a smudge stick. These are bundles of herbs used frequently by native Americans in various rituals.

4. Buy plants

Plants not only provide a calming influence on your home, they also oxygenate the air making your environment cleaner and reducing your indoor air pollution.

These are some of the most important aspects to bear in mind when decorating your home if you wish to provide a healthy and positive atmosphere. There are other ideas you can incorporate if you would like to take this idea further - perhaps even having a dabble in the Feng Shui principles?

Who else has some ideas on what makes the ideal atmosphere in a home?