Sustainable
Kurrajong seed pod from my Nanna’s garden
Macadamia shell from my Poppy’s tree
Acorn from a tree on a local walking path
Pumpkin seed shells from seeds that sprouted in my garden this year
Rocks from Shelly and Main Beach back home
Roses from my garden
and incense by me
Hello there. It's not long until this year wraps up! If you'd like to gift my incense to yourself or someone else this holiday season, please keep the below dates in mind x
NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD, SA, TAS: Order by 11 Dec
WA & NT: Order by 6th Dec
NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD, SA, TAS: Order by 18th Dec
WA & NT: Order by 12th Dec
As always, thank you for your interest and support.
Exciting news – there are now two gift sets in the shop to choose from!
These gift sets contain three (or five) boxes of my handmade botanical incense, beautifully wrapped in tissue paper, and bundled inside a reusable cotton bag – ready to present to your loved one.
Oak Moss and Vetiver
Cinnamon and Spruce
and Black Storax and Clove
All the above scents
Plus Ylang Ylang and Orris Root
and the limited edition blend, Chamomile and Agave
If you'd like to customise your own set, you have the option of building your own gift bag too 😊
As always, thank you for your interest and support x
After many months of testing I’m happy to report that I’ve finalised the formula of my next incense blend!
It’s light and calming, and perfect for the sunny, windows-open weather that's coming our way.
It’s the first blend to contain one of the many handcrafted tinctures I was obsessed with making last year.
It’s my favourite of the lot, and I can’t wait to hear what you think!
But I’d like to try something a little different this time around.
Pulling back the curtain: selling items that are slowly, meticulously handmade is becoming more difficult in our current climate, both in person and online.
There are a number of factors at play here, and maybe I’ll talk about that another time; but no matter how you slice it – a girl’s gotta eat, and I’ve only got two hands 👐
I’m opening preorders for this blend so I can accurately gauge how much to make, which will help me assess how to best use those two hands!
So without further ado – here’s what to expect if you jump on board:
A blend of Australian sandalwood, Australian grown chamomile flowers, handcrafted chamomile tincture, fair trade agave, artisan distilled frankincense essential oil, and plant gum.
The estimated shipping date for preorders is the first week of October. All items in the same order will be shipped together.
This is my most labor intensive blend yet, but also my personal favourite!
The way the tinctured chamomile layers over the powdered chamomile is truly lovely. and the agave and frankincense add a touch of sweetness and complexity to round things out.
If you'd like to get your hands on this one (and help keep me working away in the process), pop over to the preorder page!
As always, thank you for your interest and support x
A little mixing process video for you ✨
Featuring my Cinnamon and Spruce blend.
Botanic: Ylang Ylang
Binomial name: Cananga odorata. Native to India, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia.
Scent: Rich, floral, woody-balsamic. Find it in my Ylang Ylang and Orris Root incense sticks.
Function: Ylang Ylang flowers are used as an aromatic in incense making. In general, dried flowers can be used in incense, but essential oils or absolutes produce a scent closer to the fresh flower (when used sparingly).
Something you might not know: Ylang Ylang essential oil is distilled in five different grades; Extra, I, II, III and Complete. Each grade (while distinctly ylang ylang), has different properties; the first extractions are sweeter and more floral, and become deeper and earthier as the extraction time progresses. The Complete grade blends the oil extracted from all these phases.
I use Well Earth Certified ylang ylang (III) essential oil in my incense, grown in Madagascar. The Well Earth Program works with companies that use sustainable practices, and provide fair working conditions for their harvesters.
You can find more information about the sourcing process for Burn It Botanical Incense here.
Check out the previous Botanic Spotlights on Black Frankincense, Australian Sandalwood, Ceylon Cinnamon, Oak Moss, Agarwood and Vetiver.
Burn It Botanical Incense is handmade from sustainably harvested Western Australian sandalwood, tree resins, plants and essential oils – by me, for you x
Jenna Sten, Fawkner Marketplace December 5th 2021
Big thanks to those of you who came along to Fawkner Marketplace last Sunday!
It was my first time as a stall holder, and I had a great time meeting you all. I look forward to seeing you again in the future.
Botanic: Vetiver Root (Khus)
Binomial name: Vetiveria zizanioides/Chrysopogon zizanioides. Native to India, grown in other tropical regions.
Scent: dry, earthy, leathery, murky – intense, but at the right dilution it can be wonderfully relaxing and shape-shifty. Find it in my Oak Moss and Vetiver incense sticks.
Function: Vetiver is used as an aromatic in incense making. The whole root or the essential oil can be used.
Something you might not know: Vetiver is a fragrant grass that grows in clumps, and its roots can grow 3 to 5 meters deep, making it a great plant for combating soil erosion. It’s often used in mine rehabilitation and to improve pastoral land.
I use Well Earth Certified vetiver essential oil in my incense, grown in Hati. The Well Earth Program works with companies that use sustainable practices, and provide fair working conditions for their harvesters.
You can find more information about the sourcing process for BURN IT Botanical Incense here.
Check out the previous Botanic Spotlights on Black Frankincense, Australian Sandalwood, Ceylon Cinnamon, Oak Moss and Agarwood.
I make incense at my kitchen table in Melbourne from sustainably harvested Australian sandalwood, as well as tree resins, plants and essential oils.
Botanic: Agarwood (Oud, Aloeswood, Agar)
Binomial name: Aquilaria genus (native to South East Asia), many species.
Scent: Woody, fruity, leathery, lightly floral; you can find it in my Oak Moss and Vetiver incense sticks.
Function: In incense making agarwood is used as an aromatic, but can also be used as a base material once the resin has been extracted.
Something you might not know: Wood from Aquilaria trees has no scent on its own. When the heartwood of the tree is infected with fungus or mould, it produces a dark resin known as agarwood. The wood is sold as is, processed for it’s essential oil, or offered post-extraction.
In the wild, many species of Aquilaria trees are classed as vulnerable or endangered due to the popularity of agarwood in perfumery.
I use CITES approved spent-charge agarwood, grown in plantations in far north Queensland. Spent charge is the wood leftover after it's been through the essential oil extraction process. It's still quite fragrant even at this stage, which is great – as it means every bit can be used.
It comes to me in small chips, and I grind these into powder using a handheld coffee grinder.
You can find more information about my sourcing process here. Check out the previous instalments on Black Frankincense, Australian Sandalwood, Ceylon Cinnamon, and Oak Moss.
I make incense at my kitchen table in Melbourne from sustainably harvested Australian sandalwood, as well as tree resins, plants and essential oils.
Botanic: Oak Moss
Binomial name: Evernia prunastri (native to the Northern Hemisphere)
Scent: Earthy and green, yet also dry and musky; it’s a key ingredient in my Oak Moss and Vetiver incense sticks.
Function: In incense making Oak Moss acts as an aromatic, and a little goes a long way.
Something you might not know: it’s actually a lichen (not a moss), and is a common fixative in many commercial perfumes.
I buy my Oak Moss from an individual in France who has oak trees on their property, and from an Australian business that sources theirs from an individual in the US. Both harvesters only collect the moss when it’s been knocked down in high-winds, to limit environmental disturbance and overharvesting.
You can find more information about my sourcing process here. Check out the previous instalments on Black Frankincense, Australian Sandalwood, and Ceylon Cinnamon.
I make incense at my kitchen table in Melbourne from sustainably harvested Australian sandalwood, as well as tree resins, plants and essential oils.
Botanic: Australian Sandalwood
Binomial name: Santalum spicatum (native to Western Australia)
Scent: Woody, floral, soft, balsamic
Function: sandalwood functions as both a base material and an aromatic in incense making; base materials allow the incense to continue to smoulder after you blow the flame out.
Something you might not know: sandalwood trees require a host tree to grow; they tap the roots of their chosen tree for additional water and nutrients. They also produce edible nuts!
I use sustainably harvested Western Australian sandalwood as the base material in all my incense blends. You can find more information about my sourcing process here.
When I was in the early stages of formulating, this was an important ingredient to decide on. I knew I wanted to make incense with the most ethical materials available to me as a small producer, and that meant starting with the botanic I’d need the most of.
Western Australia has a sandalwood regeneration plan in place that ensures the species ongoing survival, and harvesting is strictly monitored by The Forest Products Commission.
Due to commercial demand, Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) is classed as a vulnerable species, and exports from India are prohibited.
I make incense at my kitchen table in Melbourne from sustainably harvested Australian sandalwood, as well as tree resins, plants and essential oils.
