The Best Incense Holders

Since ancient times, people have been burning incense. A number of different vessels have been used over the years to hold incense, including earthenware bowls, carved silver pots, and wooden containers. In that sense, not much has changed throughout time. You can still purchase incense holders made from a variety of materials. There are fancy incense holders, and really simple ones. To help you cut through the choices, we reviewed several of the top incense holders. You won't go wrong with any of the ones listed below. They've been evaluated in terms of function, price, and size to make sure your incense burning experience is a pleasant one.

SPACEKEEPER Ceramic Backflow Incense Holder

Hand-Crafted Beauty

As smoke from the incense wafts down the waterfall of this incense holder, it creates a beautiful, mysterious backdrop.

Best Overall

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If you want to use a beautiful incense holder, this is a great option. It looks so peaceful, and can really improve your meditation during burning. This waterfall style incense holder has been hand crafted from ceramics. You can use it to burn cones or sticks.

This set comes with the incense holder, tweezers, and a small piece of mat for resting the holder on. You also receive a variety of incense. It comes with 120 cones, and 30 sticks. There are seven different fragrances included, such as jasmine, lavender, mint, and osmanthus. Each cone burns for about 15 minutes, and the smoke draws down the waterfall to create a relaxing atmosphere.

Pros

Handcrafted from quality materials so it looks great and will last
Comes with a variety of incense so you can get started right away
Backflow design draws the smoke down into the waterfall to improve the aesthetics of the experience

Cons

The quality of cones aren’t the best, so the smell isn’t great on all of them. You may want to purchase your own cones to use on this incense holder.

JL Local White Sage Smudging Kit

Beginner's Kit

This set has everything you need to get started with smudging.

Best for Beginners

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If you’re ready to add some variety to your incense, you should give sage smudging a try. This ancient art is believed to cleanse negative energy. You get everything you need in this beginner’s kit. It comes with a bundle of white sage, an Abalone shell, a natural wood stand, a smudging feather, and a bracelet. You’ll also receive detailed information and tips to help you get started.

The beautiful shell that comes in this set can also be used to burn stick incense. However, if they are too long, it will not catch all of the ash. So just make sure you pay attention to the size before you light it to help ensure no ash falls on anything flammable.

Pros

Comes with everything you need to get started smudging
Materials harvested in a sustainable way to ensure the environment isn’t damaged
Beautifully packaged so it makes a wonderful gift

Cons

There’s not a size option on the bracelet, so if you have smaller wrists this might be too large for you to wear comfortably

UnitedPrime Bamboo Incense Burner

Eco-Friendly Materials

This incense holder is made from sustainable mango wood, to help minimize waste.

Best Design

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Do you prefer simple things? This bamboo incense holder is beautifully simple in design. The top has a bamboo ash catcher, to reduce the mess of burning incense. The rest of it is made from mango wood, which is a very sustainable material. Fertilizers and pesticides aren’t used on this wood, so it’s environmentally friendly to grow.

There’s a compartment underneath to hold your incense. This is 9-inches by 1/2-inch. The holes to place the incense sticks are a bit narrow, but they widen naturally with use. However, if yours are too wide, you may need to trim them a bit. This incense holder doesn’t come with any incense, but that means you’ll be able to get the exact scents you want instead of being stuck with a random variety that you don’t enjoy.

Pros

Simple design that will look great in any room in your home
Ash catcher so you don’t have ash landing everywhere as you burn and have a big mess to deal with
Environmentally friendly and made from sustainable materials so you can feel good about using it

Cons

If you use long incense sticks (such as 10.5-inch) they will stick out over the edge and some ash will fall out. However, it works fabulously with shorter sticks.

Brass Lotus Censer Stick Incense Holder

Inexpensive Incense Holder

If you're just getting started burning incense, this is a budget-friendly option.

Best on a Budget

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When you’re first getting started burning incense, you probably don’t want to invest a lot of money until you decide if it’s something you’ll keep doing. This inexpensive incense holder is a good way to try it out. It’s beautiful, made from high-quality copper with a locust design. It’ll look amazing anywhere you put it. And if you decide not to continue burning incense, this still looks great as a decoration.

There are five holes on it, which can accommodate a variety of sizes of incense. You can use sticks or cones, and can even burn multiple sticks at once. The layers come apart so it’s easy to wash this holder and remove any smoke.

Pros

Beautiful locust design that will compliment almost any decor and add a unique decoration to your home
Five different holes to hold numerous incense sticks at once
Budget friendly so you can get started without investing a ton of money

Cons

A bit small in diameter, so some of the ash may fall out while you burn instead of all landing in the flower portion of the holder.

OneSoul Collection Ash Catcher Incense Burner

Fireproof Burning Pad

You won't have to worry about accidentally starting a fire when you burn incense on this incense holder.

Best Safety Features

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Burning incense naturally has some risks. After all, you are burning something. However some incense holders, such as this one, are designed with your safety in mind. This incense holder is made from rosewood, a naturally fire-resistant material. There are four magnets to keep the lid secure. When you’re ready to burn an incense stick, you place it on top of the fireproof burning pad. This way, any material that falls will land on this pad and not start a fire.

There’s a storage compartment underneath, so you have a place to keep your incense sticks. While an incense stick is burning, the smoke will waft up through the intricately designed lid. It gives it a unique pattern that’s very relaxing to watch.

Pros

Has a fireproof mat for burning the incense on, to help keep you safe
Lid has several small holes that the smoke comes up through, which is very relaxing to watch
Container for holding your incense at the bottom so you can easily keep everything together

Cons

There aren’t any holes for placing your stick, you’re meant to just set it on the mat and let it burn from there. It’s a bit of a different design in that sense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is burning incense safe?

Whenever you burn something, there are inherent risks. However, there are steps you can take to ensure your safety when burning incense. First, you want to make sure you burn in a well-ventilated area. Though there are plenty of benefits from the aroma released through burning incense, smoke is also released. Smoke naturally has toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and benzene. You don’t want to constantly breathe these in, without having plenty of air circulating. Fire is also a risk. You also never want to let your incense burn unsupervised. If you need to step away, take the time to extinguish the incense. Also, use common sense when burning. You don’t want to have incense burning on wooden furniture or near magazines or books that could easily ignite. When done correctly, burning incense is a safe experience.

How do you light incense?

Most incense holders are designed to hold direct-burning incense such as sticks and cones. You can use a lighter or a match to ignite the end of either of these. Once lit, allow the flame to grow for a few seconds. Then, put it out. The flames will stop, but the tip will continue smoldering for some time.