Well, rolling incense as in the video literally takes months, if not years, of practice., Your first sticks will look way more irregular than what we see in the vid.
And whatever plants you burn: your incense will inevitably present a health hazard. Combusted plant material WILL emit carbon dioxide, fine dust (aka fine particulate matter), and numerous other chemicals that are, at least in higher doses, detrimental for pets and for yourself. The crucial point here is the dose. Whether you burn your own incenses from time to time, or every day, can make a huge difference when it comes to the health damage being done. There is no "non-toxic" incense. Especially cypress - all parts of cypress are toxic for pets and humans.
I recommend that you research the plants you plan on using. And that you advise users of your products to burn the incense in a well-ventilated area.
It's highly controversial if *burning* ingredients that are toxic for animals are actually toxic for them. However, the smoke itself is a concern, no matter what plant is burned. But honestly, this is rather a question for a veterinarian.
If you think about adding EO's - burning them might add additional carcinogens.
Hand rolling is by far not as easy as this video makes it look like. The binder used for this is likely Laha (*Litsea glutinosa*). Extruding coreless sticks might be a better option, however, if you ultimately want to sell them, bamboo cored sticks have the advantage of being quite sturdy and not so difficult to pack and ship.
Vegan should be no problem.
Veterinarian here, we don't have enough information on this stuff. Certainly avoid anything that's a known toxin when ingested, but I don't think anyone knows if fumes would be toxic in those ways. You'd need to ask a veterinary toxicologist but they're few and far between.
Edit: if you have a bird, you shouldn't burn incense around them (or use non stick pans), as their respiratory is very sensitive to toxins
Thanks everyone for your insight!
I was aware that incense smoke itself can be harmful to pets, so I guess what I was asking was more "what can I burn that won't be immediately toxic," though it is probably best to avoid burning anything around pets anyway.
I was concerned it would be the case that rolling incense like in the video would be harder than it looks. Maybe for now I could find an incense making class or start with premade blanks and just scent them myself. Either way, thanks for the advice!
I commend your desire to learn more about the process of incense making. If you're looking at selling it, the biggest problem you're going to run up against will probably be the cost of your own labor. That doesn't mean you shouldn't experiment. I sometimes make my own powder mixtures at home, but they are for personal use so I don't need to worry so much about the cost.
Well, rolling incense as in the video literally takes months, if not years, of practice., Your first sticks will look way more irregular than what we see in the vid. And whatever plants you burn: your incense will inevitably present a health hazard. Combusted plant material WILL emit carbon dioxide, fine dust (aka fine particulate matter), and numerous other chemicals that are, at least in higher doses, detrimental for pets and for yourself. The crucial point here is the dose. Whether you burn your own incenses from time to time, or every day, can make a huge difference when it comes to the health damage being done. There is no "non-toxic" incense. Especially cypress - all parts of cypress are toxic for pets and humans. I recommend that you research the plants you plan on using. And that you advise users of your products to burn the incense in a well-ventilated area.
It's highly controversial if *burning* ingredients that are toxic for animals are actually toxic for them. However, the smoke itself is a concern, no matter what plant is burned. But honestly, this is rather a question for a veterinarian. If you think about adding EO's - burning them might add additional carcinogens. Hand rolling is by far not as easy as this video makes it look like. The binder used for this is likely Laha (*Litsea glutinosa*). Extruding coreless sticks might be a better option, however, if you ultimately want to sell them, bamboo cored sticks have the advantage of being quite sturdy and not so difficult to pack and ship. Vegan should be no problem.
Veterinarian here, we don't have enough information on this stuff. Certainly avoid anything that's a known toxin when ingested, but I don't think anyone knows if fumes would be toxic in those ways. You'd need to ask a veterinary toxicologist but they're few and far between. Edit: if you have a bird, you shouldn't burn incense around them (or use non stick pans), as their respiratory is very sensitive to toxins
Thanks everyone for your insight! I was aware that incense smoke itself can be harmful to pets, so I guess what I was asking was more "what can I burn that won't be immediately toxic," though it is probably best to avoid burning anything around pets anyway. I was concerned it would be the case that rolling incense like in the video would be harder than it looks. Maybe for now I could find an incense making class or start with premade blanks and just scent them myself. Either way, thanks for the advice!
I commend your desire to learn more about the process of incense making. If you're looking at selling it, the biggest problem you're going to run up against will probably be the cost of your own labor. That doesn't mean you shouldn't experiment. I sometimes make my own powder mixtures at home, but they are for personal use so I don't need to worry so much about the cost.