How To Burn Copal Resin Without Charcoal Ultimate Guide – Updated 2024

Cannot bear the smoke when burning copal resin on charcoal? Today, I will show you how to burn copal resin without charcoal. 

Aromatherapy is a long-standing practice of using the aroma of natural substances in plants such as balms, oils and resins to promote humans’ well-being. 

The mechanism behind is that when you burn the extracts, their smells can sooth your mind and their vapors will be absorbed by your body for immense health improvement. 

There are countless methods of aromatherapy. Today, we come up with one that we believe is favored by a majority of people: Burning Copal Resin Without Charcoal. The reason is that copal resin is known for treating anxiety and insomnia. 

We don’t use charcoal because it produces a lot of smoke and does harm to people having asthma or any other breathing illnesses. 

This article will give you information about how to burn copal resin without charcoal. We believe this is an optimal way to give you better health, both physical and mental. 

Here are some criteria to help keep track of your posts without skipping any helpful details:

• Benefits of burning copal resin

• What is needed for this tutorial
• Step by step instructions
• Q&A
• Conclusion

Benefits of burning copal resin

Before going into the important part about how to burn copal resin, I would like to share some information about this practice’s benefits.

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Assists mindful meditation practice

Copal resin provides powerful aid for meditation because of its stress-relieving properties. 

Burning copal resin during meditation will help soothe your mind so you can clearly peruse your thoughts and feelings carefully. 

It has the ability to intensify the connection between humans’ mind to the divine and induce smooth thinking during meditation. 

Copal resin is said to help to get rid of negative energy and purify people’s spiritual world by connecting the rejuvenating force of the sun with the earthy properties.

Energetic Cleansing

In the old days, copal was used as a cleaning tool. Not only can it remove negative energy from surroundings and objects but it also emits a comfortable smell for your house. 

Therefore, with these properties, it can help to purify the body’s inner energy. It puts the mind in a balancing and peaceful state, which is pretty helpful for your mental health. 

In addition, it can balance hormones in your body thus reducing menstrual cramping, mood swings, nausea, headaches, etc.

Release anxiety and depression

A real scientific study has found that burning copal resin can significantly alleviate anxiety and depression. Although incense is typically not a medical healer, copal incense is an exception. 

If you find yourself stuck in these conditions, burning copal resin can really help. 

Improve skin complexion

Doctors in the Toledo area and other scientific documents state that copal resin’s vapor, when absorbed by skin, gives it a healthier look. Furthermore, it can deal with acne and wrinkle on your skin effectively. 

Prevent heart disease

Copal has anti-inflammatory properties which may help decrease inflammation common in heart disease although there is no official study proving this effect. 

What you will need to follow this tutorial?

First, you need to prepare the following materials and tools to burn the copal resin: 

• Aromatherapy oil burner or warmer 

An oil warmer or an oil burner is a heating device that operates by heat sources like a candle. There are two main types of oil burner: glass and ceramic. Each has its own benefits and can be used under specific circumstances. Their difference lies in their designs. While a glass burner has a separate dish sitting on a metal or a ceramic stand, a ceramic oil warmer is all one single piece. Ceramic oil warmers are normally used for wax blocks or molten wax, but they will still work with copal resin.

You can either use an electric burner or a normal warmer. In this article, I will show how to burn resin with both of them. 

You can buy oil burners at candle accessory stores or on online shops. 

• Oils

There are so many different oil options for copal resin burning.  

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Essential oils are concentrated oils extracted from plants. Not only do they deliver great smell, but they also have beneficial natural compounds.

Fragrance oils are synthetically made oils that smell great too but they do not contain any beneficial chemical compounds besides artificial substances. They’re much cheaper than essential oils as they don’t include complex and time-consuming extraction processes. 

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As this article is geared towards health-conscious readers, we will recommend buying essential oils for resin burning. 

There are countless types of essential oils available on the market, to name a few:

Lavender

Its subtle scent can help people to relax and easily fall into sleep. Furthermore, breathing in its smell has been testified to mitigate headaches and anxiety.

However, check out whether you are intolerant of the lavender scent or not or else you may suffer from skin irritation, nausea, headaches and vomiting.

Roman chamomile

This oil boasts a mixture of a light floral and herbal aroma thus being able to ease your mind when evaporating. 

It has been found to treat illnesses like eczema and inflammation.

This oil should not be used by those who have an allergy to marigolds, daisies, and ragweed. 

Rose

Inhaling the rose scent can help alleviate anxiety and enhance the look of your complexion with its antioxidants.

However, to prevent skin irritation caused by frequent exposure, you should dilute it with more carrier oil.

Hyssop

This essential oil has been found to treat inflammation or scarring and can be a healing agent in general.

However, it will cause trouble when used by expectant mothers or those having a history of seizures.

Ylang ylang

The spicy but sweet scent emitted from this oil helps with giving a sense of relaxation and does immense good to your skin as well as hair. 

Myrrh

This essential oil has a sappy smell and helps remove acne or cracked skin. It is also said to do good for athlete’s feet.

However, using it topically may lead to skin issues. More severely, heart irregularities and lower blood pressure can follow. Additionally, the pregnant will run the risk of miscarriage.

Vetiver

Its antioxidant properties support skin improvement and scar healing. The soothing scent of vetiver tremendously benefits your overall mood and nerves.

Unlike other oils, it causes no side effects for sensitive skin or pregnant people. 

Frankincense

This one has all kinds of digestive, disinfectant, astringent, and antiseptic properties. It can also improve skin health as well as prevent oral problems like toothaches, bad breath, mouth sores, and cavities. 

Skin sensitivity is expected but there is no major side effect you will be concerned about. 

Grapefruit

It’s been found to have antifungal properties that may help remove any harmful bacteria inside.

• Copal resin

Copal resin comes with different shapes. You can buy a bag of stick resin or chunk resin. The former requires you to buy additional sand or an incense holder. For the latter, it is necessary to buy small chunks of resin. 

• Heat sources

If you intend to use electric burners, you don’t need to buy heat sources.

There are two popular heat sources you can use: tea light and votive candle. Give a look at the below comparison.

You should consider the size of your warmer beforehand. A votive candle can be too tall for a medium-sized warmer. 

Tinfoil

Although every burner has a plate to put your resin on, you will want to simplify the cleaning process by using a tinfoil cup. You can use it for many times before it wears down. 

Tongs

When the whole burner heats up, its body will be very hot so you need to remove the lid with tongs.

Ultimate guide

Burning copal resin on electric burner

Step 1: 

Put a small amount of copal resin into the tinfoil cup that you have placed on the resin burner.

After the burning process, the burned residue will stick to the burner and cause trouble of cleaning so a tinfoil cup is extremely important. 

With large chunks, you can crush them a bit with a mortar and pestle so they can be burned more easily. 

Step 2:

Add one or two drops of essential oil you have chosen to optimize the effect and put the lid in place. 

Step 3:

Then, connect the electric burner to the outlet and turn it on. 

If the burner has a temperature gauge that enables you to customize the heat, you should switch the heat to 235 °F (113 °C), and put the lid on top. Some people prefer to set the highest temperature but it takes time of experimenting before you know which heat suits you best. 

Step 4:

The rest of the process is just waiting for the burner to heat the resin. 

After the copal resin has been burned for a little bit, you will want to stir the mixture. If you want to move the lid, use tongs in order not to get hurt.

When you have finished, just switch your electric burner off and let the burned residue cool before dispensing.

Burning copal resin on a stove 

If you don’t want to invest in an electric burner, you can make do with the stove in your house. It can be either an electric stove or a gas stove.

Step 1:

Put down a pan or a piece of aluminum foil on the stove. You can double the latter for better heating. 

If you opt for a pan, don’t use one that has a nonstick coating.

Step 2:

Set a medium-high temperature for the stove. Then, put a piece of resin on the foil or the pan. 

You shouldn’t ignore the stove as you have done with the electric burner. You can add more resin if you want during the burning process.

Pay attention to it to turn the heat down when the copal is burning too hot for your liking.

Burning copal resin on a warmer for less smoke

Step 1: 

Pour a small amount of oil into the dish. If you don’t want to clean the dish after burning, you can put on a tinfoil cup. The amount of oil relies on the size of the dish or the size of the cup. 

As a rule of  thumb, a favourable amount is around 1 to 1 to 2 teaspoons. 

Type of oil depends on your own tastes and purposes. 

Putting some oil into the dish prevents it from cracking because of the high temperature. 

Bear in mind that you mustn’t add water as the oil will easily evaporate and lose its functions. 

Step 2: 

Put some copal resin incense into the oil. If you use resin powder, one teaspoon is good. In case your resin comes in chunks, use 4-5 pieces instead.

Step 3: 

Set fire to a tea light candle or a votive candle and put it into the oil warmer. 

Here, there are two ways of lighting the candle. One is that you use a candle lighter to light the candle after you have put it into the warmer. Another is that you use matches or regular lighters to light the candle and then carefully put it into the oil warmer.

When choosing the candle, use an unfragranced one to protect the aroma of the incense.

Step 4: Let the oil heat up

How long this heating process takes is determined by the oil warmer material, the amount of oil you use and the size of the oil warmer. The average time is a few minutes or longer.

When the oil is burned, the resin will heat up and release its fragrance slightly.

You can figure out whether the oil is hot or not based on the intensity of the smell. When it’s hot, you don’t need to do anything. Just leave it alone and enjoy the blessing. 

Step 5: Extinguish the candle when you are done

Although the warmer can work on itself, you shouldn’t leave it unattended, especially when there are children in the room. 

Let the candle burn until it extinguishes itself. Some people extinguish the warmer sooner because they dislike the earthy smell that copal resin produces when burned for a long period of time. 

Blow off the candle when you have generally finished. 

Step 6: Replace the resin and oil after 3 to 4 days

If you burn incense every day, you will need to replace it after 3 to 4 days. After the first use, you should add more oil. 

If you don’t use the oil warmer regularly, just empty it and make sure you clean with a paper towel.

For stick resin

In case you prefer resin in stick shape, light the bigger end. Then put the smaller end in an incense holder built for stick incense or in a bowl filled with sand. 

Making an incense burner

There is another choice for you. You can make a resin burner yourself to save a lot of money. 

You will need: an empty soda can 

Step 1:

The criteria for the can is that it must be thick and tough. Don’t use food cans as they don’t have the proper bowl-shaped bottom.

Clean the soda can with liquid dish soap or hand soap and water. 

Step 2:

Cut the can in half and keep the bottom half, discard the top half. Make sure you cut it as craftily as possible so the burner is stable enough. You can draw a round line first or use tape. 

One better way is that you cut the can two-thirds of the way from the bottom to comfortably trim the can afterwards.

Step 3:

Use scissors to cut off any sharp points around the edge of the bottom half. Place it upside down on a table and make sure that it stands straight.

The inside of the can must be dry. 

Step 4:

Wrap a piece of masking tape around the cut part of the can. The top half of the tape should stick out the edge while the bottom half of the tape is on the can.

Then, fold the extra tape into the can.

Any sticky tape can be used. This tape will protect you from the sharp edge. 

Step 5: 

Utilize a craft blade or a pair of closed scissors to cut 3 to 4 evenly-distanced V-shaped forms into can and create triangular holes. 

These V-shapes add oxygen to increase the flame so their direction is unimportant. Their size is typically around 1.3 to 2.5 cm. 

Step 6:

Make sure the can stands stably when flipped over. Next, poke some round holes amidst the bowl-shaped bottom with a hammer and nail. 3 or 4 holes are enough for the tealight to burn the resin.

Step 7:

Choose a tea light that is big enough to fit into the space provided by the can. The tealight mustn’t contain a strong smell or it will dominate the resin’s fragrance. 

Set in onfire and put the can over provided that the bowl-shaped bottom is facing up. 

As you are playing with fire, don’t make the tealight exposed to a tablecloth or a wooden table. You can use a ceramic plate or put it on other heat-safe surfaces.

Step 8:

Because there are holes on the surface of the can, you musn’t pour resin and oil directly onto the bowl. 

Instead, use an empty tea light or a tinfoil cup and place it over the handmade warmer. Fill the container with oil and resin. The amount shouldn’t exceed half of the container. 

Another important point is that vegetable oil should be used in lieu of essential oil. 

This handmade burner is reusable many times but when there is any trace of dent, you should make a new one. 

Q&A

What is the right time to burn resin?

This depends on your own interest. Some people like to enjoy the smell in the morning or when working for enhanced concentration. During praying or meditation, copal resin plays an important role too.

Special occasions for burning resin are solstice celebrations, moon phases, the Twelfth Night. 

Should pregnant women burn resin?

The answer is that pregnant women shouldn’t burn resin. There may be unknown health risks ahead. But there is still another choice. You can consult your GP about the resin you have chosen. 

What should we do with air during the burning process?

The room in which you burn copal resin should be sufficiently ventilated so enough oxygen supply is provided for safe respiration. If you feel stuffy, ventilate the room again until you feel comfortable. 

How to store copal resin? 

Resin incense must be stored in airtight containers and far away from light.

What should I do if I want to cool down the resin? 

You can use a fan to allow air to move the heat away or you can lift the container up from the surface of the burner. 

How to prevent your resin from bubbling? 

Rolling the resin before burning to break the surface tension thus they have been trapped and cannot move vertically anymore. 

Conclusion

No matter whether you are a spiritual practitioner or not, I highly recommend you embrace the burning resin practice as it will be really helpful for your life especially when you are suffering from anxiety on a daily basis.

Make sure to follow all of the safety guidelines and always keep an eye on your resin burner. 

Finally, I hope you guys will gain tremendous benefits from this article and will enjoy your life with this amazing practice!

Here is a video about yoga practicing. You can combine burning resin with yoga to lead a better life. 

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