Nag Champa incense is a combination of sandalwood and typically champak that originates from India. While here in the West, the scent is known for spiritual ceremonies and meditation rooms, Nag Champa is used in a wide variety of products, ranging from soaps to perfumes. Essentially, Nag Champa is the “default” scent for incense in a wide variety of countries.
Here’s everything you need to know about Nag Champa incense.
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What Is Nag Champa Incense?
Nag Champa incense combines a Mysore Sandalwood scent with either the Champak flower or the Frangipani flower. To make Nag Champa incense, the incense is dipped into an essential oil mix of the sandalwood and champak scent. Alternatively, the incense may be made from finely ground ingredients and rolled into the incense from the start.
What Is the Scent of Nag Champa Incense?
The scent of Nag Champa has heavy hints of sandalwood with a light undertone of spice featured from the champak flower. Due to how overwhelming the scent is, it’s often hard to use Nag Champa as a daily incense for simply freshening up the house’s aroma.
How Do You Use Nag Champa Incense?
To burn Nag Champa incense, you’ll need an incense burner and your choice of an incense stick, incense cone, or incense powder. From there, you’ll want to find a well-ventilated area of the home or room and set the incense up.
From there, you’ll want to light the incense with a lighter or match stick and let the incense burn for around 5 to 10 seconds. You’ll then blow it out when you start to see the incense give off a slight amber color at the tip or center.
Nag Champa incense will burn anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, depending on your incense type.
When Should You Use Nag Champa Incense?
Typically, you’ll burn Nag Champa incense when you’re looking for help recentering or refocusing. Reentering will refer to times when you feel off balance and not like yourself. While refocusing will refer to times when you can’t seem to dial in on one area.
Times you’ll need to refocus or recenter include:
- Meditation
- Spiritual ceremonies
- Studying
- Watching movies
- Large projects
Where to Buy Nag Champa Incense
Nag Champa incense is available on major online retailers such as Amazon and Etsy as well as in-store at certain grocers such as Whole Foods. Though in-store options will vary based on location.
You’ll find incense cones, sticks, and powders on Amazon and Etsy. While in-store options are typically limited to incense sticks with the occasional incense cone available.
Alternatives to Nag Champa
Nag Champa incense has a very heavy scent that tends to linger in the room you burn it in. It’s so strong, that sometimes it’s even able to encompass the entirety of a 1,000-square-foot apartment. If you fall into either of these two categories, consider these options instead:
- Clove
- Ylang-ylang
- Patchouli
- Chamomile
- Green Tea
FAQs
What does Nag Champa symbolize?
Nag Champa symbolizes centering, focusing, and spiritual awareness. Essentially, you’re able to concentrate and bring yourself back to normal when you feel lost, confused, or mindless.
What is special about Nag Champa incense?
Nag Champa incense is an overarching incense that is used for everything from focusing to cleansing. It’s considered the “default” or “original” incense for many people who think about the scent of incense. When people aren’t sure what to burn in the home, they’ll often default to Nag Champa incense.
Can you make your own Nag Champa incense?
Yes, you can make your own Nag Champa incense. You can use unscented incense sticks and add your own Nag Champa essential oil to control the strength of the scent.
Alternatively, you can crush herbs with resin or gums with essential oils to make your incense sticks or powder from scratch. This can help you dial in exactly what you’re looking to use Nag Champa incense for.
