Burning Palo Santo

We often receive inquiries from customers asking how to burn Palo Santo and what to do with it after burning. Knowing that there are many questions, we have written this article in the hope of addressing your concerns and ensuring a comfortable experience with Palo Santo.

Palo Santo has a high resin oil content, which is a natural characteristic. Generally, it takes a bit longer to ignite than other woods and extinguishes quickly after burning, which is normal.

For better use and burning of Palo Santo, we recommend using a candle for ignition, rather than a lighter or a blowtorch. The gentle flame of a candle can slowly burn through the wood's core, producing smoke for a longer period and making the Palo Santo more durable. In contrast, the intense flame of a lighter or blowtorch often fails to burn through the core, causing it to extinguish quickly, effectively wasting the Palo Santo stick.

An unburned piece of Palo Santo will catch fire quickly. During this stage, be mindful of the flame and keep it away from flammable materials. Allow the flame to stay on the Palo Santo for about 30 to 60 seconds, then gently shake it to extinguish the flame. Then, place the Palo Santo on a fire-resistant dish (such as a brass dish, ceramic plate, abalone shell, etc.) and let the white smoke fill the space, ensuring air circulation. If you wish to purify an object, place it in the smoke for cleansing; for personal purification, let the smoke envelop your body.

Once the space or object is purified, place the Palo Santo on a fireproof dish and let the embers extinguish naturally. If concerned about safety, you can also place it in a fireproof metal box and cover it. The Palo Santo will extinguish naturally once cut off from oxygen. Afterwards, open the windows to let the smoke in the space dissipate gradually.

The frequency and duration of purification vary from person to person and there are no strict rules. You can use Palo Santo whenever you need purification or relaxation. Personally, I use Palo Santo daily as a ritual to start my day, and the entire purification process usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes.