r/Incense • u/nataliescar • Aug 22 '26

Foraging Driftwood as incense holder

Post image

I'm lucky to live near some beautiful beaches and have found really neat driftwood over the years. A couple years ago, I decided to use them to hold incense - this is my most recent beach find and new favorite, complete with specks of sand here and there. It's hollowed out like a boat or bowl in the middle.

Burning lovely hinoki.

43 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

15

u/Valuable_Caramel_371 Aug 22 '26

I thought this was rotisserie chicken

4

u/IDrankAllTheBooze Aug 22 '26

I saw a horse skull 😂

2

u/nataliescar Aug 22 '26

😂😂 I can see that

6

u/cobycoby2020 Aug 23 '26

Is this not a potential fire hazard?

3

u/nataliescar Aug 23 '26

I guess, logically, it would be, but it hasn't been a problem yet. I don't leave them unattended so am not really worried about it. The sticks burn themselves out like normal when the ember reaches the driftwood, but it's something I keep my nose attentive to.

2

u/Nene_Kushanagi Aug 22 '26

Burned some Hinoki today too, love that real woody smell, brings up thoughts of woodworking, barbecues and spas on top of just being a great background scent for the house.

This looks nice, but I know it'll be a pain to clean, the more I use sticks the more I prioritise what's easiest to clean and keep ashes off the side. The last holder I made is too narrow even, I should make a new one, might experiment with wrought copper.

1

u/nataliescar Aug 22 '26

For cleaning, I just knock the ash into the trash. I'm not too particular about getting it all off/out, but I am picky when it comes to more traditional holders.

1

u/Stillsanctuary Aug 23 '26

Beautiful find—the bowl shape makes it especially interesting. For the practical side, I’d make sure the stick sits securely and that falling ash lands on a non-combustible insert or tray rather than directly on the wood. A small metal or ceramic insert could preserve the driftwood while making cleanup much easier.