This is the lavender version of HEM’s palo santo masala series. The hexagonal box, about 25 cm long, is black, with pictures of palo santo sticks and a sprig of lavender. They are made in India. You get one box with one kind of stick, without a holder.
What masala means
Masala is the Hindi word for a spice mixture. For masala incense, a thick paste of spices, resins and wood is rolled onto the stick, so these sticks are usually thicker and their scent earthier. HEM sells this series as masala incense, and the box says so too.
Palo santo and lavender
Palo santo is a South American tree; its Spanish name means “holy wood”. It is a relative of the frankincense and myrrh trees and belongs to the same plant family. By tradition, its smoke is used to cleanse a space energetically, while lavender is the scent of a calm evening. In this stick you can smell both together. If you tend to light incense in the evening, in the hours before bed, this is a good one to choose.
Before you light it
Push the bare end of the stick into a heat-resistant holder, light the tip, and blow out the flame after a few seconds. Don’t leave it unattended while it burns, and let in some fresh air. Masala sticks are usually thicker than ordinary ones, so if the hole in your holder is narrow, push the stick into a small bowl of sand instead.
Before you go to bed, put the incense out by pressing the glowing end into sand or a heat-resistant bowl. Keep an opened box closed, in a dry place.