Collection: Myrrh

Frankincense and myrrh, in their natural state, are both resins sourced from the family of trees known as the torchwood family, frankincense and myrrh family or known by their scientific family name Burseraceae.

While frankincense is specifically from the genus Boswellia, and includes species such as Boswellia Sacra and Boswellia Carterii, myrrh comes from the genus Commiphora.

Though their specific chemical compositions will be slightly different, frankincense and myrrh have more similarities than differences.

Both resins are extracted by creating an incision in the tree, which stimulates a natural healing process called gummosis. The product of gummosis is the resulting resin we love to use in our everyday lives.

Both frankincense and myrrh have been recognised for their aromatic and perfumery qualities, as well as their religious, cultural, medicinal and spiritual purposes for thousands of years.

The essential oils extracted from these resins have a wide array of uses. For high-quality resins and oils, buy frankincense and myrrh online at Frankincense Pure.

To release the warm, welcoming tones of your myrrh resin, you can burn myrrh resin whenever you like at home.

Myrrh resin is typically burnt using a charcoal tablet (also known as a disc or puck) and a charcoal incense burner. This process releases the natural pure myrrh oil contained within the resin. It’s quite common to mix both frankincense and myrrh together, their aroma is very complimentary, creating yet another unique aroma to tantalise your senses. We often recommend 2-3 parts frankincense to 1 part myrrh but we encourage you to experiment and create your own favourite blend.

For a brief demonstration of how to burn resin on charcoal, CLICK HERE to watch our short video.

For a brief demonstration of how to burn resin in a tealight incense burner, CLICK HERE to watch our short video.

Or, if you’re looking for an alternative method that doesn’t require charcoal, you can also try heating myrrh resin in a tealight incense holder for a subtle and gentle burn. Choose from ceramic incense burners or brass burners made especially for tealight candles.

At Frankincense Pure we always put safety first. To safely burn incense in Australia, either on charcoal or in a tealight incense burner, ensure it’s out of reach of children and pets and that the area is well ventilated. Never leave your burner unattended and always ensure your burner is on a heat proof surface, away from all flammable items.

Step-by-step how to burn myrrh resin on charcoal

TO START, hold the charcoal safely with a pair of tongs (never handle the charcoal directly). Light the charcoal with a lighter or match (we prefer using easy light charcoals and a click flame lighter with a long reach). Hold the flame to the edge of the charcoal until it ignites. Don’t worry if it doesn’t work on your first attempt, keep repeating until you see orange sparkles travelling through the charcoal (there shouldn’t be an actual flame, only sparkles). A COMMON MISTAKE is when people assume the charcoal has ignited – when it hasn’t. Or it may be only partially lit and they wonder why the charcoal doesn’t retain its heat for long. In most cases, this is because the charcoal has not been fully ignited.

If you want to speed up this initial ignition process, continue to apply the flame from your lighter or match to the entire circumference of the charcoal until you’re happy it’s been fully ignited with orange sparkles travelling through the charcoal. This can take from 30 to 60 seconds. ONCE FULLY IGNITED, place your charcoal in your incense burner.

THEN - WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU WAIT ABOUT 5 TO 10 MINUTES until the charcoal eventually turns grey. This provides the charcoal sufficient sitting time to reach the desired temperature to enable an even and longer burn time.

NOW – PLACE YOUR MYRRH RESIN on the charcoal and enjoy the heavenly aroma!

The charcoal will generally stay warm, continuing to release the aroma of pure myrrh oil anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your lighting technique, rate of air circulation, room temperature, type of incense burner and brand of charcoal. During the single use of your charcoal, you may need to replace your used resins with new ones. The burn time per resin is dependent upon a number of variables such as the clump size, pure myrrh oil concentration, age, quality and origin of your resin.

Enjoy the welcoming and relaxing aroma of myrrh.

TIP: Some people prefer to place a layer of sand between the base of the incense burner and the charcoal to provide heat insulation. Or some people prefer to place a thin layer of sand on top of the charcoal, then place the resin on top of the sand. You may want to experiment to find what works for you.

At Frankincense Pure, we provide myrrh resin and myrrh resin in their raw natural form. Mixing your favourite myrrh resin together with other natural resins such as myrrh provides yet another unique aroma. To buy frankincense and myrrh, check out our collection at Frankincense Pure.

It’s been reported that there are many ways to use myrrh essential oil, however here at Frankincense Pure we only recommend burning myrrh in its natural resin form. We understand there may be people who choose other purposes, however, we are not medically trained and can only recommend myrrh resin to be enjoyed by being burnt safely – on either a charcoal or tealight incense burner, for aromatic purposes.

If you want to buy frankincense and myrrh to use safely in your home or workplace, browse our collection online at Frankincense Pure.

Myrrh resin is easy to turn into myrrh essential oil, with a bit of passion and patience you can enjoy your own oil at home. Browse our resin collection online at Frankincense Pure.

If you have a mortar and pestle at home, simply grind the resin down.

The resin can get a bit sticky if it's humid or contains high oil content. If that's the case, pop it in the freezer the night before, and you’ll find it easier to grind down.

Once the resin has been ground, place it in a heat-proof bowl. Steep the bowl in a pot of boiling water for most of an hour (depending on the amount you’re using).

Next, turn the heat off so the pure myrrh oil can cool and the sediments can settle. It will need about a day to rest. Once it's ready, the myrrh essential oil needs to be strained with a cheesecloth or a coffee filter.

If you’re using a coffee filter, before you start, make sure you rinse the coffee filter with boiling water first to remove any filter residue prior to pouring in the oil. Just like a filter coffee, if need be, you can gently stir the oil to help it circulate and move through the filter, but be careful to be gentle.

Otherwise, if you just leave the oil for some time, it will also filter itself completely. If you prefer to be completely free of sediments, you can filter twice, although it's unlikely you'll completely remove all the sediments.

Now your myrrh essential oil is ready to store in a sterilised glass bottle as a pure myrrh oil.

Always store your essential oils out of reach of children and pets, keep them in a cool, dry place away from light, heat and flammable items.