Magazine

Smudge sticks

Smudging is a new-age ritual intended to cleanse a space – and to do it, you need a smudge stick.

Smudge sticks usually consist of a bundle of herbs, tied with string or cotton. To use, you light one end, letting the herbs smoulder gently. It is said that setting an intention in your mind while wafting smoke around a room cleanses the space. The most common smudge stick is made up of white sage, but other types of foliage and flowers can be used. Here I’ve utilised eucalyptus, rosemary, white sage, thyme, rose petals and cinnamon quills.

YOU WILL NEED
Eucalyptus leaves
Rosemary
Thyme
Spray-free roses
Cinnamon quills
White sage
Scissors
Cotton twine or thread (don’t use any synthetic materials or brown twine as they’re toxic when burned)

smudge sticks homestyle 2

1. Gather your materials. Pick your herbs, remove petals from the roses and pluck the eucalyptus leaves from the stem.
2. Gather herbs and flowers, enough to make a carrot-sized bunch in your hand.
3. Lay them together, interlocking any hard stems so that when it all dries out there are no hard stems sticking out.
4. Wrap cotton twine or thread around the bundle of herbs, just enough to keep it together. Tie a knot at the end.
5. Dry your smudge sticks by hanging in a cool dry space.
Once dry they’re ready to use.

Follow @onmyhand on Instagram.

Photography & styling Shaye Woolford

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