Smudging has gained popularity as a way to cleanse your space of negative energy (among other things). Put simply, smudging is the act of burning sacred herbs for cleansing and purification. You can use a variety of herbs to create your own smudge sticks for burning. In my DIY smudge stick, I used sage (for clearing negative energy) and rosemary (used for protection), but you can bundle most herbs to create a smudge stick with different purposes.
Normally, you’d make a homemade smudge stick by gathering fresh herbs together and them drying it out for about two weeks prior to burning. After all, you should not burn them fresh! Instead, I sped up the process by dehydrating the herbs before bundling. If you have the time though, the traditional method is ideal because dried herbs can crumble easily.
Supplies:
- Sage, fresh or dried
- Rosemary, fresh or dried
- 100% cotton string
- Scissors
Step 1: Pre-dry your herbs if desired (I’ve done this with the dehydration setting on my air fryer). Bundle your chosen herbs together. Pre-dried herbs may be more likely to crumble in this step.
Step 2: Use a cotton or hemp string to tie the bottom together in a knot. Then very tightly wrap the string up the smudge stick and back down to tie it again at the base.
Step 3: Trim the stems of the bottom of the smudge stick if needed.
Step 4: If using fresh herbs, allow the smudge stick about 2 weeks to dry completely. The herbs need to be completely dried and therefore a little brittle before you burn the smudge stick.
How to Smudge
Light the end of the dried smudge stick. Once flaming, blow it out so that it is only smoldering. Set on a safe surface and lightly waft the smoke into areas you would like to “cleanse.” Create as many smudge sticks as you want and enjoy the holistic benefits of smudging!
