About Us
Why hand-dipped incense? It’s one of the ways I put something good into the world.
People ask me all the time, “Why hand-dipped incense?”
I make my incense by hand because that’s the only way to get a scent that’s just right. It’s not chemically. It’s fresh and natural because I use only the highest quality perfumes and essential oils so you know the scents are going to be amazing. You won’t know the difference until you try it, but trust me, there’s a difference.
It all started after a conversation I had with my mother back when I was a teenager. For some reason, we got on the topic of incense: What if we could make our own? What if it could smell the way we wanted it to smell? What if it could be a natural extension of ourselves through our space? What if it didn’t smell chemical-y? What if it could be the absolute perfect fragrance?
It became my quest to make the perfect incense: hand-dipped, with complex scents, natural ingredients, aromatic perfume, and not a hint of cheap chemical smell.
And over the years, I feel like I’ve perfected the art. My incense are hand-dipped, labour-intensive, heart-felt, and infused with scents I’ve custom-designed. The incense I make last longer and and aren’t chemical based like the factory-made stuff.
Fast-forward a few years: I’ve finished college, got a degree in Political Science and “real” job. Through my business experience, I’ve learned a truth about myself: I love connecting with people and I love how retail offers a chance for people to connect over brands and values.
And I’ve learned another truth about myself: My passion for making high-end, hand-dipped incense remains. And so I created Incense Republic because I want to help you make a difference in your own space.
When I make each batch of hand-dipped incense, I’m thinking of you.
That must sound silly because I know we’ve never met. Unless, of course, you found me and my scented wares hanging out at the Fabulous Flea Market in Brampton. Then, we’ve met and you know what care I take in making crafting these hand-dipped incense sticks.
I can’t help but put some of my heart and soul into your incense. It takes me a week to make a batch. And I really do think of you, even though we haven’t met. I think of you when I mix up what I think are the perfect combinations of perfume oil. And I think of you as I cover the thin bamboo sticks with the natural scents and perfumes. I think of your space.
I wonder if….you’ll burn the incense sticks after you finish cleaning your pad? Maybe it’s a sort of benediction for honouring your clean space?. Or maybe you’ll burn my incense to cover the scent of the cleaning products? I wonder if you’ll you’ll let the incense smolder while you’re reading, to give a scented closeness to your surroundings? And I wonder if, perhaps, you’ll put a stick of incense at your garden gate, as a welcome to trusted friends who enter?
Perhaps the scents will be with you as you meditate in your garden where the perfumed incense will mix with the tranquil outdoor air. I wonder if you’ll focus on gratitude? Maybe this high-quality incense will fall into ashes when you’re practicing yoga, and you let your thoughts turn to the importance of now.
I hope every time you burn it, you’re intentionally adding to your space, and that the rich and pleasing but not overpowering smells are a symbol of your intention to focus on the things that bring you peace and add positivity to your life. I especially hope you’ll burn it every time you want to freshen your space with the smoky-rich aroma of complex perfume. To personalize your space and make it yours.
I realize I’m pretty biased about the scents, so you’d better get someone else’s word
I’m pretty biased, I’ll admit, because I’m so close to the process, because it’s my passion to blend the most amazing combinations of top notes and bottom notes, mixed with the earthy groundedness of the wood. Because I’m not a super-objective when it comes to my perfumed sticks, here’s what a few of my friends and customers have said:
-The smells are elegant and earthy. Not chemically like the incense you get in stores. Just perfect.
-Some of the scents remind me of fall. I love it!
-So pleasant! Distinctive and fragrant but not overpowering! So fresh!
-These are burnable works of art!
-I love the fragrances. Liberation is my favourite because it reminds me of spending a winter weekend warm and safe in a cabin.
-Incense Republic incense are long lasting and the fragrances are true.
-My favourite scent is Independence. It reminds me of my grandparents’ house. My grandpa’s aftershave and my grandma’s hand lotion. Their beautiful garden.
-I got what I thought was a high-end incense. Two weeks later, there was no scent left. Incense Republic’s scents are true and they last!
One of the most common comments I get is:
-Great value for incredible quality! Thank you!
Your Space Matters
{Get it? That’s like a play on words between your home or apartment and the what the universe is made of. A little too much? Yeah, I know...}
Your space needs to be a haven. You want your space to be real and relevant. Just like a republic, your space needs to represent you. Make your fragrances reflect the intentionality of your space.
Your space is what matters when I make your high-end incense. Incense has been used through the centuries, and as you burn incense, it’s a connection through the ages. It’s central to worship, meditation, and grounding. Think of the finger trails of smoke reaching up, tangling, and untangling in a delicate web. The smouldering scented smoke adds a depth of fragrance to the air while seeming to link heaven and earth with its tendrils. Incense is meant to lift prayers, to ward off the bad, and to invite the good. I hope you’ll make it part of your personal revolution and let it represent the place you call yours.