Palo Santo & Smudge

Sage is sharp and herbal; palo santo is sweet and resinous. Most people who decide they dislike one have never tried the other, which is the main reason both are here from £1.95.

Bundles run to the extra-long sticks at 30cm, which keep the lit end at arm's length. The Banjara range at £5.95 brings vetiver and patchouli into it, and those are earthier than either wood.

The part people forget is somewhere to put it down. Wooden bowls start at £10.95 and the palo santo heaters at £10.95 warm the stick over a tealight instead of burning it, which produces scent and almost no smoke. Free UK delivery over £30.

Choosing one

If they have never burned any of it, start with wood rather than leaf: palo santo sticks at £4.95 are sweeter and far more forgiving than sage. The 30cm white sage bundles at £2.95 are the other way round — sharp, herbal, and the pack holds eight.

For someone who already burns it, the missing piece is usually somewhere to put it down. A carved wooden bowl is £10.95, and the blue lotus ceramic holder at £13.95 takes bundles, sticks and cones in the same dish.

If smoke is the problem — a rented flat, a sensitive alarm — the palo santo heater at £10.95 warms the wood over a tealight instead of burning it, and produces scent with almost none of the smoke.

Cones that cascade rather than sticks that smoulder are on the backflow shelf, and the dishes and plates are on incense holders. For the stones that usually end up beside them, see crystals and gemstone trees.

Questions we get asked

What is the difference between palo santo and sage?

They are not the same material. Sage is a dried leaf that smoulders sharp and herbal; palo santo is a wood that burns sweet, resinous and closer to warm shavings. Palo santo also needs relighting far more often.

How do you burn a smudge stick safely?

Light the tip, let the flame take for a few seconds, then blow it out and let it smoulder over a heatproof dish. Never leave it burning in an empty room, and open a window while it is going.

Why does my palo santo keep going out?

That is the wood, not a fault. Palo santo self-extinguishes within a minute or two by design. If the constant relighting annoys you, a heater at £10.95 warms the stick over a tealight instead.

Is white sage endangered?

Wild white sage is under real pressure from over-harvesting, which is worth knowing before buying it by the box. Palo santo here is sold as a sustainably harvested wood, and the Banjara range uses Indian sage rather than Californian.