A few tips for gently heating and burning resin incenses in small areas:

1. Use a tea light heated oil diffuser. The candle heats the reservoir holding the resins which then heats the incense within it to release their scent. Thick soapstone is a safer choice and is less likely to 'explode' (as thin porcelain diffusers might) with dry heating or if the reservoir goes dry if heating resins with water. It's a good idea to use a little water or unscented wax chips with the resins for gentler heating, especially if using a diffuser made of finer materials.

2. Use a ventilated votive holder fitted with a double-folded piece of metal screen. Place the resins on the screen lid, and a tea candle in the bottom of the holder.

3. If using charcoal, form a little bowl using aluminum foil. Place the foil bowl over the already lit charcoal and add your resins. The foil lowers the burn temperature, thereby burning the resins slower and more gently. Use tongs when dealing with charcoal.

4. Don't burn too much resin at once indoors, as resins tend to be very smokey - you don't want to set off the smoke alarm.

5. Japanese bamboo charcoal burns cleaner than black saltpetre charcoal.

Other tips are welcome.