How to Charge Crystals: 7 Methods

Different crystals attract fortunate circumstances, positive emotions, and expansive thoughts into your life, making you extremely happy, successful, and content. Various crystals are linked to the chakras and can help heal and balance them.

Each chakra is responsible for a different aspect of you, and when your chakras are out of balance, it causes chaos and disruption in your life.

What does charging crystals do? Not charging them may compromise your crystal’s ability to bring happiness, expansion, and mind-blowing experiences into your life. If your crystals are not providing you with the emotional healing and positive change in your life they formerly did, you need to charge and cleanse them.

Your crystals should typically be cleansed and charged once a month to maintain and enable them to perform at their best. Fortunately, there are various ways to cleanse your crystals, and knowing how to charge crystals can help you keep them functioning at their peak.

Keep reading, and I will teach you how to charge certain crystals.

Salt Water

bag of rock salt together with sea shell and dried star fish

Learning how to use water and salt water to charge your crystals is simple, and doing so simultaneously cleans your crystal of dust and debris.

How to Charge Crystals in Water

For a quick charge, run your crystal under running water for a few minutes. While not a thorough detox, doing this can help remove some bad energy from your crystal.
When it rains, leave your crystals outside.
Soak water-safe crystals in a bowl of salt water for 24 hours to charge them.
You can place your bowl with saltwater outside in the moonlight for an extra powerful charge.
Place your crystals in a river stream, or the ocean, for a powerful natural water charge.

Use This Method For:

Quartz crystals charge well in water and saltwater.
Agates react well to water.
This method is excellent for knowing how to charge Jade crystals, as well as how to charge Red Jasper crystals.

Do Not Use This Method For:

If there are cracks in the stone, immersing a crystal in water for an extended period could cause the crystal to discolor, or allow water to seep in.
Hematite, Lepidolite, Pyrite, Kunzite, and Kyanite should not go in water, as it can result in discoloration and brittleness.

Moonlight

The greatest approach to cleansing your crystals overnight is with moonlight. When the Moon is full, at its brightest, is the most ideal time to charge and cleanse a crystal , but you can do so at any other time of the month when moonlight is visible.

How to Charge Crystals in Moonlight

During the night of the full moon, set your crystals on the terrace, a windowsill, or somewhere else outside.
Leave your water-safe crystals in a bowl of fresh water outside on the night of the full moon for a very potent and thorough cleaning.

Use This Method For:

Selenite, as it is brittle, and other charging methods can cause it to break.
Quartz crystals, as this method prevents sun damage.
Halite, as it can easily dissolve in water, or from the heat of the sun.
This method is excellent for knowing how to charge crystals like Howlite, Opal, or Moonstone.

Do Not Use This Method For:

This method is safe for most crystals if it is not raining. Ensure it is not raining; if it is, avoid putting crystals outside that should not be in water, such as Fluorite, Tourmaline, or Aquamarine.

Selenite

Selenite is a crystal that charges other crystals, which makes it super helpful. Knowing how to charge your crystals with Selenite will enable you to charge them at any time of day.

Charging Crystals with Selenite

For 24 hours, leave your crystal sitting on a Selenite slab, in a Selenite bowl, or touching a Selenite stick, wand or tower.
Leave your Sun-safe crystals in the sun for 30 minutes while it is in contact with a Selenite tower, wand, or slab for a speedier charge.
Before utilizing Selenite to charge your crystals, there is no need to cleanse or charge it. Selenite charges itself; cleansing is only necessary after extensive use.
When not in use, you can place your crystals beside a piece of Selenite, touching it so that it can be charged and purified daily.
If you are wondering how to charge crystals with intentions, point your Selenite toward your crystal while envisioning the purpose you have for it.
If you want to know what to say when charging crystals, you can use any positive affirmation that aligns with the crystals’ abilities.

Use This Method For:

All crystals can be charged with Selenite safely indoors.

Do Not Use This Method For:

If using sunlight and Selenite to charge your crystals, avoid using crystals that should not go in the sun.
Do not charge crystals with Selenite outside when it rains, as the water can damage your Selenite.

Sunlight

Short periods of sun exposure are safe for most crystals. When you need to cleanse and charge your crystals quickly, place them in the sun.

How to Charge Crystals in The Sun

Place your crystals outside in the sun to charge them. Certain crystals can’t handle sun exposure for too long, so check if it is a sun-safe crystal beforehand.
Leave your crystals sitting on a slab of Selenite, or contacting a piece of Selenite while it is charging in the sun for 30 minutes, for extra potent cleansing.
For your crystal to absorb the light of the Sun and the Moon, the best time to leave it outside for a charge is just before sunset, when the Moon is almost, or entirely, full.
If you want to know how to charge chakra stones, leaving them together in the sunlight for 30 minutes is an excellent method.

Use This Method For:

Obsidian is a sun-safe crystal and charges well in the sun.
Carnelian and Red Jasper are orange stones, and most orange crystals are safe to leave in the sun.
Dark stones like Labradorite, Hematite, and Tiger’s Eye are unlikely to fade in the sun, and are safe for sun charging.
Jade, Lapis Lazuli, and Angelite are sun-safe and do not lose their color in the sun.
White crystals like Howlite that do not have color pigment are safe to leave in the sun.

Do Not Use This Method For:

Quartz crystals like Rose Quartz and Amethyst can only endure limited sun exposure. Place them outside for a few minutes only to charge them in the sun.
Smoky Quartz will go gray, or brown, in the Sun, and you must avoid sun-charging it.
Blue Calcite can go brittle and fade when in the Sun.
Fluorite is very sensitive; only a few minutes in the sun can cause it to fade.

Salt

Salt can charge various crystals because of its natural cleansing and detoxifying properties. Since salt is a crystal in and of itself, you may use it to charge crystals just like how other crystals like Selenite or Clear Quartz can.

How to Charge Crystals with Salt

Bury your crystal for 24 hours in a dish of salt to cleanse it. The salt will absorb the crystal’s negative energy.
Throw away the salt after you finish using it, since it will absorb and retain any bad energy in your crystals.
It would be best never to consume the salt you used to charge a crystal.

Use This Method For:

Pearls can be cleansed in salt, as they are found in environments with water and salt.
Quartz crystals like Rose Quartz or Citrine charge well when buried in salt.
Most crystals are safe to be charged in salt, as long as they’re not porous.
This method is one to know if you are wondering how to charge Citrine crystals.

Do Not Use This Method For:

Porous crystals like Coral, Onyx, Amber, and Emerald can let salt in, which can cause damage.

Sand

Most crystals originate from the earth; thus, returning a crystal to its origin is one of the best methods to charge it. In addition, you should charge very old, or new, crystals you have acquired from someone else by burying them in the earth, which is an excellent method to achieve a deep cleanse.

How to Charge Crystals in Dirt

The best soil for burying crystals is undisturbed, natural dirt.
Dig a hole and bury your crystal after choosing a location in the wild.
Your crystals can stay in the soil as long as you like. If your crystal is new, you must bury it for at least a week.
Once you remove your crystal from the soil, run it under water for 1 minute to remove residual dirt. Before doing this, make sure it is a water-safe crystal; otherwise, brush it down with a soft, dry paintbrush.

Use This Method For:

Most crystals are found underground, or on rocks covered with soil; therefore, you can bury most crystals.
This method is excellent for knowing how to charge crystals like Carnelian.

Do Not Use This Method For:

Selenite is brittle, and burying it is best avoided.
Soft crystals like Halite can dissolve in the soil if it is wet.
It is best to use water-safe crystals for this method, like Tiger’s Eye or Jasper, because if the soil is wet or it rains, it can damage certain crystals.

Incense

Sage, Palo Santo, and incense can purge negative energy from people, things, places, and crystals. You get the best of both worlds by cleansing crystals with sage, as you also detoxify yourself and your environment simultaneously.

How to Charge Crystals with Incense

Place a lit Palo Santo stick, lit sage bundle, or incense in a heat-resistant or ceramic dish.
Gently move the smoke around the crystal with your palm or a feather. Make sure the smoke covers the entire crystal.
Declare that you want the smoke to purify your crystal. Setting your purpose will be easier if you envision the smoke and flames destroying the crystal’s bad energy.
Imagine the negative energy dissipating into nothingness, as the smoke disappears and exits the room.
To avoid potential fire concerns or excessive smoke inhalation, use this method outside if possible. If you would rather carry out the ritual inside, ensure the windows are open to allow enough ventilation.
If you want to know how to charge crystals with sage candles, you can place your crystals next to the lit candles for 2 hours for an efficient charge.

Use This Method For:

As the smoke from smudging cannot harm your crystals, this method is the safest method to charge all crystals.
This method is excellent for knowing how to charge crystals like Amethyst, Ruby, or Pyrite.