Maddison Avenue

By the Care2 Staff.

By the Care2 Green Living Staff

Whether you’re planning a romantic wedding or a candle-lit dinner for two, look for these green candle options.

• Beeswax candles are naturally scent-a-licious, non-toxic, soot-free, and non-allergenic. They’re completely renewable and require little, if any, additives. You’ll find that 100 percent beeswax candles are relatively easy to come by and burn longer than regular paraffin candles (a byproduct of petroleum).
• Soy-based candles are generally vegan, soot-free, and biodegradable, and like beeswax, they’re renewable. They also burn up to 50 percent longer than paraffin candles and, if spilled, can be cleaned up with soap and water. Two downsides: First, soy doesn’t throw scent as well as some other varieties. Secondly, you won’t find soy candles for your birthday cake or your candelabra since soy wax is soft and therefore usually encased in a glass jar or tin. Consider opting out of GMO-varieties by choosing Certified Organic ingredients.
• Palm oil comes from the fruit of palm trees (so no plants die during harvesting). Palm oil can be infused with essential oils, allowing them to fill a room with lovely aromas. They’re clean burning and long lasting. Like soy, it’s wise to choose GMO-free palm wax whenever possible.
• Vegans beware: Many candles (yes, even natural ones) are made with stearic acid—an animal-derived fat from meatpacking plants. If this is a concern, read ingredient lists or request more information before buying.
• Hidden ingredients sometimes sneak their way into natural products, so check labels before making a final purchase. In particular, be sure to choose 100 percent paraffin-free options (some natural candle manufacturers add a little paraffin to the mix) and opt out of lead-based wicks, which can be hazardous to your health. Safe wick options include hemp, cotton, or paper. Scent and color may make for a less-than-healthy candle experience, too. Synthetic fragrances often added to candles have been identified as VOC-emitters.

Here we look at how scented candles and aromatherapy can benefit the three aspects of your total well-being—your mind, body and soul.

We hear the word aromatherapy all the time. Guessing from its name, we know that it’s a therapy that has to do something with aroma and fragrances. But what we don’t know about it is how it works wonders for one’s well-being, balancing one’s body and mind.

A form of alternative medicine, aromatherapy is the use of volatile plant oils also called essential oils and other aromatic compounds. It is a therapy designed to treat the well-being of the person by uplifting the mood and assisting the body’s innate ability to regulate, balance and heal itself through the aromatic properties of these essential oils.

There are many ways to immerse oneself in aromatherapy. Many spas and holistic centers offer such service since this is used to aid in relaxation techniques such as meditation and massage.

But if you don’t have time or the budget to indulge in a spa activity, you can have the benefits of aromatherapy right inside the comforts of your own home by lighting up some scented candles such as hand poured soy candles and private label soy candles and basking yourself in the relaxing aroma and ambiance that they will bring you.

The Mind
The scents that come from these candles which are the essential oils incite parts of the brain that affects emotions including the hypothalamus. The aroma of these eco friendly products goes straight to the limbic system which produces chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins. Serotonin reduces anxiety while endorphins work to decrease pain and stimulate sexual response. A result is a balanced emotional state and a positive outlook which has a dramatic therapeutic effect on physiological problems especially disorders that are related to stress.

The Body
The body meanwhile absorbs the essential oil through the skin. These oils travel around cells, enter the sebaceous glands and interact with the natural emollients of the skin. This results in thorough cleansing, detoxifying and balancing of the body.

The Spirit
Aromatherapy has great positive effects on one’s spiritual journey. Scented candles and their aroma are used to assist in meditation and prayers.

The unique properties of essential oils found in some scented candles are efficient in enhancing and affecting energy levels positively. In order to achieve the mental, physical and spiritual benefits of scented candles, it’s a must to engage in a form of relaxation with the use of aromatherapy candles. You may think that you don’t have the time or the money to indulge in such experience. But the truth is when it comes to your state of well-being, there’s no such thing as a waste of time or money. And besides there are wholesale soy candles that are not that expensive. You can also engage in soy candle making which in itself is also a form of a relaxing hobby.

Spend a couple of minutes of your day alone in a room, inhaling rich therapeutic aroma of candles and essential oils. The key here is to keep your mind off things that are related to work and stress. Try your best to imagine that you are in a tranquil place with nothing to worry about. This will do a lot in calming your mind and refreshing your body and soul.

Aromatherapy scented candles are indeed more than just a source of light or an adornment to your house, more importantly they are a catalyst for your body, mind and spirit’s improvement.

Going Green With Soy Candles

In today’s times going green with healthy products like soy candles is very common. As more people become aware of the dangers of paraffin candles they are switching to a much safer alternative green product in scented soy candles.

The traditional soy candle could become the latest weapon against harmful bacteria.

Researchers from the University of Southampton have found that adding essential oils, like eucalyptus, orange and thyme to soy candles can destroy bugs.  Dr Lindsey Gaunt and Sabrina Higgins said adding these oils to plug-in devices had a similar effect. 

The researchers told a conference in Tokyo that adding oils to candles could be as effective as scrubbing with disinfectants.  ‘Kills bugs’  Their tests found that some oils can destroy bacteria like Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus aureas on surfaces.  Thousands of people are infected with Escherichia Coli each year. It is a leading cause of food-borne illness.

While most people recover after a few days, it can lead to kidney failure and death for others.  It is sometimes found in undercooked meat, raw milk and in sewage-contaminated water.  Staphylococcus aureas are commonly carried on the skin. However, they can cause infections if the skin is broken. These range from boils and pimples to pneumonia.

The superbug MRSA is Staphylococcus aureas, which is resistant to a type of penicillin normally used to kill it.  The researchers said further tests were needed to see if adding essential oils to candles could fight the superbug.  “We have only tested against standard laboratory strains of bacteria,” said Dr Gaunt. “We haven’t looked at MRSA.”

The researchers believe that the oils react with ions in the wick and with oxygen to take on anti-bacterial properties. They said adding these essential oils to candles could help people to kill bacteria lurking in their homes.  “I don’t think there would be any harm in doing that,” Dr Gaunt told BBC News Online.  “But I wouldn’t advise people to stop using other methods to keep their homes clean and candles won’t get rid of dirt or grease.”

Susan Ager, who runs an aromatherapy school in Essex, backed the findings. “It proves what we’ve been saying for a very long time,” she told BBC News Online.  “These essential oils used correctly have great benefits - not just to be used on the body but around the house for hygiene.”

Info: BBC News

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