How to choose eco-friendly candles

May 21, 2008
Filed under: Candle News — admin @ 2:25 pm

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.

Scented Candles and their Aromatherapy Benefits

May 9, 2008
Filed under: Candle News — admin @ 8:52 am

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.

Natural Soy Candles Help You to Go Green

Filed under: Candle News — admin @ 7:13 am

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.

Not only are soy candles safer for you and the environment they have other benefits as well. For example soy candles burn at a much lower temperature than paraffin candles. You can actually put you finger into soy wax that has been heated by your candle and it just feels warm to the touch. It does not burn you like paraffin candles.

In fact many people use it as a hand lotion and rub it into their hands. Not only does it feel good but if you are using a scented soy candle your hands will also smell good.

Sometimes going green is a sacrifice but that is not the case with soy candles. With soy candles you get a candle that burns at a lower temperature, burns up to 50% longer paraffin candles, cost about the same as a paraffin candle and is good for the environment.

Paraffin candles emit 11 known toxins when they are burned. Since you usually burn them in your house you are in a confined area with these toxins. The black smoke that is emitted from these candles adheres to your walls, furniture, air filters and to everything else in your house.

Soy candles are eco-friendly as they do not emit black smoke and are made from natural soybeans. Soy why not try a handmade soy candle today. In fact the next time that you have to buy a gift for someone buy them a soy candle and help them to help the environment with a healthy alternative to paraffin candles.

http://www.goinggreencandles.com/