There are many reasons to start burning natural candles. Not only do they smell wonderful and create a relaxing atmosphere, but they also have a variety of other benefits.
- There are many benefits to burning natural candles, including the fact that they smell wonderful and can help create a relaxing atmosphere.
- Natural candles are made from ingredients like soy wax, beeswax, and essential oils which make them safer than conventional paraffin candles.
- Scented candles can be used to relieve stress and fill your home with pleasant smells.
- When choosing a scented candle, it is important to select one made with natural ingredients in order to avoid exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
100% Natural Scented Candles
Choosing a scented candle for your home is a bit like choosing a perfume. The scents we choose can affect our emotions, promoting calm and relaxation, invigorating us or helping us concentrate.
And smells can evoke memories, cookie baking can take you back to your grandma’s kitchen, and fresh-cut grass on a Summer’s day might remind you of seemingly endless summer holidays as a child.
Natural Soy-Based Candles vs Paraffin Candles
Natural soy-based candles are made from natural ingredients and fragrances that are blended together to create a natural smell that is pleasing to people of all ages. The natural ingredients used in these candles can help keep your house smelling fresh and clean, by eliminating the smells caused by cooking, cleaning products, natural body scents and more.
If you have pets at home, or young children that play in the garden, their natural odours are often brought into the house on clothing and shoes etc. Having these candles burning throughout your house will reduce these smells significantly.
Non-toxic candles also give off very little smoke when they burn which is good for both your health and that of other members of your family. When conventional paraffin candles are burned they produce large amounts of toxic chemicals such as carbon monoxide which are known to cause cancer in humans. Using candles made from natural ingredients is a great way to make your home safer for everyone that lives there.
Natural scented and unscented candles are safe to use around children and pets because natural ingredients such as beeswax, soybean wax, coconut oil, palm oil or natural herb oils and fragrances are used instead of potentially dangerous chemicals that can be found in conventional paraffin candles.
Scented Candles Are Great for Relieving Stress
Using natural scented candles around the house to create a relaxing atmosphere is a great way to relieve mental stress. Whether you are trying to relax after a hard day at work, or unwind from the stresses of family life, natural candles can help.
The specific natural ingredients used in these candles such as soy wax, pure essential oils and natural fragrances all have natural relaxing scents that will make your home smell fresh and clean with very little effort. You do not have to constantly keep adding new candles either because these candles offer long-lasting fragrances that continue to fill your home with their beautiful scents over several days.
If you want to relax after work, consider lighting natural soy-based scented candles when you get home so they can burn for a few hours while you cook your evening meal. Their natural soybean fragrance will relax you and make the house smell fresh when you have finished cooking, helping to create a peaceful atmosphere that is ideal for unwinding after work.
Natural scented candles are also a great natural alternative for aromatherapy. Many people use aromatherapy oils on their skin or in the bath to relieve stress, but natural soy candles can do the same job at a better price.
These candles have natural fragrances that are mixed with natural herbs so they will help you unwind and feel more relaxed without having to worry about being exposed to potentially dangerous chemicals from artificially scented bath oils.
Do Scented Candles Affect Air Quality?
If you want to create a gratifying ambiance in your home, scented candles are the easiest way to do this. Just by lighting a scented candle, you will fill the room with a sweet fragrance of your favorite flower, spice, or dream garden.
Given that candles release substances into the air as they burn, the discussion on whether scented candles affect air quality has been going on for a while.
Unfortunately, it is widely agreed that most scented candles will harm the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). This will nonetheless depend on several factors from the type of wax and fragrance used to the wick of the candle.
Paraffin wax
Most scented candles have paraffin wax, which is a by-product of petroleum. When the wax is burned, it releases toxic volatile organic compounds into the air, including benzene, acetone, and toluene- all known as carcinogens.
These are the same compounds released in diesel fuel emissions linked to asthma attacks, skin problems, and allergies. According to researchers, it would take years of continued use of paraffin wax to be a significant health risk.
Paraffin wax also produces a considerable amount of soot. Once airborne, these ultrafine soot particles are inhaled, penetrate the deepest parts of the lungs, and absorbed into the bloodstream. These particles are associated with some respiratory diseases, asthma, strokes, heart attacks, and even cancer.
Synthetic fragrance
There are also scented candles that use chemicals to create a pleasing aroma. When burnt, these synthetic fragrances and dyes give off dangerous, volatile organic compounds, including alcohol, esters, limonene, and formaldehyde.
The compound may cause dizziness, respiratory tract infections, allergic reactions, and asthma attacks.
Cored Wicks
Since the fragrance oils soften the wax, many scented candles with cotton wicks wrap the cotton around a metal support. In the past, most cored wicks had lead as the metal support, and today, tin and zinc are generally used. Research shows that metal-core wicks release trace amounts of heavy metal when burnt.
Whereas you may not feel the negative health effects of candles that use paraffin wax, synthetic fragrances, or metal cores immediately, research shows that the effects may appear in the long term.
Therefore, it is advisable to use natural candles. This will have the minimum effects on the air quality of your home when compared to paraffin wax candles. Whether its a soy candle or a biodegradable natural wax candle, a natural candle is a safer option.
Natural Candles
- Soy wax candles- Soy wax candles, do not contain toxic pollutants. They also produce significantly less soot and burn slower than paraffin products, and are suitable for vegans. Soy wax burns cleaner.
- Beeswax candles
- Natural fragrances- These fragrances are created from essential oils derived from flowers and plants. Unlike synthetic fragrances, they do not release dangerous toxins.
- They last longer, because they burn at a lower heat or lower melting point, natural candles burn longer than a paraffin candle.
Is It Bad to Smell Scented Candles?
The sweet fragrances of scented candles have won a heart too many. Whether it’s the smell of your favorite flower, spice, or garden, these candles fill rooms with wonderful aromas. At times, you’ve probably found yourself leaning on one and taking in the smells directly.
The ingredients of a candle determine how healthy it is to smell one. For instance, natural candles are made from either soy wax, bee wax, coconut wax, or palm wax.
When burnt, these waxes do not release toxic compounds; hence it’s safe for you to smell the candle. Natural candles also use wooden or 100% woolen wicks that burn without releasing harmful compounds.
Some scented candles, on the other hand, use petroleum wax. This wax releases a lot of soot and toxic compounds that are harmful in the long term. Research also shows that petroleum candle wax still releases these harmful volatile organic compounds even in an unlit state.
Some also use metal-core wicks that release small amounts of heavy metal when burnt. Therefore, smelling them is not a healthy habit since you will be inhaling these compounds.
