I get it. You’ve had a long day, and at the end of the day you just want to curl up on the couch with a good book, light a candle, and decompress from the day. Or maybe running a warm bath with some bath salts is more your style to relax at the end of the day. Perhaps you are like myself and no matter what kind of day you are having, what season it is, what time of day it is there is a candle burning. However, have you ever thought about if the candle you are burning is toxic or not?
I started this journey of making candles in 2012 because I learned that the headaches I was experiencing was from the toxic candles I was burning. I started to research more about candles and the dangers after having a wall plug in that took the finish off our coffee table. I wanted to learn what was I putting into the air for my family to breath in. I was shocked at what I found.
I learned that the paraffin wax candles that I was burning is a petroleum byproduct, and when burnt I was releasing carcinogenic soot when burned. This soot that is released can cause respiratory problems and will aggravate those who have asthma, lung, or heart problems. Have you ever had a candle burn where you had to clean up soot off the wall or ceiling? Yep. You are breathing that in.
Ok, so you’ll just switch to a vegetable base candle. Well sorry to break it to you but the synthetic oils that are often scented in these vegetable base candles release microscopic particles that can cause cancer and other health problems when inhaled.
The good thing is that you don’t have to give up candles completely. Burning 100 percent beeswax candles made with cotton wicks is beneficial to your health. When burning beeswax candles they actually purifier the air. Any one of my customers that have asthma or any other allergies have informed me they actually have noticed a significant difference in their health when burning beeswax vs any other kind of candle. I am here to tell you that unless you are burning beeswax, your candle is toxic for you.