Candles are great for so many reasons and can even help you reminisce or provide comfort on certain days. It is often said that burning a candle creates ambiance, calms the mind, improves mood, stimulates memories, supports a night of restful sleep, and provides many more benefits.
However, while we look forward to burning wonderfully scented candles, we must ensure that they smell intoxicating, but yet aren't actually toxic. While your favorite candle may have pleasing effects on your senses, it may come with unseen hazards that may impact your health and release unseen pollutants into the general environment.
Knowing this, it begs the question: 'what candles are safe?' Keep reading to find out more.
What Candles are Safe?
All-natural candles such as pure beeswax candles and non-GMO essential oil candles are the healthiest choice in candles. For more context, natural candles are candles made with only natural ingredients and no harmful chemicals or synthetic dyes. They often have vegetable-based waxes like soy and beeswax with wicks that aren't lead-based.
Let's discuss a few of the best kinds of all-natural candles available, shall we?
Pure Beeswax Candles:
Beeswax candles are one of the healthiest choice of candles. Beeswax is a natural product of the honeycomb of the honeybee, a natural flower pollen collecting insect. When natural beeswax is used to make a candle, they produce little to no soot and give off no toxic chemicals as they burn, making them become the cleanest type of candles you can get.
Beeswaxes are 100% natural and a renewable resource and are known to improve allergy and asthma symptoms. Ethically sourced beeswax is collected from abandoned hives by beekeepers and then sold to make beeswax candles and for many other uses.
Just like air purifiers, as beeswax burns, it releases negative ions that trap dust and debris in the air, making your air cleaner. Since they are hypoallergenic (non-allergenic), they have often been used to treat asthma, allergy sufferers, and asthma symptoms.
Beeswax candles come in golden or amber colors and smell like honey and nectar. Although more expensive than other candles, it is important to note, that besides all of the health benefits, beeswax can last up to three times longer.
Please note: You can get these benefits from 100% natural beeswax candles, and not candles called 'blended beeswax' candles, since they may contain paraffin or other potentially unsafe ingredients.
Non-GMO Soy Wax Candles.
Non-GMO soy wax candles are made from 100% natural soy wax made from soybeans that have not been genetically modified (altered in a lab by humans) and are among some of the cleanest burning candles, second only to beeswax candles.
However, getting a non-GMO soy wax candle may be difficult since only a tiny percentage of the total US production of soybeans is organic. In fact, at the time of this writing, approximately 85% of all soy grown in the U.S. is GMO Soy. But rest assured non-GMO soy wax candles do exist.
If you see candles that are made with non-GMO soy wax, you have most likely found a company that truly cares about the environment and the health of those who burn their candles. Since Non-GMO Soy Wax Candles are often very challenging to find, make sure you pick one up the next time you come across them.
All-Natural Non-GMO Soy Wax Candles can be infused with all-natural Non-GMO Essential Oils providing a strong scent that can fill the room with natural botanical oils and no harmful chemicals of toxins making them the next best choice when it comes to healthy candles that are safe to burn around the whole family, pets included.
What Candle Wicks are the Safest to Use?
Non-GMO Organic Hemp Wicks
There are a number of candle wicks available today, however Non-GMO Organic Hemp Wicks are among the best fabric wicks you could burn. Often coated in Vegetable wax and 30% Beeswax, hemp wicks produce a hotter burning wick with little or no smoke and can actually help your candle last longer.
Non-GMO Organic Hemp Wicks are one of the healthiest wicks out there and burn much slower than others making them a premium choice for high-end candle makers.
Wood Wicks
Wood wicks help diffuse heat more rapidly into the wax, producing more fragrance in a room than other wicks. This is one of the main reasons why top Aromatherapy Candles often feature wood wicks and seem to produce stronger scents.
Wood Wick Candles are more sustainable, give off a crackle similar to a fireplace, burn more evenly, and produce much less soot than conventional wicks. All many of the reasons why wood wick candles have become so popular in modern homes today.
Final Thoughts: Why are Organic Essential Oils Necessary for Your Candles?
Whether you are making the candle yourself or buying an all-natural candle, it is best to go with an organic essential oil instead of fragrances.
Although essential oils may not be equally fragrant as chemical-based fragrance oils, they are the much healthier choice by far. Keep in mind, however, that essential oils scents have been known to fade with time when not properly stored. That said, the overall benefits of natural essential oils are excellent. Essential oils have many profound therapeutic effects on us. They can help boost your mood, reduce stress, increase focus, improve sleep, reduce anxiety and pain, create feelings of freshness and joy, and many more.
It is highly suggested to find candles made with Certified Organic Essential Oils as the best options when it comes to naturally scented candles. However, if organic essential oil candles are hard to find, then you can resort to Non-GMO Essential Oils to help you and your household maintain a lower exposure to any potentially harmful chemicals.
To summarize, buying all-natural candles with non-toxic wicks is by far the healthier choice when it comes to cleaner burning candles. For the most delicious scents, it is always best to use organic essential oils, or at least non-GMO essential oils, coupled with a natural hemp wick to have a premium 100% all-natural candle with the cleanest, longest-lasting burn.