Candles are wonderful additions to any room, whether your aims are magical or for purely decorative and air-freshening purposes, especially as the holiday season rolls around. Of course, if you’re the spiritual sort, then you’re familiar with the notion that there is magical healing in the power of both flame and aroma, and candles are just that perfect mix of energy any time of year.
Sure, you can get ‘flameless’ candles, the ones that are simply a light bulb in a translucent container that runs on batteries and ‘flicker’ as a normal candle would. And it’s true that many universities forbid the use of real candles in the dorm rooms, plus, having a flameless candle is handy if you have little ones toddling around or pets that frequently have ‘crazy moments’ where they race about the house.
But deep down, you know it’s not the same thing. There’s a particular force, a particular energy to having real candles, and if you know how to keep candles safely away from pets and children, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have the relaxing comfort of the flicker, hiss and pop of a genuine candle flame, to say nothing of the lovely aromas you can get, turning your house into a home.
Paraffin vs Natural
It’s true that paraffin candles are a common choice, especially in discount stores where the costs are low enough so that anyone can get a nice-looking, nice-smelling candle and not feel like they’re emptying out their wallets. As times have been tough for many, paraffin has been the go-to ‘fuel’ for candlemakers, both in the factories and in home-based candle-making operations. And many of such candles have artificial scents that can be overwhelming.
However, there’s been enough concern raised over the use of paraffin, because it’s a petroleum-based product, that people have been clamouring to purchase eco-friendly candles with natural ingredients, such as beeswax or soya. Another common desire is for natural scents, such as citrus, basil, chamomile or ylang-ylang that, in appropriate measurements, don’t overpower everyone in the room.
Not only is the use of a petroleum product such as paraffin a concern for environmentalists, burning paraffin can increase the number of carcinogens and soot in the air, which is not good for anyone, but the soot can damage your furniture over time, and smoke from a paraffin candle can aggravate respiratory issues such as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and asthma.
An additional benefit to using soya-based wax candles is that they not only burn cleaner, but they burn slower and cooler, allowing you to enjoy your candles a lot longer. Of course, these are a good option if you want natural candles but live a vegan lifestyle.
If you’re not strictly vegan, however, you might also want to look into using beeswax candles, as they give off a luscious honey scent that is truly warm and inviting, and the warm golden colour is comforting. Also, beeswax burns cleanly, so people with sensitive respiratory systems can be around these candles, if they prefer beeswax to soya-based candles, that is. Beeswax candles do tend to be a tiny bit more expensive than soya candles, but they are well worth it if you want that beautiful honey scent and golden glow.
All this said, there are paraffin-based candles that are not petroleum-based, and paraffin tends to hold scent longer, so you might want to look into that option. Zenspiritual.com has such candles, so these, plus the soya candles will be a good middle ground between purchasing the beeswax and getting a potentially toxic petroleum-based-paraffin candle.
Having an aromatic candle in your home to light the atmosphere for any occasion will keep your home free of toxins as well as provide a relaxing, mood-boosting vibe to any room you choose.