Choose Healthier Candles

We use candles for so many reasons, but most of them are emotive - romance, ambiance, to create a calming atmosphere or for meditation

So which candles should we be using? There is no black and white of which candles are the best, but some are definitely better than others. There are bazillions of great candles on ekko.world if you want examples of what to look for. 

In reality, there are pretty much three things in a candle. Wax, a wick and, where relevant, fragrance. 

Wax

Beeswax and soy candles are generally a better alternative to petroleum based candles.Only buy 100% beeswax candles or 100% soy candles. There are a lot of fake candles around that advertise that they are beeswax or soy candles when they actually only contain small amounts of beeswax or soy.

Fragrance

The main thing to check for with fragrances is how they are made. What you want to find is a list of pure essential oils and what you don't want is a chemical cocktail that produces a scent. (I personally find that 'scents' are thinner smelling and a little sickening.)

Wicks

Choose lead free, natural fibre wicks. According to candles.org, "most high-quality wicks are made from braided, plaited or knitted fibers to encourage a slow and consistent burn. In general, twisted wicks are of lower quality than braided or knitted wicks. They burn much faster because their loose construction allows more fuel to quickly reach the flame."

Read the label

The most expedient way to check the integrity of any product is to read the label. Pretty much every natural, organic, palm oil free, fair trade, made local product will tell you exactly what is in their product. Check things like:

• Is there an ingredients list to tell you what the wax and fragrance are made of?
• If there is no ingredients list, be wary. The candle may well be paraffin.  For the fragrance, look for commentary about how the fragrance was developed. 
• If there is no information about the origin of the fragrance, look for double speak like this: "We are committed to using quality fragrance from essential ingredients for consistent product performance."
  
  Pretty much whenever you see a word that is generally integral to purity in a product being used as an adjective and not a noun, you can be almost certain that you are being intentionally misled.
• If the label is mostly taken up with safety instructions and holds limited information about how the candle was made or how it impacts your heath, be wary. 

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