Natural scented candles

Are you aware of the hidden dangers in some scented candles? Once you have read this, you will never buy anything but natural again!

There is a huge difference between the candles available on the market. Many candles, both cheap and expensive, are made from paraffin wax. It is easy to spot as it is bright white and very smooth. So aesthetically it looks great, but paraffin wax is made from the sludge left over in petroleum once the kerosene, bitumen, aircraft fuel and diesel have been extracted. It is therefore highly likely there are traces of these elements in the wax. Plus, and more worryingly, it has been found to contain known carcinogens such as toluene and benzene.

Both of these are known to cause health issues such as headaches, nausea, breathing issues and worse.

Mother Nature can come to the rescue! There are a number of different natural and sustainably sourced waxes which do not contain any of those concerning health hazards, such as soy wax or bees wax. When I make my ‘LL50 London’ scented candles, I only use soy wax.

Then there is the fragrance. When it comes to this, I am just as adamant that natural is the only way. If you have a candle with a name which clearly is not natural such as ‘White Linen’, it is most likely made from chemicals. These can contain ingredients such as formaldehyde, parabens and phthalates which can cause cancers and are endocrine disruptors (interfere with your hormones).

So, when you hear people say scented candles give them headaches it is hardly surprising! You may well therefore ask, why companies use these potentially dangerous ingredients? The answer is simple: they are cheaper.

But at what cost to you?!

If you buy candles from an unreputable source and particularly from countries which do not have the same regulatory checks, you could find lead in the wick core. So, all three elements could prove to be a very dangerous candle indeed.

It doesn’t have to be like that. You can very easily find natural, harmless and wonderfully enjoyable candles.

I make ‘LL50 London’ all-natural, scented candles. I hand-make them in my studio in the Chiltern Hills so I know exactly what goes into them:

• Natural, vegan sustainably sourced soy wax
• Essential oils
• Cotton wicks
• And I sprinkle each one with love 😉

Essential oils are naturally extracted from plants, so they will only have the names we know them to have, such as lavender, orange, sandalwood etc. They are potent and when combined with others, they provide a unique and beautiful scent. They have special health and life enhancing benefits too, for example lavender is known to help relax, while orange is an anti-depressant.

Burning a natural candle is a little different to burning a paraffin one. The first burn is the most important. Natural wax actually has a memory, and if you don’t burn it for at least 3 hours when you first use it, it won’t have been able to get a full pool of wax (liquid wax to the rim of the glass) which will mean subsequent burns will not utilise all the available wax. Basically it means you will have unnecessarily wasted your beautiful scented wax.

Essential oils are more subtle than chemical fragrances, so it’s best not to have big expectations of your room being filled with scent. Rather it will gently swirl around and will be a less intrusive scent.

How to get the most out of your scented candle:

• Always burn in a well ventilated room
• Keep children and pets away from a burning candle
• Never leave a lit candle unattended
• Trim the wick and remove debris and dead matches from the wax
• When not using for a long period of time, cover and store in a cool room such as a garage to preserve the scent
• Stop what you are doing, put your feet up and relax! Enjoy the scent and let the flickering flame transport you to a calmer place

My ‘LL50 London’ scented candles are designed to empower women in their 50s. With names such as:

‘Siren – beautiful inside + out’,

‘Muse – she inspires’,

‘Radiance – she brings sunshine’,

‘Pause – she rests, she resets’, and

‘Hug – love is all around her’.

Each comes with an inspirational card insert to help the user get the very best experience and feel wonderful about themselves. They are available from the shop on this site. Enjoy!