How To Choose Environmentally Friendly Scented Candles

 People sometimes worry about using scented candles at home because they  are often  manufactured from paraffin wax, a by- product of oil refining,  meaning they  unfortunately are not the most environmentally friendly item you can come across. So,  what is the solution if you  would like to have  fragrant candles at home but you would prefer not to use paraffin wax candles?  The good news is  this is no longer a major problem. There are  plenty of new - and improved - waxes which manufacturers of scented candles can use and which  have sound eco friendly credentials. The  most commonly used of these waxes are probably soy wax and beeswax.  A large number of  luxury candle  manufacturers such as true grace candles,  and yankee candles actually make their own custom made wax blends. These waxes are  made  from recurring, renewable resources  which means that they satisfy the modern consumer’s preference for  pure eco friendly products. However, on closer inspection, without being consciously aware of it, we have been  employing  environmentally sound wax for candle making for many years - long, long before  concerns about the effects of various substances on the environment. We are talking, of course, about beeswax. Beeswax candles are fashioned from wax collected by honey bees which is  generally accepted as the purest and most refined of all waxes.  It differs from paraffin wax in that it burns very cleanly and - far from  emitting dirt and soot in the air - it actually  contains a number of natural attributes which help ionise and  clean the air when the candle is alight. So if we all know that beeswax is the best wax you can use for candle making why do de luxecandle  brands not  not make more use of it when creating their scented candles? Well, the simple answer is that beeswax is more expensive than most other types of wax and so {it's use in modern candle making tends to be restricted to being part of a blend of other waxes, rather than pure beeswax | when it is used by candle makers these days it is usually mixed with other waxes to create a blend of waxes, rather than being used on its own.  By way of example, luxury brand Joya Studio has  its own unique blend of wax that is used to make some of its scented candles which includes a  quantity of beeswax. If you are really in luck you may discover some candles which are manufactured  completely  from beeswax. One such range of candles is the "Journey of the Bee"  range  manufactured by the environmentally conscious company Paddywax candles in the USA. In addition to beeswax  you can find other vegetable based waxes out there which are used by scented candle manufacturers. The best known of these is  certainly soy wax which is  manufactured by hydrogenating soya bean oil  resulting in a solid mass, in the same way other oils are hydrogenated to create butter-type spreads. Soy wax is relatively inexpensive and creates great scented candles which is why it is so popular as an eco friendly choice.  One further point to bear in mind when when you are trying to choose your scented candles on environmental grounds is the way in which each candle gets its perfume. Premium brands will create aromatic candles using essential extracts from plants and flowers. These are to be commended from an environmental standpoint. Cheaper factory produced candles use synthetic fragrancing agents and are thus are best avoided






The author is owner of The Scented Candle Store which supplies a range of candles including True Grace candles