Soy Candles

Natural healing uses an alternative method known as aromatherapy.  Aromatherapy can be used to relax and soothe the body and mind and to energize and to arouse.  Essential oils are used in this method of natural healing.  They are the aromatic compounds of plants that have been extracted by steam distillation or other methods.  Your feelings and moods are affected by the aromas of essential oils through your sense of smell.  Certain scents can bring about a state of relaxation, romance, healing or comfort.   Ways this might be accomplished is by the use of oils, inhalers, diffusers and scented soy candles.  Since aromatherapy has the ability to affect your mood, it can be used to enhance your romantic life.

Jasmine, Gardenia, Rose and Geranium are associated with love and romance.  Oils from these herbs can excite your romantic life.  You can find scented soy candles with these fragrant aromas in many different sizes and styles.  A great way to experience aromatherapy is by using body massage soy candles.  These candles are made with natural soy wax.  They leave behind no soot and are non-toxic, meaning they have no pollution type materials in them.  Spice up your life with romance and try aromatherapy soy candles today.

Essential oils are contained in your skin naturally.  They help to lubricate your skin and make it more elastic.  They are important to firm healthy skin, are not greasy and are not bad for you. 

Aromatherapy essential oils are obtained from the leaf, root, stem or heart of a plant.  The oils are distilled and concentrated to preserve the natural occurring properties of the plant.  It takes 10 pounds of plant materials to get one ounce of extracted essential oil.  The natural occurring properties are thought to boost the immune and metabolic systems.

The essential part of the oil indicates it has a distinctive scent or taste of the plant.  They are used in perfumes or cosmetics, to flavor foods and drinks or used in the manufacturing process of candles.  Scented aromatherapy soy candles can be an excellent source to begin to experience the joy of using essential oils.  Aromatherapy makes use of the oils in a branch of alternative medicine, that claims the highly specific aromas of the oils of individual plants have specific curative effects.  The oils have been diluted further by distillation over water to make them less concentrated and widen their use. 

Essential oils are lipophilic or oil loving, meaning they don’t mix with water.  To dilute them you must use other oils, called carrier oils.  Essential oils are diluted to prevent allergic reactions.  The carrier oils hold the essence of the essential oils, becoming the base for the fragrance.  Popular carrier oils are olive oil, sunflower oil, apricot kernel oil, hazelnut and almond oil.  Jojoba oil is the most natural carrier oil but due to the way it is distilled it is more expensive.  The price of essential oils vary with the rarity of the plant and where it was grown.  Some plants produce more than others and some are organically grown.

The theory behind using essential oils is they help to preserve the cells in your body and prevent disease.  Some have natural antiseptic properties as rosemary oil and used to treat acne.  Some can be used internally but never without the supervision of an experienced practitioner as some like eucalyptus are toxic if ingested.  Essential oils are believed to be able to affect our mental status and bring about calm.  Some of the oils are inhaled and absorbed into the bloodstream via the lungs.

Cinnamon is a small evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka (Ceylon).  The leaves are ovate-oblong and its flowers have a greenish color with a distinct odor.  The fruit is a purple berry containing a single seed.  Its flavor is due to an aromatic essential oil that makes up 0.5-1% of its composition.  This oil is made by pounding the bark, macerating it in seawater and then quickly distilling it.  The oil has a golden-yellow color with the characteristic odor of cinnamon and a hot aromatic taste. 

Cinnamon has been known down through history and was regarded as a gift fit for monarchs and great leaders.  It was imported to Egypt and China from Sri Lanka in the early 2000 BC.  You can find it mentioned several times in the Bible.  Up to the Middle Ages the source of cinnamon was a mystery to the Western world.  Eventually it became known to the world and is now grown and cultivated in other areas of the world.  In 2006 Sri Lanka produced 90% of the world’s cinnamon, followed by China, India and Vietnam.

Uses of cinnamon include a spice, used in pickling and when mixed with rosewater to make a curry powder for stews.  In medicine it acts like other volatile oils and once had a reputation for curing colds and treating diarrhea and other digestive disorders.  It is high in antioxidant activity.  The essential oil of cinnamon has antimicrobial properties which can aid in the preservation of certain foods.  It has been proposed as an insect repellent but remains untested of this date.  Cinnamon leaf oil has been found effective in killing mosquito larvae. 

If you enjoy the fragrance of cinnamon a new idea would be the enjoyment of burning scented soy candles in your home or office.  You can find the cinnamon scent in these fragrances: Cinnamon, Apple Cinnamon, Hot apple Pie, Noel and Yuletide.  They come in soy votives, soy container candles in all sizes and fragrance oils.  Why not try one today!  

The use of aromatherapy include the following benefits: it aides in relaxation, relieves stress and boosts energy levels, can be used to treat migraine headaches, indigestion, arthritis, menstrual cramps and other minor physical ailments.  Aromatherapy is the science of using essential oils to promote an improved sense of well being. 

Essential oils are made from natural plant extracts and have pleasing scents.  Don’t confuse essential oils with fragrance oils.  They are entirely different products with different purposes.  Fragrance oils are created in a lab and are synthetic scents.  Only essential oils offer the benefits of aromatherapy.  Essential oils are more expensive since they are highly concentrated and must be harvested with extreme care.

The use of essential oils can be harmful if not used as intended even though they are all natural products.  Many oils have harmful and dangerous side effects if not taken correctly and sometimes the supervision of a trained aromatherapist is recommended.  Certain essential oils can be harmful to children and pregnant women and people with epilepsy, heart disease, asthma or other chronic medical conditions.  These people should ask questions of their health-care provider before using aromatherapy essential oils.

For the benefits of using aromatherapy at home the most common way is with an aromatherapy massage.  You must remember not to apply the essential oils directly to the skin as they can cause irritation and rashes.  They must first be diluted with a carrier oil such as grape-seed oil, sweet almond oil or apricot kernel oil.  Body massage soy candles are already diluted with grape-seed oil and are safe for use on the skin.  They are special soy candles made to melt into a body massage oil that are richly scented.  Another way to experience the use of aromatherapy in your home is with scented aromatherapy soy candles made with pure essential oils.

Citronella candles are a candle that is blended with essential oil from citronella.  Citronella is a grass that is native to Asia.  This essential oil is found to be useful as a natural insect repellent to mosquitoes.  However studies conducted at the University of Ontario have found only a 45% efficiency rate in their use.  With this in mind a citronella candle should be used in conjunction with other methods of repelling insects for full protection. 

It is necessary to use a large number of citronella candles to protect from insects, especially in a large area.  If the candles are spaced to far apart the insects will sneak through and if you stray to far from the candles you will find unwanted insects pestering you.  You can find citronella candles in pillars, tapers and various other shapes as well as ones that are able to float in pools and ones in containers to help reduce the risk of fire.  Another option is to pour the citronella essential oil into a diffuser and place it in a strategic place outdoors to ward off unwelcome insects. 

The essential oil of the citronella grass has a strong lemon scent and a bright yellow to brown color.  The candles give off a strong citrus odor and are usually yellow in color.  This essential oil is also used in creams that can be applied to the skin and in torches designed to cover a large area.  The oil can cause rashes, hives and itching in children and adults if coming in contact with the skin.  Test out the cream on a small section of skin first and see if a reaction occurs before using on the entire body.   

Scented soy candles come in all shapes and sizes, colors and fragrances.  You can find them in free standing like pillars or in various containers.  You can mix and match them for elegant table decorations.  They make excellent gifts for the hard to buy for.  There are even ones for romantic occasions.  Soy candles are a safe and healthy alternative to burning the standard paraffin candles.  Soy candles are non-toxic, are made from a renewable resource the soybean, produce little to no soot, burn 50% longer, burn at a lower temperature thus being safer to use and clean up with just soap and water if there is a wax spill.  You can even save the container and wash it out and reuse it for something else.  Give soy candles a try.  You will be pleased with the results.   

Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and the spearmint plants.  It is a perennial plant that flowers from mid to late summer.  Its flowers are purple in color.  It is regarded by some as the world’s oldest medicine.  Archaeological evidence places it in use as far back as ten thousand years ago in the Greek and Roman empires.  They used it to freshen the breath and aid digestion.  It is even featured in the Bible, being used in crowns and bouquets in an attempt to ward off drunkenness.  The ancient world used peppermint in its raw form, leaves or flowers. 

Today it is used in commercial products as gum or mints.  Also it is used in health promoting products such as skin treatments, toothpaste, mouthwashes and essential oils.  It’s high concentration of menthol is the reason it is used in health products.  Menthol is an organic compound that possess a powerful counter-irritant and has local anesthetic qualities. 

Today we use peppermint in a refined or processed form, peppermint essential oil being the most common.  It can be used to treat headaches, toothaches and nausea, heartburn, vomiting and indigestion.  Aromatherapy uses peppermint essential oil to comfort and refresh the skin from its cooling and soothing properties, in a lotion to soothe irritated and painful skin due to chicken pox and shingles and when added to water can treat sunburned skin and refresh tired feet. 

For a refreshing peppermint aroma try the scent of Cool Breeze in gourmet body massage soy candles or aromatherapy soy candles.  Soy candles are a healthy choice to make and environmentally friendly to use.

Jasmine is a member of shrubs and vines in the olive family.  There are around 200 species that grow in the tropical, warm temperate regions of the Old World.  The majority grow as climbers and can be green all year round or have falling leaves in the autumn.  Jasmine is cultivated for its flowers, worn by women in their hair in southern and southeast Asia.  Other uses include using jasmine as a herb to treat a number of aliments, such as fevers, conjunctivitis, topically for corns on the feet, sunburn or rashes using a lotion made from jasmine.  Jasmine provides restored elasticity to the skin by promoting the production of natural oils.   

 A tea called jasmine tisane is consumed in China.  It is made by using a base of green tea and the jasmine flower.  The flower only opens at night during the full moon.  It is picked in the morning when the petals are closed and stored in a cool place till night.  The petals will open as the temperature cools in the evening.  The tea and flowers are put together in a machine that controls the humidity and temp.  The tea absorbs the fragrance of the flower.

Many species of jasmine are used in the production of perfumes and incense.  Jasmine essential oil is commonly used.  Chemical extraction is used on the flowers to obtain the essential oil.  A large amount of flowers are needed to produce a small amount of oil, thus making it very expensive.  India, China, Egypt and Morocco all produce jasmine essential oil. 

Aromatherapy uses jasmine in the form of body oils, incense and scented candles.  It provides a pleasing aroma that is believed to elevate the mood, relieve stress, encourage a healthy libido, treat insomnia, treat postpartum depression and desensitize pain during childbirth. 

Using scented soy candles offers the benefits of jasmine and also the healthier choice of candle usage.  Soy candles are non-toxic, environmentally friendly, a renewable resource and burn 50% longer than paraffin candles.  You can find the fragrance of jasmine in the following soy candle aromas: French Kiss, Colour My World, Ylang-Ylang, Oui Oui, Seduction, Tango, and Jasmine. 

Ylang-ylang is a tropical tree.   Its flowers, when processed by steam distillation, produce an essential oil used in aromatherapy and in making perfumes.  It has a heavy, sweet scent similar to jasmine.  It is often associated with weddings and honeymoons.  The essential oil comes in four grades: ylang extra, ylang I, ylang II and ylang III.  The variance in grades is based on when the oil is removed in the steam distillation process.  The process can take 24 hours and the lengthier it is the lighter the scent of the oil.  Ylang extra has the strongest scent and ylang III has the weakest scent.  All grades have a heavy scent, so be sure to add carefully to any blend you are making.  It can easily overpower other scents.  You can use ylang-ylang essential oil in recipes that call for jasmine.  Jasmine is more costly and many budgets can’t afford it. 

Ylang-ylang fragrance is considered an aphrodisiac.  It is also used in aromatherapy and is considered to have stress relieving properties.  Try a few drops in a hot bath to melt the cares of the day away.  It is believed to reduce anxiety and even relieve depression.  In people sensitive to heavy floral scents the aroma of ylang-ylang can be overpowering and may cause headaches.

If you don’t have time for that hot bath to unwind the day with, try instead a scented soy candle with the fragrance of ylang-ylang.  You can find this fragrance in the soy scents of Ylang-Ylang, Enchanted Journey and Sensual Moments.  A gourmet body massage soy candle with this fragrance is great for that romantic honeymoon getaway.

Frankincense is used to make incense and perfumes.  It is actually a dried tree sap or aromatic resin.  It has been associated with the story of the birth of baby Jesus as one of the gifts the wise-men brought.  It comes from trees of the “Boswellia” genus, one of which is the  deciduous tree “Boswellia Thurifera”.  These trees can be found in Somalia, Oman and Yemen.  They are known for their ability to grow in unfavorable environments, such as seemingly to grow out of solid rock.  A disk-like growth at the base of the tree somehow attaches itself to the rock, that prevents it from being torn away during the frequent violent storms in these areas.  Trees that are grown in gravel or rocky soil don’t exhibit this bulbous disk-like growth in such extreme. 

The aromatic resin or tree sap is diverse within this species of trees depending on the soil and climate it is grown in and the species of frankincense tree.  Frankincense is tapped by scraping or cutting the bark and allowing the sap to ooze or bleed out and harden.  The sap is then collected and now is called tears.  This process is done 2 -3 times per year.  Younger trees produce a higher quality resin and if opaque is of superior quality.  Resin value is determined by fragrance, color and clump size.  The lighter and larger clumps are more valuable. 

Frankincense was used in the ancient world to make incense, to perfume the homes of the ancient Greeks and Romans.  It was used in religious rituals of the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians and Babylonians, later in Jewish rites and even later in Catholic rites.  It was also know for its medicinal purposes in history: the first antidote for hemlock poisoning; cure for vomiting, diarrhea, fever and tumors; and today in China to treat leprosy and gonorrhea; in Asia used in medicine to treat digestion and for healthy skin.  Frankincense is edible.  It is chewed like gum but must be pure, no black or brown impurities.  It must be translucent, a light yellow with a slight greenish tint.

Frankincense is used today in perfumery and aromatherapy.  It can be mixed with spices or seeds to create its desired aroma.  The chunks of raw resin can also be placed directly on a heat source to create an incense quality aroma that repels mosquitoes.  The essential oil “Olibanum” is obtained through steam distillation of the dry resin.  Perfumes may contain this essential oil that evaporates slowly, thus maintaining its fragrance.  The essential oil is also used in aromatherapy and is known for its stress-reducing properties.  It has a fresh sweet fragrance that is characterized by a balsamic-spicy, slightly lemon, slight conifer-like undertone.

For a simple way to enjoy the scent of Frankincense try scented soy candles.  You can find this aroma in the scent of “Oh Holy Night”.  This fragrance comes in a variety of styles and sizes of gourmet scented soy candles, soy container candles, soy jar candles, soy candle tins, soy votive,  gourmet soy tart melts, and fragrance oils.

Patchouli was around in the sixties.  It was a symbol of peace and love.    It was a scent used in perfume oils and incense that was used to help cover up other burning odors.  It is actually a plant, originally grown in the East Indies.  It was used in flavoring as a herb for foods and was believed to repel moths.  The Asian silk and cashmere manufacturers would sprinkle it into their packages before sending them to marketplaces, to repel the moths.  The scent had done a process of permentation on the cloth and thus gained the reputation of an exotic fragrance.  It brought to Westerners the idea of romance of far-off places.  Today, patchouli is grown in hot southern climates for commercial reasons.

The essential oil from patchouli is derived from distillation of the leaves of the plant.  It is used today in perfumery.  The fragrance is rich, woody, heady,  earthy with a blend of floral sweetness and has a musky scent that reminds you of fresh-turned soil.  It is an acquired fragrance of like, either you do adore its powerful aroma or you don’t.

Patchouli is associated with love and money.  It is known for its sensual aroma.  It is an aphrodisiac and has an up-lifting effect.  It may help with cracked skin, sores, depression, fluid retention, scalp problems and apprehension.  It is used in magi-ck for passion and love.  The herb is burned in clairvoyance and divination incenses.  You can make your own perfume oil by following these steps:

1. Add 10-15 drops of patchouli oil, some cinnamon oil and vetiver to a 15 milliliter bottle.
2. Then fill the bottle with a scentless blending oil as grape-seed or apricot kernel oil.
3. Don’t apply these essential oils directly to your skin.  Some are very strong and can burn.

Or for a light perfume spray:

1. Put handfuls of the dried herb patchouli into vodka and allow it to steep for several weeks.
2. Next strain off the alcohol from the herb.
3. You now have a patchouli tincture that you can dilute with water to make a cologne spray.
4. You can blend it with other tinctures to create your own personal aroma.

Please be sure and consult a qualified aromatherapist before using internally and avoid use during pregnancy.  Don’t apply undiluted oils on the skin.  Be extremely cautious in using oils with children.  It is always best to do a skin patch test first before using an oil you are unfamiliar with.

For the easiest way to enjoy the aroma of patchouli, try burning soy candles in your home.  No mess, no fuss.  You can find this scent in the following fragrances of scented soy candles, gourmet body massage soy candles , parfum oils and fragrance oils: Egyptian Musk, Angel, Sensual Moments and of course just plain Patchouli.