Soy Candles

The pumpkin is a very popular item this time of year.  It is a squash, a member of the Cucurbita family.  Antarctica is the only continent that can’t grow pumpkins due to the climate.  Pumpkins grow in six of the remaining continents, even including Alaska.  Morton, Illinois has become the self proclaimed pumpkin capital of the world.  It is the home of Libby’s corporation pumpkin industry.  The tradition of carving pumpkins began with turnips.  The Irish started the tradition of carving turnips for the holiday.  When they immigrated to America, they instead found the pumpkin to be plentiful and switched from turnip carving to pumpkin carving. 

Pumpkin pie is a holiday treat.  The delectable aroma of a fresh baked pumpkin pie can now be yours at the light of a match.  Simply put that lighted match to the wick of your pumpkin spice scented soy candle and let your nose do the smelling.  Why not bring Thanksgiving to your home all month long and enjoy the many blessings that this America has to give us.  When your scented pumpkin spice soy candle burns, remember to be thankful for our land, our families, our health, and our soldiers that serve to keep us free.  Thank-you soldiers!

Halloween is over and with it the Jack-O’-Lantern, but Thanksgiving is soon to come.  One thing these celebrations have in common is the pumpkin.  The pumpkin is thought to have originated in North America.  References to the pumpkin date back many centuries from Greek, to French, to English, to American.  Its name has undergone many changes as well from the Greek “pepon”, to the French “pompon”, to the English “Pumpion”, to the American colonists name “pumpkin”.  It has been used by the Native American Indians as a staple in their diets long before the pilgrims landed in America.  They used it in making mats from dried pumpkin strips, as well as roasting those strips for food.  Then the pilgrims arrived and found pumpkin becoming a staple in their diet as well.  Pumpkin pie is believed to have found its origin when the colonists filled the carved out shell with milk, spices and honey and baked it in the hot ashes of a dying fire. 

A great way to celebrate Thanksgiving is by filling your home with the fresh scent of pumpkin spice.  There are versatile styles of soy container candles, soy votives, soy wood wicks, soy melts and fragrance oils in which to choose the fragrance of pumpkin spice.  Enjoy this Thanksgiving and give thanks for the many blessings in your life.  Happy Thanksgiving!  

With the cooler months just around the corner, I tend to burn more soy wax candles because I am in inside more.  Below are some soy candle safety tips to ensure a safer burn experience in your home.

• Burn on a heat resistant surface.
• Keep lit candle out of reach of children and pets.
• Never leave lit candles unattended.  Keep your lighted candle within sight.
• Never burn a candle near anything that can catch on fire.
• Read and follow all manufacturer instructions and warnings carefully.
• Trim the wick to 1/8 inch each time before burning.
• Use an appropriate candle holder, that will not tip over accidentally.
• Keep burning candle away from drafts, vents and air currents.
• Extinguish if your candle smokes, flickers repeatedly, or the flame becomes too high.  Cool and trim the wick.  Check for drafts and then re-light.
• Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches and debris.
• Always burn candles in a well ventilated room.
• Extinguish the flame if it comes too close to the holder or container.  For a safety margin, stop burning a candle when 2 inches of wax remains, 1/2 inch if in a container.
• Never touch or move a votive or container candle when the wax is liquid.
• Extinguish a pillar candle if the wax pool approaches the outer edge.
• Place lighted candles at least 3 inches apart.

Enjoy the winter months by enhancing your sense of smell, sight, and touch with soy wax candles, soy wood wicks and soy body massage candles.  Happy winter months ahead!

My daughter has told me that when you buy a candle the first thing you do is to smell it.  This is very difficult to do when buying online.  It might even stop you from thinking about buying a candle online.  The whole sensory experience is halted.  But there is hope.  Here are some facts to consider in buying your online purchase of candles.  

Consider the reasons why you would purchase a candle in the first place.  Is it the wax, type, size, or the scent.  After making these determinations, break it down to these choices.

Wax:  There are many different types and if you have allergies it will influence this choice.  Below are some common types of wax used in making candles. 

1. You can choose candles made from paraffin.  They are the most common type, but even though they are cheap, they are made from petroleum by-products.  Remember paraffin leaves soot build-up in your home and releases carcinogens into the air when burned, like benzene and toluene.  Poor choice for allergies and asthma.
2. Then you can find a gel candle, also made from petroleum by-products.  Gel is a clear wax and accepts color and fragrance easily.  The wax is so soft however, it needs wick reinforcement and then becomes a health risk.
3. Now we come to the choice of soy wax.  It is produced from soybeans.  It doesn’t produce soot or carcinogens like petroleum based waxes.  It is also a renewable resource, burns longer than paraffin and is good for allergies and asthma.  Soy candles make a better health choice.

Type:  You can find candles in containers or free standing.  They come in jars of all shapes and sizes, even travel tins.  Then to the free standing ones: pillars, tapers, and votives.  Be sure to consider the color of your candle pick as well.

1. Does your home have small children or pets that might cause your candle to be a safety consideration.  A candle in a container would be best to prevent splashing, spilling or falling over.  But if a free standing candle is your choice then be sure to keep it out of reach.  Consider also that soy wax washes out with only soap and water and the wax doesn’t burn as hot, so less chance of burns.
2. What size are you looking for?  Do you want a big one or several small ones, or both? 
3. Then think about the color.  Are you enhancing the room decor or just buying for size and fragrance alone?

Burn Times:  These vary depending on the size of candle and its wick.  A rule to remember is this:

1. Smaller candles with smaller wicks burn in about 7-9 hours per ounce of wax used.
2. Larger candles with larger wicks burn faster, about 5-7 hours per ounce of wax used.
3. Then Soy candles burn longer, due to the lower burn temperature.  They make the best economical choice.

Fragrance:  This is the tricky one.  There is no way to experience the sensory joy of smelling your candle online. 

1. You will have to trust the descriptions offered by the website.  
2. Those people with asthma and allergies consider that the scent is the culprit that starts an episode for them, but it is the wax that is the real trigger.  Soy candle wax doesn’t cause as strong a reaction, even if it is highly scented.  Remember you can find unscented soy wax candles.
3. What is the fragrance you are after and the reason you would choose it?  The seasons might cause you to make a different choice, like pumpkin spice for Halloween and Thanksgiving, or evergreen for Christmas.  Then maybe you just have a favorite fragrance that you want to fill your home with. 

Whatever the reasons you are looking to buy candles online the best choice for: health, economics, and going green are soy candles.  Happy hunting!

First light the wood wick.  Since the wood is harder than a cotton wick it may take 2-3 attempts.  If you are still having trouble lighting the wick, try gently tipping the candle and lighting one side of the wood wick.  Once it is lit, then tip the candle the other way and let the flame travel to the other side of the wick.  After the wick is completely aflame return the candle upright.  Next let the candle burn until the melted wax touches the outer edge of the jar.  If the wood wick is not making a crackling sound as it burns, extinguish the flame, and let the wax cool to a solid form.  Trim the cooled wick to where it sits just above the wax.  It is easiest to use your fingers to trim the wood wick by breaking off the softer burned wood evenly across the wick.  It is important to keep the wick trimmed just above the wax to experience the soft crackling sound as it burns.  Now you are ready to enjoy the gourmet fragrance of your wood wick soy candle.

Have you ever camped and enjoyed the crackling sound of the campfire?  Now you can bring that joy inside your home with a soy wood wick candle.  The wick is made of wood and as it burns you can actually hear the crackling sound, just like you were in the open with your campfire.  Soy wood wick candles pervades your home with an atmosphere all their own.  The wood wick allows for faster melting of the soy wax which in turn disperses the aroma of the fragrance much quicker. 

Our soy wood wick candles are made with soy wax, a wood wick, and are richly scented.  They are environmentally friendly, don’t produce the soot like paraffin candles, don’t emit toxins so are cleaner burning in your home, and last longer than traditional paraffin candles.  Wood Wick soy candles are a gourmet soy candle.  If you are looking for elegance in your home, this is the soy candle to try.

The event horizon of a soy wax candle versus a paraffin wax candle is a major benefit to using soy candles.  Soy wax burns at a lower temperature than paraffin wax, thus making it safer to burn.  If you have small children and some of the wax spills on them, they are much less likely to get burned.  The burn of a soy candle is slower and cooler.  This allows the candle to last up to 50% longer than a paraffin candle.  The soy candle will give off a longer and more intense fragrance due to the slower burn time.  Just one more benefit of a soy wax candle and reason to choose soy wax candles for your home.

There are many reasons why you might choose to use soy candles.  See if any of the following fit into your reasoning.

1. Soy candles are a great way to set the mood, especially if it’s a romantic one.  A great choice is our massage soy candles that melt into a body massage oil.  Thrill your loved one with this romantic mood setter.
2. Instead of paying the high costs of hiring an interior decorator to add the finishing touches, you can use soy candles to add that special flair to any room.  Our soy candles come in many different elegant containers.  You can find the perfect match for any decor.  If you are creative you can even make your own soy candles and fit the container to the occasion.
3. Soy candles are also an inexpensive way to add light to your darkened rooms.  With the high cost of energy these days it makes sense to use energy saving tactics.  Our soy votives come in many different fragrances and are cost effective. 
4. Soy candles are environmentally friendly, made from all natural soybeans.  They freshen the air while not polluting the air.  Our soy tart melts can be melted without flame, just use a candle warmer.
5. The fragrance from our soy candles is awesome.  Not only do they add light, beauty, and are eco-friendly, they tempt the sense of smell.  Our soy candles are scented from the top to the bottom.  The middle is even scented.  Treat your nose to your favorite fragrance in any of our soy container candles.

Most people enjoy burning candles.  Why not choose the most economically and environmentally friendly candles on the market.  Make soy candles your favorite choice and find your own top reasons for using soy candles.