Soy Candles

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!

Your tired and can’t wait to relax in the hotel after a hard days drive.  You are on vacation and can’t wait to reach your destination.  The anticipation has you all excited for a fun filled time.  You pull in to the only hotel that has vacancies and find that there is one room left.  That’s fine, at least you have a place to lay your weary head.  You open the door and are met with an overwhelming odor of a mixture of cleaning smells and smoke from the previous occupant.  It is almost more than you can tolerate.  But don’t despair!  You pull out your handy soy candle travel tin and presto, you have your favorite fragrance to fill the air with sweet aroma. 

This soy candle is in a  travel tin and perfect for people on the go!  Its compact size and minimal weight make it the ideal way to enjoy your favorite soy candle fragrance.  It is a natural soy candle and great for the hotel room or the office.  Now you can relax and sleep and wake up refreshed.  Soy candle travel tins are convenient to pack and you can take more than one and enjoy many different scents.  No more overwhelming odors of a unsuspecting hotel room.