How many of us think of what kind
of wax is used in the candles we buy. Most of us without thinking just buy for
the scent, color, and price. Paraffin is a wax commonly use in candle-making
and it’s a petroleum product, meaning it’s like industrial oil.
When you’re
shopping for aromatherapy candles, or any candle for that matter, look for non-paraffin
wax such as soy, vegetable, palm, or beeswax. Check the ingredients to ensure
that no other unsafe ingredients were added.
One great idea is to make your
own aromatherapy candles that you know are safe. They may cost you more since you’ll be
using only the purest, safest ingredients, but it will be a fun experience.
You’ll make some lovely smelling candles and know you won’t be poisoning
anyone. You can also add decorations of dried flowers or ribbons. These will
also make special gifts.
Soy seems to be the preferred wax
for candles and is touted by many as the cleanest burning of all waxes. It’s
also supposed to retain scent longer than others.
The newest trend in candles both for burning and
making your own seems to be gel candles. They are made with a gel compound
rather than wax. Gel is composed of 95% mineral oil and 5% polymer resin. The
company holding the patent is Penreco. You can read
and even download a document showing all the chemical components of this
material. It comes in three densities and the denser it is the bigger the
volume of essential oil you can add. The thicker gelled candles burn longer but
they are also harder to pour into your molds.
The details for making your own
gel candles are very long and precise, so we will direct you to http://www.gelcandlemaking.com for more
information.
The fun aspect of gel candles is
that you can buy or make them with glass beads, shells, dried flowers, herbs,
or other materials imbedded in them. The Internet is full of sites ready to sell
you specialty items for imbedding in gel candles and also telling you how to
make a fortune selling them on your own. Of course you will have to buy
candle-making materials from them first. You can buy or make them with colored
dyes and each one is unique. Making them is fast becoming the hobby of choice
for many crafters. The candles burn more slowly as the gel supplies the wick
with a continuous and less volatile supply of fuel.
By the way there are untrue
stories circulating on the web that gel candles explode and cause fires. This
is actually impossible since the gas buildup described doesn’t exist. There is
a danger of the glass containers shattering if they become overheated. Make
sure any that you use have a thick container and don’t burn them longer than an
hour or two. All candles should be used safely, and these are no exception.
