There is a lot of concern over candles being harmful. I wanted to let you know what products that I put in my candles.
The wax that I have chosen to use is a blend of paraffin and soy wax. It gives great scent throw from the paraffin and it creates a very smooth surfaced candle from the soy. This also allows for a longer lasting candle. The ratio is 70% paraffin and 30% soy.
So what is paraffin wax? Paraffin wax is a petroleum based product using crude oil (which is a mixture of hydrocarbons that were created from the decomposition of plants and animals that lived under water many years ago), a fossil fuel, which is extracted from the earth. Once extracted, it goes to the refineries where it is turned into the finished products. Paraffin wax is a natural product, which means that it is nontoxic, nonreactive (during certain lab tests it did not react to the stimuli), it repels water, clean burning fuel source and colorless (the wax contains no color and is semi translucent).
Soy wax is made from soybean oil and can contain other non-soy materials. The oil is extracted from the bean either in a press or using a solvent to extract. The process of making the wax is called hydrogenation. What it does is treat the soybean oil with hydrogen to make it solidify. Soy wax is a natural product and just like the paraffin it is nontoxic, it is made with soybean oil, it is a clean burning fuel source and colorless.
The fragrance oils that I use come from a company that uses nothing but fragrance oils that are 100% phthalate free. Historically, the fragrance business has never been transparent about what they are putting into these oils. OSHA stepped in and that began the change in the way they are made. They are now forced to put labels on their oils with specific requirements laid out by Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, or GHS for short.
What is a phthalate? It is a group of chemicals that have a variety of functions. It is used in the making of plastics to make them more flexible and durable. They can also be found in pharmaceuticals, building materials, cleaning products, and other household goods. As a candle and bath bomb maker, I am concerned with the cosmetic grade phthalates, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and diethyl phthalate (DEP). Out of the 3 the most common used is DEP because it was inexpensive, it helped with the hot throw (when a candle is lit) of a scent and used as solvents to dissolve the raw materials that go into fragrance formulations. There has been a lot of studies over the last decade of the harm that phthalates cause. It was linked to breast cancer, fertility issues and many other health issues. Having a sister that is a breast cancer survivor brought this issue a little closer to home. It made it that much more important to me to make sure that the fragrance oils that I use are free of phthalates.
I do not use essential oils in my candles because 1) some of these oils are harmful to burn and can kill pets 2) it takes a lot of the EO's to produce a fragrant candle and 3) the cost of the EO would drive up the cost of my products and I want to make sure that they are affordable and safe to use.
You are always welcome to contact me with any questions or concerns about the products that I use.
1 comment
I bought a candle from your table in the Old General Mills Store in Forsyth GA called “Coffee House”. I put it on my story on Facebook and have had numerous people inquire about it. I have sent people to the General Mills Store to get them one, but they can’t find it there. Will you please contact me at (478) 279-2446 and let me know if you still have this particular scent in stock. Thank you so much 😊!
Lori Nowell
Office Manager
TimberLake Retreat Center
Forsyth, GA