Candles

[kristadb]

What kinds of candles do you buy? I have a lot of sinus and lung allergies and, while I love candles, I've read that some candles can aggrevate allergies.

Currently, I pretty much buy whatever candles are on sale that don't bother me when I sniff them.

Anyone have some good brands or types to recommend? (They don't have to be vegan)

[veggrl]

I bought some crystal journey candles at an HFS. They smell wonderful. My favorite is Motivation.

They were a little pricey, but they are handmade in CT and all veggie :)

[missleigh]

From what I understand, candles that are scented tend to create soot that is bad to breathe. So, you can stick with unscented candles, and also candles made from soy wax or beeswax are supposed to produce less soot.

[kristadb]

thanks both of you. I'll look into it.

[Dirty Martini]

Yeah, both soy and palm candles are supposed to be soot-free. Also, be sure not to get candles with lead in the wicks. I have seen some soy candles with hemp wicks, but I don't know how available they are (they were at a craft market). good luck!

amy

[Artichoke47]

I like Beanswax candles. They are soot-free, available at vegan online stores and health food stores. :up:

[Kiz]

I was given a set of sandalwood-scented candles for Christmas a few years ago. They were meant for lightly scenting rooms I supposed - until I looked at the sticker on the bottom of them. It went something like "Do not burn in enclosed areas. Fumes may be toxic". Heh heh, they smell like sandlalwood, but don't get close enough to smell them because the fumes might make you sick.

[Muzicfan]

I have been getting some soy candles that burn nicely. The soy candles, I get from Ebay from a couple people that make them in mason jars. :)

[kristadb]

HOw do I know which candles have lead in them? Do I assume all do, unless they say they don't?

[borealis]

I usually get unscented candles in glass containers. My cats don't understand about candles so I have to protect their tails and whiskers. (Last time the power went out, we had some candles burning and Sophie stuck her big fluffy tail right into a flame!) :eek: Plus, scented candles are always too strong for me.

I tend to go for the Catholic or other religious pillar candles, with pictures on the glass, because I like the imagery. Especially the odd ones like the Mano Ponderoso (big hand with stigmata and little saints balancing on the fingers) or the Santeria ones like the Seven African Powers. But that's me -- you can find plain ones too. Check Mexican groceries or even the Mexican section of a mainstream grocery store. Another aspect of these kinds of candles is they're cheap! :) I can't afford the soy candles I've seen... most of 'em are five or six bucks for a little candle, way too pricy to me for something that's going up in smoke.

[Muzicfan]

I bought 3 8 oz soy candles for 12 bux. I didnt think that was too pricey.

[monkeyandbunny]

Oh Borealis! Poor kitty!Sasha burned his whiskers on a burning candle, he seemed disoriented yet happy there were no other cats around to laugh at his funny whiskers. :)

I like Aveda candles, they are clean burning and not overly stinky. I also have soy and hemp seed candles that burn beautifully.

[borealis]

Oh Borealis! Poor kitty! Sasha burned his whiskers on a burning candle, he seemed disoriented yet happy there were no other cats around to laugh at his funny whiskers. :)

I like Aveda candles, they are clean burning and not overly stinky. I also have soy and hemp seed candles that burn beautifully.

Sophie's skin didn't get burned, thankfully. She has really long fur on her tail, and Kirk was right there to bat out the flame. She didn't even notice it happened. But it made a bad stink....

One of my old kitties, Zoe (r.i.p.) sniffed a candle flame before I could stop her, and though she pulled her nose back before it got burned, her eyebrow whiskers curled into little spirals! She looked like a kitty martian. :)

[sunshinegirl_98]

go to www.indigowild.com and you can find great candles there. not all their products are vegan, however their zum glow candles are and they smell awesome! i found them at my local co-op and got a lavender one which i love and seems to burn "cleanly". hope this helps!

[Flower]

I buy soy candles from Kiss My Face. They're aromatherapeutic & I adore them. They burn clean, smell great & last forever- www.kissmyface.com

[barbbr]

I will only burn soy candles now because they are 90% soot-free, wash up with soap and water, and are biodegradeable. Paraffin candles have too many toxins, not to mention way too much soot. I found some I liked so much I decided to sell them.

Barb

www.burnsoycandles.com

[Artichoke47]

Are they vegan candles, Barb?

[Artichoke47]

Are they vegan candles, Barb?


I answered my own question. Please pay particular attention to the bold items.

*Taken off of the www.burnsoycandles.com website, FAQs section*


"#4 Are the ingredients in Mia Bella Candles “All-Natural?”
Our wax is made up of all natural materials but we do not use natural scents in the majority of our candles. It is our opinion that most natural scents and essential oils do not produce as good a scent nor last as long as synthetic scents. Most of our scents are made specifically for our alternative wax formula and in the cases where we deem that a natural scent can function at the same level as a synthetic we use a natural scent.
*Note: Our main goal was to address soot concerns among “mainstream” candle buyers and their candles. We were not looking to develop a candle for the much smaller “all natural” market-place.


#5 Is Mia Bella a 100% soy candle?
Our original formula was 100% soy but we found that soy was NOT the best ingredient to develop an alternative candle from. The reason is that 100% soy does NOT hold enough scent to create a strong scented candle. When we designed a strongly scented soy candle we found that scent actually rose to the top of the candle forming a puddle at the top.
The proprietary formula we currently use is a formula specifically designed for our candle’s needs (clean burning and also strongly scented) and is comprised of soybean, beeswax and recycled plants and vegetables.
In our opinion, although soy has the benefits of clean burning and warm water clean up, our blend has those benefits PLUS allows us to make the candle one of the strongest scented candles in the market!"


There you have it: A company that was not looking to develop a candle for the "much smaller all-natural marketplace" and that uses beeswax.

I'm sorry to post this, Barb, but it came from the site you referenced, and I feel it is relevant.

[barbbr]

I don't mind that you posted that Artichoke. I am vegetarian not vegan so I will use certain products you won't. I figured there are probably others on this board that might feel as I do also.

Barb