LIGHTHAUS : Candles with Essential Oils. True or Scam?
Essential oils are becoming a big thing right now whether it’s for aromatherapy benefits or medicinal properties and some essential actually have some amazing effects but you should not always get carried away with the term “natural”. Because our senses are very sensitive and we might not even know when we can get an allergic reaction to something. A handful of brands have started directing their products with a natural edge and people want to buy everything natural from beauty products, food, and clothes to even candles. People want to buy candles made from natural waxes and essential oils without giving a second thought that just because it is “natural” does not mean that it is more effective or safe.
Not All Natural Products Are Miracle Cures
Candle companies have started pushing out their candles as “natural”, claiming them to be made with essential oils and carrying aromatherapy benefits or healing properties. But “natural things” don’t always work like miracle cures, yes essential have aromatherapy benefits, medicinal properties, and healing properties but only when you use them in their natural forms.
Candle-makers are replacing fragrance oils (specially made for candles) with natural essential oils. Firstly, essential oils are very expensive and the amount of oil needed for a candle is pretty high. Secondly, they do not give much scent when you burn them. Soy candles with essential oils have a good cold throw, so when you bring them close to your nose for taking a whiff, you might get mesmerized with its strong fragrance but when you burn them, they might give you to almost no scent throw.
Why Soy Candles Made With Essential Oils Have a Good Cold Throw But Vice Versa When You Burn Them
Essential oils are volatile, it means that they vaporize very easily (that means they work great with reed diffusers) but they’re not as effective and successful as fragrance oils when you burn them in a candle. The essential oils vaporize very easily from soy candles making them very less fragrant, losing the aromatherapy properties making it useless if you have bought the candle for aromatherapy benefits. This is why natural candles have a strong scent throw when you take a cold whiff and permeate very less fragrance when you burn them, at worst a candle that is made with pure essential oil might give a “fuel like smell”.
Did you know that some essential oils become toxic when they are burned?
The natural essential oils might actually cause some allergic reactions in your olfactory senses when they are burned in a candle. That’s because the temperature does affect the essential oils and this is what - Founding Executive, Chief Medical Officer / Chairman, Scientific Advisory Committee mentioned, “once opened, excessive or increasing heat is known to intensify the reaction rate leading to oxidation and polymerization of essential oils. Oxidation alters the chemical make-up of essential oils, converting the chemical constituents into different substances, changing the aroma, diminishing the beneficial properties, and possibly even increasing the risk for sensitivities. Essential oils are all chemically unique, so the oxidation process begins at different temperatures, occurs at varying rates, and affects each essential oil distinctly, but never are the effects positive. Cold temperatures, on the other hand, generally do not induce chemical changes in the oil, even at freezing temperatures. Properly storing essential oils can prolong their useful life. For best results, I recommend that all essential oils be kept away from direct sources of heat and under 80 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Some essential oils may tolerate higher temperatures but none of them works well if the temperature goes above 80 degrees. Soy candles are said to have a low melting but once you burn the candle, it’s temperature goes up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or above while making essential oils lose all their properties.
We hope that the above points helped you in differentiating between actual natural scented and synthetically made natural candle. So, now you won’t get carried away by just looking at the beautiful candles but would take their quality into consideration.