Seven Reasons Why I Ditched Candles
When you think of candles, how does it make you feel? Snuggly? Warm?
Those feelings you feel when burning candles are usually linked to those smells. The limbic system (the emotional center of your brain) is strongly linked to scent. Scents are connected to memories good + bad, so when we smell them it can bring back those same feelings that are imprinted on your limbic system.
I can't wait to share my top "Seven Reasons Why I Ditched Candles".
The reality is that the air fresheners and candles people buy are full of toxins that are as harmful or more harmful than smoking a cigarette. Even the cleaning products we use are full of chemicals that might not be on the label but end up off-gassing into the air or onto our skin.
- I used to buy scented candles.
- I used to have a bottle of scented toxins that I sprayed our furniture with.
- I used to have a can of scented toxins that I used as air freshener.
- I used to get scented laundry detergent--the kind that would keep our clothes scented for weeks
--I thought that was a GOOD thing. I just didn't know better! So, believe me when I
say that I've got ZERO judgment here. Now that we've gotten rid of as many of the chemical-filled products in our house (we
switched out our household cleaner, dish soap, hand soap, hand purifier, laundry
detergent, shampoo/conditioner, body soap, toothpaste, lotion, makeup, skin care, &
deodorant), to all-natural essential oil infused products, I get an instant headache
whenever I walk through the grocery store past the cleaning supply and laundry section.
My nose and brain used to deal with that every.single.day so my body was used to it.
Think about how exposing our bodies to those chemicals every day affects us long
term!
FRAGRANCE
Synthetic scents or “fragrance” represent an unidentified mixture of ingredients including carcinogens, allergens, respiratory irritants, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxic chemicals and environmental toxicants. These artificial scents can be found in all kinds of body care and cosmetic products, as well as candles, air fresheners, cleaning materials and laundry detergents.
Let’s talk about fragrance, or parfum or perfume or a million other names ;) This Article shares the dangers of Fragrance. "Synthetic scents or “fragrance” represent an unidentified mixture of ingredients including carcinogens, allergens, respiratory irritants, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxic chemicals and environmental toxicants. These artificial scents can be found in all kinds of body care and cosmetic products, as well as air fresheners, cleaning materials and laundry detergents.
According to the Campaign for Safer Cosmetics, hair products are especially problematic. More than 95 percent of shampoos, conditioners and styling products contain fragrance as an ingredient. I’m sure you’ll agree that we all want our hair to smell good, but we could do without the use of toxic ingredients. Research conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found an average of 14 chemicals in 17 name brand fragrance products. But it doesn’t stop there — none of these chemicals were actually listed on the label.
In general, there at least 3,000 ingredients that could possibly be used to form a product’s scent. That’s according to the online “Transparency List” put out by the International Fragrance Association, an industry trade group. It may seem unbelievable, but the FDA does not even currently require fragrance and cosmetic makers to disclose exactly what they are using to scent products. If companies are using truly natural ingredients, then why be shy? Many will say that their formulas are proprietary and they don’t want other companies copying them. The FDA website also states how the agency cannot legally require companies to warn about allergens in cosmetics like they do with food.
Are you wondering why companies would continue to use synthetic scents if they’re so
bad for our health? The answer is straightforward — they are cheaper. Synthetic scents
can be an extremely cheap way to give everything from shampoo to lotion to candles a
desirable scent. Unfortunately, just because you enjoy a scent, doesn’t mean it’s good
for you."
ESSENTIAL OILS + DIFFUSER
Essential Oils are my favorite way to experience the scents I love, but with benefits.
Diffusing oils can clean the air you are breathing, be emotionally uplifting, and support
our body systems. They are multi-use, so the same bottle of Thieves oil can be used
both in the diffuser and applied topically to the skin.
There are so many low-cost oils that be combined into the most delicious scents!
Not to mention several of the new diffusers have a candlelight flicker mode!
All of these combos from the starter bundle (linked below) are great combos!
Thieves + Lemon + Raven
Thieves + Lavender + Fankincense
Stress Away + Lavender + Peppermint
Peace & Calming + Citrus Fresh
Thieves + Stress Away
Valor + Citrus Fresh
These combos are just the tip of the iceberg on combinations. Trust me, I have so many
to share with you!
BEESWAX CANDLES
Some of us still occasionally want the ambiance of a real flickering candle on a cold
night. If you're interested in trying to make a beautiful, safe candle yourself, it is doable. Beeswax candles are amazing and smell great!
Skip the essential oils, burning them changes the constituents of them and will not offer any benefits, plus the smell just doesn’t really pack a punch with the beeswax modality.
What you will need: beeswax pellets, small mason jars, wicks, stickers for wicks
Just make sure that what you use is clean, organic products with no added chemicals. Here is a great blog post on how to make beeswax candles: https://rootedinhealing.net/2019/11/11/diy-beeswax-candle/
These are plain candles, so keep on diffusing for your scent!
Let's Connect
I would love to answer any questions you may have + help you navigate the Natural Life without overwhelm. Having someone to bounce questions off is super helpful + I would love to be that person for you.
