Welcome Adventurers! My story begins with a fire for creative expression, a desire for purpose and a love for Fantasy and Magick! 

Everyone has different experiences with major store brands like Yankee Candle and Bath and Body Works candles. Unfortunately, burning them wasn't an option for me because the overpowering fragrance gave me headaches galore!  I wanted to research the best "natural" candle options out there! Keep in mind I had no clue what a natural candle even was! If you're similar to me, keep reading as I go over what I've learned about natural candles in this blog down below.

All the major brands I bought had overwhelming scents that made my ultra-sensitive nose go haywire. I've always had an amazing sense of smell, but in this case it was a detriment given that most paraffin and even some soy candles have a very overwhelming scent-throw. Some people love powerful scents, but I am not that individual. I went on a mission to research the best candle making suppliers after realizing that paraffin wax based candles were causing my headaches, likely due to their strong scent-throw, and made it my mission to find a solution.

Some info on paraffin candle wax: Keep in mind a lot of sensitivities to candles and fragrances are less to do with the product itself and more with an individuals own personal allergies and sensitivities. Current studies show us that waxes don't produce enough toxic fumes into the air for them to be harmful to people unlike what some media suggests. From what verifiable studies I've read, it is more to do with the fragrance and colorants than the wax. Check out this 2007 study on candle emissions by the European Candle Society that examined waxes and the toxic chemicals they produce. Researchers discovered that the amount of chemicals produced by burning each type of wax is below the level that would affect a person, and thus there is no evidence that burning any wax in particular is bad for your health.

The result: I found that waxes made of non food-grade petroleum (a by-product of making gasoline otherwise known as paraffin) can cause headaches to people with strong fragrance sensitivities when burned, are not biodegradable or sustainable. Bear in mind that some soy waxes have this same effect on people because of their strong scent throw. This is because paraffin candles have one of the strongest scent throws (strength and reach) compared to many other waxes out there. 

As someone who cares very deeply for the earth and loves candles, I decided that creating my own environmentally friendly candles would be better for the planet and my own health. 

The answer to my question was under my nose this entire time! It was then I realized that making clean-burning candles could both help me and simultaneously bring others joy. 

These were the first two candles I ever sold! They are very different from the wooden wick candles I make today. Dollar store bought vessels with left-over soy wax and fragrance oils from Pro Candle Supply. Nothing fabulous, the vessel was cheap and the soy wax had sink holes but they smelled absolutely magical! A friend of mine insisted on buying a pair for their home and left my apartment with a bounce in their step. Seeing my friend's face light up after smelling my candles ignited a fire within me to transform my hobby into a candle making business! I felt gifted with the ability to create amazing smelling products and what's better is people were falling in love with them! I started getting requests from people all over the world like Germany and London to make more candles. From that point on I was determined to make the most eco-friendly and sustainable candles I could... but my aesthetic didn't start with Fantasy.

Interested in what came next? Embark on the next step of my journey through this link ---> Finding my Niche! Fantasy & Magick

 Creator Corner

A pithy message to you about the information on my blogs

My opinion-based articles are based on my personal values and beliefs. Any informative blog posts will provide sources where possible, but all data is subject to change. I encourage you to research more into these topics and develop your own conclusions using credible sources. As our world evolves and changes I will do my best to update my information. In the end, I am just trying to play my part to encourage thinking and research. Thank you! 

What is a "Natural" candle?

There is a lot of misinformation about "natural" candles and the candle industry that is perpetuated by candle shops and used as marketing tactics to get people to buy more "natural" products. I encourage you to look up the meaning of the word natural in regards to self-care products before reading the rest of this article. Natural doesn't always equal ethical, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Some candle shops jump on the natural non-toxic candle wagon because that's what they have been taught or shown and they don't realize what the word truly means.

Truth is, I enjoy taking on the responsibility to help educate us candle lovers on the truth behind the candle industry, candle emissions and toxicity.

Before jumping to conclusions, I'd like to take time with every blog post to help educate myself and my audience on a particular topic regarding the candle industry in every blog post I make! I hope you find this information valuable. Today I'm talking a bit about what a natural candle is and the lack of education and misunderstandings surrounding this buzz-word. 

What is a "Natural Candle": There's a lot of buzz around what is or isn't considered natural. By definition, if something is "Natural" it is derived from naturally occurring plants and animals. Now, this buzz-word has evolved to mean different things across varying industries. For example, an all natural food could be very different from an all natural candle. This is why I encourage people to educate themselves by reading articles by researchers and scientists who actually study natural components. What many people don't understand is that while a product may derive from a naturally occurring source, this doesn't mean they aren't processed in a way that is harmful to people or the planet. It's become incredibly difficult to trust products labeled as natural because of this. Build a relationship with the brand of your choosing. If clean and natural ingredients are important to their mission it will be abundantly clear on their platforms. It starts with our suppliers! As a candle maker who cares about the environment and being conscious of the ingredients I use, it's my responsibility to ensure all my suppliers have the same values I do. Sadly, not every supplier is transparent about where they get their supplies from and who their manufacturers are. That's where things get really tricky. 

So you may be thinking "Is there a such thing as a natural candle?"

 Let's start off by considering all the ingredients that go into a candle. A "Container Candle" has a vessel which is not naturally occurring and is man made. Most vessels that Chandlers have access to are processed in China and imported over to the United Stated. It's difficult to avoid the economic and environmental issues caused by importing unless you're buying from a US supplier who makes their vessels in house and is conscious of their impact. So let's take container candles out of the equation and focus on pillar candles that are made without a vessel. A pillar candle is made of hard wax, a wick, fragrance and sometimes a wick holder. Often these are made out of silicone molds but can be made by hand as well. A wick holder isn't always needed and is definitely not a natural product. They are often made with steel and coated with tin to resist erosion caused by fragrance oils. 

Next, we have the wick which is typically made of two kinds of materials; cotton or wood. Both these are found in nature and then processed to be used in candle making. Typically, most cotton wicks are 100% cotton coated in wax to help with firmness and a consistent burn. Please keep in mind that some cotton wicks have a metal core to help keep them stabilized, and are often coated in paraffin or some type of wax to keep them steady. You can always find a supplier that sells 100% cotton wicks, and will often tell you if they are coated and what they are coated in. Wooden wicks can have additives but often they are un-treated and cut to size. The wicks that I use are made and patented by Makesy and FSC certified, and my cotton wicks are lead-free. These components are derived from wood and plants and are considered a "natural" product even if they are treated and processed afterward. 

Onto the fragrance... There are two different kinds of fragrances. One is essential oils and the other is synthetic fragrance oil.

Essential oils are derived from a natural source whether that be plants or animals and processed to extract the fragrance, refine and produce a concentrated bottle. This process often takes hundreds of plants! Essential oils are sometimes seen as the more "natural" alternative to synthetic oils and thus more desirable. Essential oils also have a wonderfully strong scent as little definitely goes a long way. Another reason essential oils are popular is for their wonderful therapeutic properties. I currently use essential oils in my bath salts for this exact reason! Essential oils are considered a natural product because the concentrations are made with plants. That doesn't always make them the best option as some products don't mix well with EO's and can even be irritating to the skin when used in high percentages. It's important to keep in mind that some EO's can't be used while pregnant or if you have certain pre-existing conditions or illnesses. 

Some people prefer fragrance oils instead of essential oils as there are plenty of suppliers who have found clean, cruelty-free and toxic-free ways of creating synthetic oils that are developed with safe chemicals rather than harvesting hundreds of plants per bottle. All my fragrance oils that emulate animalic notes and musks are made synthetically. This in incredibly important to me as animalic scent concentrates were developed by harvesting materials that resulted in the death of an animal. Fragrance oils are also loved by candle makers for their ease of use and consistent burns. This doesn't make them a more natural alternative because they are not naturally derived but rather chemically replicated to smell similar to the natural plant. Synthetic fragrance oils are man made and created by mixing a variety of ingredients like resins and extracts. Some fragrance oils are even made using essential oils as well! This product is not natural but can use naturally occurring ingredients. It's important to keep in mind that some fragrances can only be created synthetically. 

TLDR: In a nutshell, candles can contain naturally occurring ingredients such as waxes that come from fruits and vegetables, essential oils derived from plants, and wicks made from cotton and wood. However, using a naturally derived product does not mean it is good for the environment or your health. It's best to develop a relationship with your candle-maker or beauty supplier if clean ingredients are important to you and asses if their values are similar to yours before buying their products. I am always open to talking on my social media platforms (link in the footer) or in my email here to discuss my ingredients and values. I will always encourage reading research articles done by researchers in their field! I hope this article helped you and leave me a comment if you have any further questions. I will do my best to answer them with what knowledge I currently possess. See you around Adventurer! 

Please comment on this blog with a question or curiosity you have about Faerine's Forge or candle making to receive a special gift!

This blog was updated on 9/16/2022