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I know, I know. It’s that time of year when candles are the best! Whether it’s the warmth or the scent, or maybe just their overall beauty, candles are hard to resist. It may be tempting to pick up a bunch of cheap candles. so you can keep them burning without a care, buuuut there’s some things you should know before you light that match.

When buying a candle, you should look at these 3 things;

1) Wax composition. The ugly truth about candles is that most are made out of paraffin wax. Paraffin is a chemically processed wax that is often contaminated with carcinogenic compounds. If you are burning a paraffin wax candle in your home, you are actually spreading a pollutant and BREATHING IT INTO YOUR PRECIOUS LUNGS when burning these.

What to look for instead: 100% natural soy (not genetically modified), 100% beeswax, or vegetable based wax.

2) Wick composition. A lot of the cheap candles have what looks like a normal wick, but they actually have a wire inside of them. When you light these, you are literally burning metal (like lead!) and releasing toxins that can cause behavioral, reproductive and neurological issues, in addition to hormonal imbalances. #crazy

What to look for instead; 100% unbleached cotton wicks or wood wicks

3) Scent source. I did a whole blog post on perfume and why fragrance is bad here. Candles are really no different from perfumes. Besides just causing headaches, fragrance can also cause hormonal imbalances and has been linked to some cancers.

What to look for instead: Organic essential oils and natural ways of getting fragrance*

*side note the words NATURAL, CLEAN, etc are not regulate by the FDA, so just research and make decisions that are right for you.

Oh and another thing, it isn’t a requirement for candles to list their ingredients so there’s that ;) Have fun researching that! There are several brands I love that use soy and even have good wicks, but they use bad fragrance and I’m having to break up with them. It’s sad.

Okay so now that I’ve burst your bubble, I want to share some clean options. I have a feeling that some of y’all didn’t know all this…which is actually really annoying. Not that you didn’t know it, but that this type of information isn’t advertised. I’m actually really annoyed at our FDA as they don’t share this type of information on beauty products either!

You can click on the images below and it will take you directly to their webpage. If it’s not letting you click, just refresh the page. Everything is also linked under the collage!

Lite + Cycle Urban Forest Candle. When I first started researching this topic several months ago, Lite+Cycle was the name that kept popping up…it is pretty much a household name in the clean burning candle world. They are made of American-grown soy wax paraffin, dyes, lead, animal by-products, or synthetic fragrances. They use essential oils for fragrance and of course have a cotton wick! They have several scents, but I thought this forest one would be perfect for this season!

Sprinkles x Skylar Vanilla Triple Cinnamon Candle. I’ve been using Skylar since earlier this year! They are made of soy coconut wax in Los Angeles. They label themselves as eco-friendly, cruelty-free & vegan paraffin-free, phthalate-free and non-lead wicks. It’s important that they are phthalate free, because they do have to say “fragrance” on their label. BUT it is because they synthetically make the fragrances that some people are allergic to like lavender or grapefruit. Rest assured their special fragrance does not include Parabens, Phthalates, Polyethylene Glycols (PEGs), Artificial Colorants, Salicylates, Formaldehyde, Benzophenone, Butoxyethanol, Ethanolamines, Methyl Cellosolve, Sulfates, Paraffins, Nitro and Polycyclic Musks, Mineral Oil or Petrolatum. Soooo yeah :) I love their arrow scent, but the triple cinnamon candle is perfect for Christmas! You can shop their other scents here. I actually first got mine as a perfume + candle duo.

Goop Fragrance Edition 01 – Church. This one was originally named “Winter” so yes please. Bring it on December! It’s made of soybean wax and essential oils, plus Gwyneth Paltrow has her hands in it, so you know it is good! If you want to read more about the candle, Goop goes into crazy detail on their webpage on how everything is made and extracted. Pretty cool!

Shiva Rose Rosewood Vanilla Candle. If you want a candle to last year-round, this is the one to buy. It would fit in with the holiday season, but you could burn it into the spring! It is made of natural coconut wax and a lead-free cotton wick!

Uma Pure Bliss Wellness Candle. This is a good one to burn if you have family coming in town. It is supposed to promote harmony and boost moods! With rose and sandalwood blended together, it is sure to at least please your nose if not your fam;) It’s made with 100% organic materials that are free from synthetic fragrances and emulsifiers, preservatives, parabens, GMOs, and mineral oils.

Follain Candle No. 2. We just got a Follain store in Dallas and it is BEAUTIFUL. It’s made of soy and coconut oil along with essential oils. If you want to read more about what Follain DOESN’T allow in their products, click here. They have some wonderful products. I can find all but a couple of my favorite beauty products there.

Element Element Soy Candle Wood Series. U.S grown organic soy candles and wood wicks, rejoice! They have several scents, but their wood series is my favorite. They have 3 different versions, so take your pick! They use phthalate-free fragrance oil and use no additives or dyes.

Another one I’ve found that is good is UncommonJames!

Not a candle person? Diffusing essential oils is a great option. I’m currently looking for a new brand of EO’s because I’ve learned some not so great things about the ones I was using. Currently looking into Branch Basics, Saje and Now Foods as options. Another thing I like to do is boil water with the scent I want! Cloves, ginger, cinnamon, cranberry…you name it! You can switch out the items by season and literally make your own potpourri Very easy and cost effective!

Do you have a favorite way of creating a scent in your home?? Let me know so i can try it out!

P.S. Please don’t forget about birthday candles!! This is a real issue. You’re literally putting paraffin wax in your food. Here’s a good option for your next cake.

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