The Benefits of Soy Candles and Aromatherapy at Home

I did not plan on selling candles. A customer asked me about three years ago if I had ever thought about carrying them, and I said no. Then she explained that the candles she was burning at home were made from paraffin — a petroleum byproduct — and she wanted something cleaner. That got me thinking.

Why We Switched to Soy

Paraffin wax is what most candles at Target and Walmart are made from. When you burn them, they can release toluene and benzene into your air. Not a lot, but enough that it bothered me once I knew about it. If you are already eating clean and watching what goes into your body, breathing petroleum fumes during your evening wind-down kind of defeats the purpose.

Soy wax comes from soybeans. Burns cleaner, less soot, and lasts longer because it burns slower. You pay a little more but the candle sticks around longer, which works out.

The Crackle Is Half the Appeal

All our candles use wooden wicks. People ask why. Partly it is the even burn and the bigger melt pool, which means better scent throw. But mostly people just love the crackling sound. It sounds like a tiny fireplace. I have had customers buy them specifically for that.

What the Research Actually Says About Aromatherapy

The word "aromatherapy" gets overused. A lot of what is out there is marketing dressed up as science. But some essential oils do have documented effects:

• Lavender — Calming. We carry a lavender candle and an essential oil blend, and they are consistently our top sellers in this category.
• Eucalyptus — Helps with breathing. Customers grab these during allergy season and cold months.
• Citrus — Energizing. The Lemon and Orange Blossom candles are popular in kitchens.
• Frankincense and Myrrh — Grounding. A lot of our customers burn these in the evening as part of a wind-down routine.

Small Changes Add Up

You do not need to overhaul your house. Light a clean candle instead of a paraffin one. Put a few drops of oil in a diffuser at your desk. Swap out the Febreze for something that is not synthetic. Once you start noticing what you are breathing, you make better choices. Same thing that happened with food.

We carry nine hand-poured soy candles, all made with essential oils and wooden wicks. Twelve ounces each, small batches. Coconut outsells everything else, followed by Lavender and Vanilla. They also happen to be our most-gifted product — I wrap them up for customers all the time.

Come smell them in person. That is really the only way to pick a candle.