Be Safe by Using Soy Candles
By Ian A. Richardson
What do you think about when you go candle shopping? Do you think about the shape of the candles that will be best for your plans? What about the color of the candles? Maybe you think about what type of scents have been added to the soy candles you are considering? All of these are common questions that people ask when they are going candle shopping. But, what about how healthy are those candles for your family? If you don't ask that question, you should.
While you may think candles are just beautiful and decorative accents to your home, the kind of candles you have in your home could be lending themselves to risk the health of you and your family.
Dirty Air
Most of the economy candles on the market are made of paraffin. Paraffin is a petroleum product. This means that as soon as you light those candles and they start to burn you are not just getting a flame, but also soot.
Black soot that is released as paraffin candles burn has been found to be a carcinogen. That means it could contribute to the formation of cancer in the body.
While you may think that just lighting one candle now and again is not a big problem, you have to understand how black soot works. Once you have lit the candle and the soot makes it's way into the air, it doesn't go away. Soot is actually a sticky substance that will start attaching to everything in your home - walls, ceiling, tables, furniture, drapes and anything else around.
The black soot will essentially pile up in your home and be constantly in the air, being breathed in by you and members of your family.
Remember, coal is a petroleum product. Would you burn that in your house? Do you really want to take a risk of putting hazardous materials into the air of your home?
One more thing to keep in mind with paraffin candles is not only that it is a petrolrum based product, but also that there are a number of other chemicals that are used in the making of paraffin candles that also may be released into the air as you burn them.
You may be wondering what your option is. Do you have to give up candles altogether? No. The better option is to use soy candles.
Soy candles are completely natural. This means when you light soy candles you are not going to be releasing carcinogenic black soot into the air of your home. Everything that is coming off of the candles is natural and safe to release into your home and the environment.
This is not to say there is no soot from soy candles, there is. It is just a different kind of soot. It is called white soot and is not known to be the negative health threat that the soot from paraffin candles can be. Additionally, there is much less of the white soot released in the burning of soy candles than there is of black soot from paraffin candles.
Across the board, soy candles are the safer option for your family and the environment.
Ian Richardson is the co-owner of Soy Magic, a soy candle making business in the Blue Mountains of NSW Australia. In the past he could never burn scented candles in the same room, he thought it had something to do with the scent. It turns out that is was actually the paraffin wax because when he started burning Soy Candles (scented) he never had a headache again. To find out more about Soy Candles visit Soy Magic.
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