Why Choose Natural Candles Over Paraffin Candles?

Handmade Natural Heart Candle Gift Set

Handmade from natural wax, our Set of 3 Rose Petal
scented candles offers sustainably sourced palm oil wax!

Handmade Natural Candles

The wicks of our natural candles are cotton based with natural decorative elements. Burning time for these candles are approximately 25 hours!

When it comes to investing in pieces for your home, it isn’t always clear why you should choose one product over another. However, when it comes to candles, a natural candle should always be your first choice.

Candles for many of us play an important role in making our home, well, our home. In other words, we find them comforting as they create a pleasant ambiance from their appearance and aroma, which becomes the smell we associate with home. Though, the average candle is assembled from petroleum and scented with harsh chemicals which can be very detrimental to not only the environment but to you as a consumer.

Explaining in more detail, here’s why you should choose natural candles over paraffin candles!

Breathe Easy

Natural palm oil candles are nearly carbon neutral, and so, emanate little, if any, soot when they burn. To clarify, palm oil is hydrogenated (hardened) into wax, which does not require harmful chemicals. Certified organic palm wax is obtained by steam distillation and then chilling and spinning the oil. This is a process that does not require any non-organic substances. Whereas paraffin and GMO soy wax are chemically distilled with petrochemical solvents, like hexane unlike palm oil that is steam-distilled, without the use of chemicals. Therefore, the soot produced by paraffin candles ought to be avoided for health reasons as it can be extremely harmful to your body when inhaled. It can also leave your home with black markings on your furniture and walls.

Above all, the soot created from paraffin candles is often collected within the jar of the candle and is visible evidence of the CO2 being produced and released into your home environment. So, breathe easier with a clean burning natural candle.

Say No to Synthetic Scents

Quite obviously the scent of the candle is amongst the most important things people value most when buying a candle. Similarly, it's important to find a scent that suits you and your personality, but also a scent that is going to last and fill your home. Synthetically scented and petroleum oil-based candles, like paraffin candles, often release their fragrance quickly due to the wax burning through the scent. As a result, they are harmful for humans and pets to inhale.

Whereas, a natural burning candle that is scented with pure essential oils releases the scent gradually throughout its burn time due to the lower melting point of palm wax being 58 degrees Celsius and is not harmful to inhale as no chemicals are used throughout the process. Consequently, a natural candle will make for more of a healthy option as well as pleasing diffusion and a continued original scent. Likewise, in summer time, your candle won’t easily melt and will remain standing straight in warm weather conditions (or in the UK – our slightly warmish weather).

Burn for your Bucks

We all love getting value for our money – don’t we? You may initially pay more for a natural candle; however, the bulk of candle grade paraffin comes from refineries in China (since U.S. refineries pretty much stopped producing it), and our experience has been that it's harder and harder to get the right quality. Candles imported from China are, as a rule, of very inferior quality: using the cheapest paraffin, bad wicks and cheap synthetic scents. Consequently, they do not burn well and to our experience, burn down quite fast. Natural palm wax burns up to 50% longer compared to candles made of paraffin wax. Therefore, most importantly you get to enjoy your candle 1.5 times longer compared to regular candles, subsequently meaning you won’t have to buy new candles as often.

In short, yes, the initial investment may be off-putting compared to the price of a paraffin candle, but once you have opted for a natural candle you will reap the rewards in the results: a natural candle with a long and consistent burn time.

It Won't Cost the Earth

We now live in a world where we need to be environmentally conscious consumers. This is to say even if we try to turn a blind eye to what is happening, we should all try by taking baby steps to start looking after our planet, otherwise it won’t be able to look after us for much longer. Above all, by purchasing a natural handmade wax candle over a mass-produced paraffin wax candle, you are not only purchasing a product that has been made from sustainable resources, but you are also purchasing a product that is biodegradable and reusable. For example, the glass around the candle can be re-filled with wax or be used elsewhere in your home. Purchasing this type of product too is helping small family run businesses, like ourselves, stay running. We source sustainable items as we too believe in sustainability from both ends of the spectrum.

Shop Our Handmade Natural Candles Now!

By Rachel Pearson @ Hairy Fairy Gifts

Contact Us

Hairy Fairy,
181 Swanston Street,
Glasgow,
G40 4HG

Tel: 01415546690
Email: rachel@hairyfairy.gifts