Why Do I Make Candles?
Candles have always been a staple in our home. Their aromas have transportive powers, and their flickering flames create a cozy atmosphere. As a lifelong candle fan, it was only natural that when I started bringing good smelling things into the house to make soap, I would branch out into candles. I’ve always been a super-smeller and I thought “What a great opportunity to put this weird skill to use.”
Side note: When I was little I thought that people sometimes called their noses “the old factory'“ because I misunderstood the world olfactory.
As I was starting my chandlery journey, I learned about the gross stuff that goes into mass-produced candles. Did you know that up until kind of recently, manufacturers could use lead-cored wicks? That means lead was burning and floating around the air in your room. No thanks.
Mass market candles are also made with parrafin wax. Parrafin is a by-product of fossil fuels and is pretty nasty for the environment. It comes from crude oil, famously known for spilling and destroying animal habitats. Disturbingly, parrafin in its solid form is not biodegradable.
Barnes Made candles use soy wax. Soy wax comes from, you guessed it, soybeans. Our wax comes from 100% American-grown soybeans, shortening the journey our materials have to travel. Soy is a legume, and legumes are great nitrogen fixers. That means that they deposit beneficial nitrogen into the soil wherever they grow. In addition to helping with soil remediation, they help control erosion.
Most mass-produced candles also use fragrances that contain harmful compounds such as phthalates. Phthalates are a group of petroleum based chemicals used to make plastics more durable. In cheap fragrances, these chemicals are used as a solvent to extend the aromatic strength of the fragrance oil. The powers that be have deemed them “safe”, but this study from the National Institutes of Health begs to differ. Phthalates are a known endocrine-disrupting semi-volatile organic compound. Does that sounds like something you want to be sublimated into your airspace? Personal preference I guess, but that’s a no from me. Luckily Barnes Made candles are certified phthalate-free!
At first, I was intimidated by the process of candlemaking. It may seem easy to do, but it’s difficult to perfect. There are a lot of factors that need to line up just so, in order for your candle to come out looking picture perfect. This isn’t an issue in giant factories, but we work from home chandlers do not have the same amenities. Initial frustrations aside, I quickly fell in love with the challenging art of candle making. There's something meditative about formulating a fragrance, melting the wax, adding the fragrance like a potion, and filling up the jars.
The real joy came from sharing my candles with others. I love seeing the look of delight on people's faces when they smell my candles for the first time. I always joke that I should get a reaction cam for my booth when I sell in-person. It’s kind of hard to sell scent-based products online. One day there will be a scratch and sniff plugin for my website. Until then, writing vivid product descriptions about the scene to which a candle transports its burner will have to do.
