Essential oil candles are popular because they can provide a sensory experience that combines a pleasant scent with flickering candlelight. The essential oils used in these candles can also have aroma therapeutic benefits, such as:
Mood enhancement
Different scents can evoke different feelings, such as lavender for relaxation or citrus for energy.
Wellness benefits
Essential oils can have properties that can help with stress, digestion, and more. For example, lavender can help relieve stress and tension, while ginger can help with bloating and constipation.
Eco-conscious choice
Essential oils are made from natural substances, such as plant flowers, leaves, stems, roots, and bark, and don't release harmful chemicals when burned like synthetic fragrances can.
Aromatherapy has been a trusted practice the world over for over 5000 years. Essential oils are safe and natural when used responsibly. And not just in candles. Essential oils can be used to treat minor ailments, such as cold sores, headaches, and sore muscles.
What is an Essential Oil Candle?
A really good candle will be packed with beautifully therapeutic essential oils and made with pure natural wax, not the cheaper, less clean burning paraffin wax. Not to mention burning without polluting the air in our home. Aromatherapy uses essential oils from plants which have powerful effects on emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
Essential oils are extracted from the plant or herb and one of the reasons why they are so powerful is that they are the essence from that plant and are super concentrated. It takes about 60 roses to produce just 1 drop of rose essential oil. The aroma comes from volatile compounds inside the plant and it is these aromatic molecules which interact with sensors in your nose and pores in your skin.
The Difference between Essential Oils & Fragrance in Candles?
Candles can be scented with pure essential oils or candle fragrance. Essential oils all come from the same place, irrespective of which essential oil they are, they are directly derived from the plant of herb and are completely natural. The difference is that orange essential oil for example is derived from the peel and lavender essential oil is derived from lavender flowers.
A fragrance oil can be made up of different components, and these are usually synthetic. They can replicate scents that do not occur naturally in nature, for example cashmere, or winter berry.
They can also imitate essential oils, eg cedarwood or rose. The difference is that a rose or cedarwood fragrance will be significantly cheaper than a pure essential oil, and it is not always easy to tell what is in your candle. These much cheaper candles also usually paraffin wax instead of natural wax, and synthetic colourants.
What are the Benefits of Using Essential Oils in Candles?
Studies have shown that aromatherapy oils can have a stimulating and sedative effect on the nervous system and immune system. It is thought that the fragrant essential oils positively impact the part of our brain called the limbic system which helps control our emotions and behaviour. The limbic system interacts with our brain and helps control breathing, stress levels, memory and hormone balance amongst others.
The word 'olfactory' comes from the Latin 'olfacere' to smell, and it is via the olfactory nerve that the magic happens. The inside of your nose is formed of special nerve cells that connect direct to the brain via the olfactory nerves. Our olfactory nerves are made up of tiny fibres and cilia, tiny hairs on the tip. As air passes through our nostrils, it passes over and touches on the cilia, which in turns sends a signal to our brain to register the smell.
An aroma activates your olfactory nerves and goes directly into your body, lungs and bloodstream. Essential oils can also enter your skin via creams and oils and bring another whole host of benefits.
Essential Oils in Candles - Quality is Key
Essential oils are expensive, For our standard sized candles contains up to 10ml of pure essential oils; liken that to those little bottles of essential oils you can buy, typically they are 5ml bottles - so the equivalent of up to 2 of those in one our standard candles alone. But they are worth it, the pay off is a great scent throw, in other words not another natural candle where you can't actually smell anything, and some serious therapeutic benefits.
Like anything worth having, natural aromatherapy candles are open to abuse as they become increasingly popular. Synthetic fragrances, scents and 'parfum' which by their very nature cannot be an essential oil, are finding their way into candles and skincare. Essential oils should be labelled as 100% pure or 100% Pure blend (blend of 2 or more essential oils)- anything less and it could be adulterated with anything. Pure essential oils are usually stored in dark glass as they are sensitive to light and can deteriorate if exposed. We use tin in our candles to keep it from being exposed to lights.
Our Essential Oil blends:
Bergamot essential oil has been studied extensively for its ability to relieve stress and anxiety. An uplifting oil, it also increases positive feelings.
Lavender essential oil is a calming and relaxing natural remedy, traditionally used for its healing properties. An incredibly multipurpose oil, pure lavender essential oil can also help to reduce stress and dispel low moods.
Ylang Ylang This delicate oil has many applications beyond its beautiful scent and is often used to soothe stress, boost confidence, and support overall health.
FOUR BANDITS BLEND ( Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Rosemary) This handmade blend takes inspiration from the essential oil remedy that was used during the bubonic plague - and the four bandits who wore it to protect themselves from falling ill. With cleansing, protective, and decongestant properties, our Four Bandits Pure Essential Oil Blend is a household favourite and can play a role in guarding our health, just as it did for the four thieves all those centuries ago.
SWEET DREAMS BLEND (Cedarwood, Lavender, Lemon Verbena, Ylang Ylang) - Our Sweet Dreams Pure Essential Oil Blend combines four oils which have been found to enhance the length and quality of sleep, so that when you rise in the morning you're ready to face the day.
RELAX & UNWIND BLEND (Bergamot, Lavender, Lemongrass) - It's important to put aside time to take care of ourselves. Our Relax & Unwind Pure Essential Oil Blend can help you to make the most of this time, combining three soothing, stress-relieving oils to create an atmosphere of peace. Switch off, relax, and let these calming scents do their work.
MEDITATION BLEND (Lavender, Thyme, Ylang Ylang) - If you find it hard to switch off your active mind and enter a meditative state, then our Meditation Pure Essential Oil Blend can help. This blend contains lavender, thyme and ylang ylang - three oils high in linalool. The compound linalool is known to increase alpha brain waves, which are present during states of meditation.
Our candles comes in a refillable tin so why not try all our Essential Oil Blends and enjoy the benefits.
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