Candles come in different shapes and sizes, some made just for decoration while others are purposely built to fill the room with a pleasant scent. But nontoxic candles and how to make them aren’t as easy to find.
Most nontoxic candles and how to make them contain harmful chemicals like paraffin wax, petroleum products, and artificial scents that may prove dangerous when used over long periods of time. Fortunately, there is another way you can go about it: non-toxic candles!
What are nontoxic candles?
Nontoxic candles are candles made with non-toxic ingredients, non-toxic dyes, and scents. The main reason candles are more expensive is because of the time it takes to make them. All nontoxic candles are handmade which increases their price especially if they have unique or organic materials that are hard to find.
How are nontoxic candles made?
To create nontoxic candles you need three basic things: wax, scents, and colorants (dyes). You can choose between two types of waxes: soybean-based wax and vegetable-based wax. Soybean-based wax is preferred over the vegetable base since soybeans help fight climate change while vegetables don’t grow back after being cropped away.
Some people prefer nontoxic candles instead of regular candles because nontoxic candles are non-allergic and non-toxic. If you or your family members have an allergy to paraffin wax then non-toxic candles will be the best option for you.
To make nontoxic candles at home you can try using beeswax, soy wax, coconut oil, palm oil, and olive oil. But it is not necessary for candles to contain vegetable or animal fat; they can also contain mineral oil instead which is cheaper than other waxes. The only problem when using mineral oil is that the wick doesn’t hold up well during burning so it’s recommended that beginners avoid making them with this type of wax.
Here are the steps on how to make candles:
- Melt the wax using a double boiler
- Add colorant and scent to the melted wax
- Pour the candle mixture into molds or containers
- Allow candles to dry before removing them from their container
What types of scents can nontoxic candles have?
Nontoxic wax used in candles limits the type of scents they can have. The main ingredient that creates non-toxic scents is essential oils. A mixture of water and essential oil will be used to create non-toxic candle scents. This will provide a strong scent without being harmful to your family members or pets. Essential oils are extracted from plants by distillation, so nontoxic candles made with them are 100 percent natural!
Different types of nontoxic candle molds
Candle molds are divided into two types: reusable molds which you can use again every time you make candles and disposable molds that you throw away after using it just once. Non-toxic candle molds are usually made of non-toxic plastics, zinc metal, or plaster.
Non-Toxic Candle Molds to Consider
If you’re planning to give nontoxic candles as gifts then candle molds will come in handy because you can use them over and over again until it becomes unusable. Since candle molds are reusable you can just melt the candle wax mixture that is stuck on the mold using the double boiler method, let them dry and reuse them again.
Nontoxic candle molds are also great for kids who want to make their own non-toxic candles so they don’t have to worry about being burned by hot wax or wick mishaps while spilling molten candle wax onto themselves.
What nontoxic dyes can be used to color candles?
Non-toxic dyes are also made from different plant extracts. If you want nontoxic candles that have a light candle dye then you can use beet juice, cabbage juice, or alkanet root.
For a medium intensity non-toxic candle dye, you can use marigold flower petal extracts and for a deep intensity non-toxic candle dye you can use henna powder.
But if you’re not fussy about the type of non-toxic candle dye color your non-toxic candles will have, then go ahead and mix them together so they’ll become deeper in color.
How nontoxic candles are different from regular candles
Non-toxic regular candles are the kinds of non-toxic candles you can find in non-toxic department stores. These regular candles are usually made of nontoxic beeswax but sometimes they’re made with other nontoxic wax-like soy or palm oil. Non-toxic regular candles also use non-toxic dyes to color their wax which can be harvested from different vegetable extracts like green tea, turmeric powder, and carrot juice. Some non-toxic dyes can even be found in grapes stones or apple skin!
The Pros and Cons of Non-Toxic Candles
Advantages of non-toxic candles include non-allergic, non-toxic, non-irritating, non-cancerous, and eco-friendly!
The disadvantages of nontoxic candles are that they are more expensive than regular candles because they take more time to make and some may not come in different colors so candle lovers who want their house filled with colors will have to wait until nontoxic candle makers figure out how to do it.
Conclusion
To sum up, nontoxic candles have non-allergic, non-toxic, non-irritating, non-cancerous, and eco-friendly properties. The main ingredients in non-toxic candles are wax and dyes which can be made from plant extracts so it’s 100 percent nontoxic! If you want to know more, check out our site for more candlemaking tips.