Great guide to the most winter entertainment: how to choose, burn and store American candles
'03.01.2019'
Source: The Village
Winter is the time to burn candles: cold, dark, you want warmth and comfort. In addition, watching live fire is one of the basic types of meditation. We understand what is better - candles or diffusers, than paraffin is dangerous, which wax to choose, how to properly burn and how to store.
If you choose between a candle and a diffuser, then it all depends on taste and free time. The candle is lit for at least an hour and a half - during this time the wax manages to warm up and gives off its aroma well, writes The Village. If you want to just smell delicious at home, it is better to put a diffuser. The strength of the aroma can be varied by reducing or increasing the number of rods, besides, the oil diffuser will easily stand for several months. That is, the diffuser is a story about “set and forget”, it sets the atmosphere. And candles - the whole ceremony.
Paraffin or wax?
Paraffin is a product of oil distillation; when it is heated, toxic toluene and benzene are released. In the production of candles, paraffin is most often used because it is cheap - and this is where its advantages end.
An alternative to paraffin - candles on vegetable wax: coconut, soybean, apricot - and also on beeswax. These waxes are safe, melt evenly when burning (that is, candles last long enough), besides, they hold the aroma well and do not change it when heated. Vegetable waxes work about the same, but there are some minor differences.
Coconut and apricot waxes are very soft, they melt at room temperature. If you leave such a candle in the sun, it will become liquid in a day.
Soy wax - more solid and well preserved even with temperature drops. For example, KOBO Candles grow their own soybeans in the state of New York: the wax is environmentally friendly and non-GMO. And PaddyWax handles soybeans by hand.
A distinctive feature of beeswax is a delicate honey aroma. True, it is better not to buy candles from it if you are prone to allergies to bee products.
The easiest way to recognize a candle on coconut wax: if you rub it, the wax will immediately start to melt slightly, and something like butter will remain on your finger. It is harder to determine the paraffin by eye, but if the candle can be bent or cut, it is definitely not pure paraffin: with such manipulations it crumbles. Candles that can be found in the mass-market brands are likely to be made of paraffin, so before buying it is better to check the composition with the seller or ask for a certificate.
Which wick is better?
A wick made of cotton material - the most popular among manufacturers of candles as a vegetable wax, and paraffin. It is easily ignited and evenly burned with wax. The larger the candle, the thicker should be its wick - to ensure all the same uniform combustion. Also the wick weaving plays an important role: during heating, the wax changes its density, and if the weaving is too tight, soy or coconut wax may burn unevenly. By the way, manufacturers of very cheap candles interweave lead wire in the wick, which helps the wick to stick.
The wooden wick crackles pleasantly when burning and smells good. From the experience of working with candles, I can say that candles made of soy wax are best “friends” with a wooden wick, since both the wax and the wick burn evenly.
What does burning time depend on?
How much a candle will burn depends, firstly, on its size, and secondly, on its composition. Candles on coconut or soy wax burn about the same, but there is a different story with paraffin: such candles burn out a wick, and the mass at the edges does not have time to warm up - as a result, a crater is formed, and the burning time is seriously reduced. I recently conducted an experiment: at the same time I lit a paraffin candle and a candle on coconut wax. Two hours later, the first went out - the wick began to behave strangely in contact with paraffin, but the coconut continued to burn evenly. Coconut wax becomes completely liquid at high temperatures, and it seems that the wick burns in water.
How to burn?
- Candles can never be blown out. If you do this, then the next time the smell of a glowing wick mixes in with the scent of a candle - and a pure aroma will not work. A candle can, for example, be covered with a lid, and she herself goes out in a few seconds without oxygen. If there is nothing to cover the candle, then it is better to use a special flame arrester, which resembles a cap or bell. The cap will also protect the wax surface from dust, and the candle will be like new for a long time.
- The wick must be cut before each use - remove the burnt edge. Otherwise, the smoldering particles of the wick will fall into the melted wax, and the smell will be not smoke aroma, but smoke. Cut the wick can be ordinary nail scissors.
- The candle needs to be lit not for 10 – 15 minutes, but for now at least a small amount of the upper layer will not melt. This is due, again, to the uniform burning of the wax and wick.
- It is not necessary to burn a candle for more than three hours: since the wax overheats, and the aroma oils cease to give up their aroma. If you want to use a candle for a long time, then extinguish it every couple of hours on 5 – 10 minutes - this time is enough for the wax to cool down and harden.
What aroma oils are suitable for winter?
The aroma of a candle is a very deep topic. Making a unique composition is, of course, difficult. If the manufacturer produces a candle with the scent of leather and vanilla, it means that he mixed several aroma oils (which is a mystery) to achieve a smell similar to the skin. This whole art - to try to convey the smell of things from which you can not make butter.
For the cold season, aromas that will fill the house with peace and comfort will suit: mandarin, orange, cypress, spruce, pine, juniper, fir, cinnamon, cloves - that is, spicy, citrus, fruit or pine. In addition, these oils can be used as a means to prevent colds: they increase immunity and raise mood.
What brands to pay attention to?
The founder of this American brand became interested in making candles and turned her hobby into a whole company. All candles are made by hand and consist only of natural ingredients, based on soy wax. Another feature of the brand is design. “Pharmaceutical collection”, which is bought up instantly, is a modest but stylish packaging and smells dedicated to healing herbs. In the Library collection, each candle is dedicated to a specific author: Leo Tolstoy, for example, as conceived by the creators, should smell like prunes, oak, and moss. Calestial is a collection whose fragrances and packaging are dedicated to the cosmos. The most grandiose collection is devoted to US national parks: here candles use wicks made of fallen trees, which are found in the park of the same name.
Each candle of another American brand is the result of the author’s inspiration with cities, countries, people and some small details, such as wallpaper. Since all this is inseparable from nature, the manufacturer pays great attention to the safety and environmental friendliness of the product: in one of the collections, candles are sold in biodegradable packaging, and in the other, after the candle burns out, the glass jar can be used as a pot for growing a flower (seeds go to complete set).
A brand that produces candles on soy wax and dedicated to the smells of the street of the same name. Broad Street has it all - from offices to street markets and fashionable restaurants. And the authors decided to recreate this atmosphere in their candles: among the scents - flowers, fruits, absinthe, sea salt, tobacco and much more.
Also America, but only California. This is reminiscent of the brilliant packaging of each candle. The wax here is mainly coconut, apricot is also used. Favorite flavor can be found in different formats: standard on 50 hours of burning, travel version in a tin can on 20 hours or even a large candle on 80 hours.
