I like my house to smell nice, but I'm not a big fan of using chemicals to achieve nose bliss. I want my house to be a healthy haven even more than I want it to smell good. All those chemicals in commercial air fresheners and candles aren't doing our bodies any favors, so I nix them all. Buh-bye chemical-laden smelly-goods. You mask your evil insides with a lovely smell, but you don't fool me.
If I'm not going to fall prey to the advertised wonders of chemicallly-induced scents, how will I make my house smell like a cool spring meadow? Or a rain-laced waterfall? Or a cinnamon-scented pine tree? What's a girl to do!?!
If you've been swimming around Gallimaufry Grove for long, you might have noticed that I use essential oils a lot, and that I use them to make my own All-Natural Air Freshener Sprays. I have also made Soy Candles. Now I have a third option for nose bliss without chemicals. Behold, the Beeswax Candle!
Did you know that Beeswax candles actually help purify the air? Ker-wowzas!! I'll bet FeBreeze can't do that. According to Lauren at Empowered Sustenance,
“Beeswax releases negative ions when it burns. Pollen, dust, dirt, pollutants, and any other junk in the air all carry a positive charge, and that is how they can be suspended in the air. The negative ions released from burning beeswax negate the positive charge of air contaminants, and the neutralized ions are sucked back into the burning candle or fall to the ground. Many air purifiers and water filters harness this effective negative ion technology.
Beeswax candles effectively reduce [the symptoms of] asthma, allergies, and hay fever by drawing pollutants out of the air.”
All that, and the ambiance of a candle, too. I'm in.
Heather at Mommypotamus has an excellent tutorial showing how to make your own 100% all natural beeswax candles, so I'm not going to reinvent the wheel. The only 2 things I did differently is that I melted my wax in a crockpot that I have designated for that purpose (don't use you're cooking crockpot for this), and I added fragrance. You can use essential oils to keep your candles smelling good and perfectly healthy. Just add them at the very end, right before you pour your wax. You'll need to add more essential oil than you think because the heat will dissipate the aroma of the oils a bit as the candles are hardening. If you decide not to add essential oils (or you don't add enough), the soft smell of warm honey is wonderful on its own.
Excuse me. I need to go hover around my candles now...
Have a great day!
Angela
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