Smart Scents: Make Your Own Floating Scented Candles

If you’re looking for a great weekend crafting activity that is both fun and productive, then you should try making your own floating scented candles. I found this to be a really affordable and entertaining project, and it creates something that you can use for entertaining, to give as gifts, or even to fill your own home with both beauty and rich scents that can last for hours. It’s not very difficult to make these candles and I found the supplies to be inexpensive. All you need is a double boiler, some paraffin, wicks, candle moulds, and several different kinds of essential oils. I found all of these things at my local craft store.

Once you have gathered your supplies and chosen your scents, (which was the hardest part for me, since there was a huge selection,) make sure that you wear some kind of apron to protect your clothing, or wear old clothes that you won’t mind getting dirty. Fill your double boiler with water and bring it to a boil. I found it easier to prepare everything else while I was waiting for the water, such as laying the moulds out on a flat surface and opening the wicks so that I could lay them out. When the water has boiled, melt your paraffin, making sure it melts evenly by stirring it with a wooden spoon. Once it has melted, add the essential oils of your choice and stir again.
Now comes the important part, and I learned from experience that you must take it slowly. Pour the paraffin into the moulds, but don’t do it too quickly or air bubbles will form that will ruin the candles. Take your time to make sure it enters the moulds without bubbling and then set them aside for a bit. When they have begun to set, add the wicks and then set them aside. It should take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to harden completely. Enjoy!

Enhance Your Next Get Together With Scented Candles

Whether your next get together is to celebrate a holiday, a family event, or even to have friends over, then using scented candles is a great way to make your guests feel welcome. Some people think that these candles are overpowering or intrusive, but if they are used the right way, they can add an element of intimacy and warmth to your home that few other things can. If you want to add the inviting glow and pleasing scents of these candles to your next party, then the following tips can help you.

One of the most important things to remember when you’re using scented candles is to make sure that you choose only one or two scents and that they don’t overwhelm your guests. You must select them carefully and make sure that they blend well together and don’t clash. Some of the most alluring and pleasing scents are those that are actually opposite of each other. You can mix spicy with sweet, fruity with herbal, and so on. One scent that is most compatible with others is lavender, and it is also calming and inviting, which is the perfect atmosphere for any get together.
If you’re hosting a Christmas party, then you can use pillar candles of different heights to create a timeless look that your guests will appreciate. Mixing a baking scent like gingerbread or peppermint with a scent such as pine will create the ultimate holiday scent and fill you home with smells that everyone will instantly associate with a cozy home at Christmas. There’s no better sensation for a weary guest who’s been traveling for days than to step into a home and be welcomed by warm and inviting smells like these, so when it comes to decorating your home for the holidays, using scented candles is a great choice that all of your friends, family, and guests will enjoy.

What Scented Candles Can Do For You

Everyone knows scented candles smell great. Who doesn't like that, right? But they offer more than simply a nice smell. Consider the following:

Scented Candles Can Enhance Moods

Not only will you be in a better mood when you have a candle lit, but your family will be too. There are all sorts of ways to scent a home, but none work as well or offer the same cozy ambience as scented candles. Everyone will feel more peaceful, and bad moods will melt away when they enter a home that bears the scent of a lit candle.

Scented Candles Turn Homes into Havens

No matter how chaotic or cold a house is, nothing makes it feel like a home faster than lighting a scented candle. The warmth, light, and smell all work together to create a feeling of love and togetherness for all who are near.

Scented Candles Add a Decorative Touch

A great smelling candle is an awesome thing, but a beautiful one is even better. A pretty color and a catchy container can add a touch of cheer and warmth to any room. Use them to add a pop of color or coordinate colors for a more elegant look. Whichever route you choose to take, scented candles definitely have a place in any home decor.
Scented Candles Make Great Gifts

Do not keep all of the greatness of scented candles to yourself. Spread the love and share the joy that they can offer by giving them as gifts. They make wonderful gifts for any occasion. Remember, when you give them as a gift, you are not simply giving a sweet smelling candle, but all of the things mentioned above as well. What a scented candle can do for you it can do for anyone you choose to give it to. Birthdays, weddings, graduations, and even Christmas are great opportunities to give the gift of a cozy, beautiful, great smelling home in the form of a candle.

Scented candles come in all shapes and sizes, numerous colors, and virtually unlimited scents. Take the time to choose the perfect one for each room in your home and each recipient on your giving list. You won't go wrong if you do.

The Many Uses Of Scented Candles

Scented candles are a very popular choice for people looking to give gifts or to give a new fragrance to their very own home. These candles are the ones that can be made of either wax or sometimes soy wax and are infused with different fragrant oils. While the candle is burning, you will feel a different aroma. These types of candles are about more than just giving off light; they can also make your room smell great and bring some relaxation to the area.

Therapeutic Effects

If you are a person who suffers from a lot of stress, then scented candles may be a great way to find some relaxation. A lot of people will use these candles, or the floating version of them, when taking a well-deserved bubble bath. You can use them in your house to serve the same purpose for a quiet evening. Aroma therapy candles can be found in specialized stores. 

Decoration

If you are looking for candles that will look great in any room, then you should be looking at the scented or floating candles. They can add a decorative aspect to the room and when they burn, they can make that same room feel even better. The candles come in many different colors and shapes so you can match them with your room no matter what the room looks like.

Room Fresheners

Scented candles are a perfect way to bring a good scent to a room or even your entire house or apartment. This is a very good benefit, especially to those people who are pet owners or more specifically, cat owners as cat litter can spread a bad smell in a room. Make sure that you follow all the safety practices if you have children or pets in the house to prevent accidents.

Scented Candles are Great for Use in the Bathroom and Everywhere Else in the House

We have all been in the situation of having to follow after someone in the bathroom that has been in there forever, undoubtedly making it smell horrible. You feel as if you need to hold your breath so that you can do your business because the smell is too much to bear. With scented candles, you would never have to have that problem again. Nor would you ever have to be that person that leaves the bathroom embarrassed because you know you are the one that made the bathroom smell badly. With scented candles, you could leave the bathroom smelling fresh as a daisy, or baked apple pie whether you were in there for a half hour or you were in there long enough to blow your nose.

Scented candles are not only great for the bathroom, but any room that can potentially become odorous from garbage, dirty, smelly shoes, or just from the animals coming in and out. With so many scents available, you could make every room of your home smell fantastic and like a different scent as well. Do you want your kitchen to always smell like something is baking? There are candles scented like pies, chocolate, coffee and various other food smells that will make it smell as if you slaved away for hours.

Scented candles are just as safe as any other candle to burn in your home. The scent is added to the way through an essential oil so that everything is completely safe for your lungs to breathe. Some of the candles available offer a calming relaxation through their aromatheraputic scents. If you are having trouble picking a scent, you can always create your own scents by lighting a few different scented candles to create a unique scent that will be special to your home.

Another awesome perk to having scented candles in the home is that you will never have to worry about a bad smell. Your whole home can smell fantastic. The bathroom, an essential place to offer a great smell could be the best place to try those other scents that may be stronger than what you prefer. Another perk of burning a scented candle in your bathroom, the dampest place in the entire house is that the heat from the candle can help prevent mold spores from growing because the bathroom is staying warmer than without burning that scented candle.

Candles for Every Dream Wedding

There are various candles needed or desired for a wedding. From tea lights for reception tables to the unity candle used in the ceremony, you want to be certain that everything is perfect. With so many options available, there are candles for every dream wedding. Choose from various styles, scents and colors to bring the right lighting to your wedding and reception.

Candles can be used to give the gift or card table an elegant light in the reception, or to light the altar during the wedding. You have many options available to you, from wedding bell pillar candles to wedding bell gel candles in a tumbler. These candles are scented and custom made for your wedding. There are also other pillar candles and gel candles available in varying sizes, shapes and colors.

You can also use candles to give soft light to reception tables. Each table can have more than one floating candle, giving light to the table and an item for remembrance that can be taken home by guests. There are many floating candles available, but the most popular for weddings are floral candles, hearts, and wedding bells. You can choose from white magnolia, rose, or heart shaped floating candles. If you would like to add some color to your wedding reception, you can choose floating candles that are elegant in shape and match the color scheme of your wedding. For example, you might choose purple butterflies or yellow daffodils. You can also choose pink daisies, pale yellow and white freesia, off white gardenia, red hearts, periwinkle flowers, or blue snowflakes, among other choices for floating candles for your reception.

For your wedding itself, many couples opt to have a unity candle. The unity candle is a large pillar candle that is lit from two tapers. The bride and groom each take a taper and light the unity candle together. This represents the binding of the two families. This tradition is especially used in weddings where the bride or groom is bringing children into the marriage. There are many pillar candles to choose from for a unity candle, but the most popular is the rose scented pillar candle, with an elegant ribbon tied around the middle.

The best selection of wedding candles will be found at RezCandles.com. These candles are going to be the highlight of your wedding and reception. You should make sure they are exactly what you want with custom candles.

Warm, Inviting Cinnamon

Cinnamon has many wonderful properties that cannot be overlooked. It makes an apple pie taste fantastic, makes your coffee taste like Christmas time, and adds a flare to your home that makes it smell warm and inviting. What most people do not know about cinnamon is that it is the number one candle scent sold in America. At Christmas time, people often purchase cinnamon scented pinecones to make their home smell delicious. There are many that want that same scent all year long; this is partly why cinnamon has become so popular.

What most people do not know is that cinnamon also has magical properties as well. Cinnamon is often used in the Pagan, Wiccan, and Shaman communities to ward evil from the home. Burning cinnamon candles in the home for at least a half hour each day will keep bad feelings and negative intensions from your door and create a happier environment inside your home. Perhaps it is because the warm cent of cinnamon makes a person relax and feel at ease or maybe it really does have magical properties to it, but whatever the reason, there are fewer unhappy people in a cinnamon scented home than one that scented with coconut.

Coconut is a fun, tropical scent that makes your home smell good, and is also an aphrodisiac. This means that it is regularly going to cause arousal in people that are subjected to smelling the sweet nutty scent of the coconut. While emotions are stirring, some of them will leak out and they are not always the ones that you are hoping for. The coconut smell arouses all emotions and we do not always get to pick and choose which ones that we are going to let out. This is why it is not advised to burn coconut scented candles unless you are able to handle the potentially hostile behaviors it can bring about. Cinnamon is preferred because it helps to calm those emotions that can otherwise get out of hand. The relaxing atmosphere is a great place for the elderly as well as young children to be in.

What Isn’t There To Love About Candles?

Electricity hasn’t killed candles forever. Just because you can flick a switch on the wall to illuminate your home doesn’t mean candles haven’t gone the way of the dodo. Indeed, candles now are highly prized additions to a home rather than a necessity. No one gushes over the great light bulb you got them for their birthday last month.

Candles are great additions to any home. They bring a warmth and serenity that electric lighting simply can’t match. Perhaps it is the warm soft glow or the peaceful flickering of the candle’s flame, but there just seems to be something about candles that enhance the atmosphere far more than a fluorescent bulb.

It is possible that candles have been elevated due to the advent of electricity. Before this revolution, candles were a vital component of every household. The most common items are often the least appreciated. It is the small, everyday things that people rely upon but often lavish the least praise on. How many times are you thankful or appreciative of your indoor plumbing? The old saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder could never be more true when it is applied to candles.

Instead of being the everyday necessity to light a home, candles slowly become commodities and luxuries. People simply didn’t need candles anymore. However, the vast expansion in the decorative candle market recently, via a host of new scents and various innovations, has made the candle a prized possession. They are given as gifts and are often used to set the mood. By being removing from the everyday, the candle may have finally caught itself the break it deserved. Becoming a luxury has enabled the candle to reinvent itself and to become something people want rather than something people need.

The Soft Glow’s Call

Candle light has a bit of sensuality about it. The light given off is far softer than the harsh light emitted from a light bulb. The link between candles and romance is inedible. No one pines for an evening out with a meal served by electric light. Candle light brings with it a sense of class and romance. Perhaps this stems from the open flame. Fire is one of mankind’s greatest discoveries but still retains an element of danger. Fire can destroy equally well as it creates.

The draw of a candle may stem from this element of danger and excitement. However, it is entirely possible that people are attracted to candles because they are reminders of a simpler time. Candles hearken back to a time of decreased dependence on technology. The ubiquitous candle illuminated people’s homes for centuries before the upstart light bulb stole its spotlight. If it was good enough for people back then why not today?

Nostalgia can play into the appeal of candles in addition to the host of aromas and scents that modern candles often come in. These add to the experience, creating a sensation that streams in from multiple senses. Sweet smelling aromas can waft throughout a house and provide a thoroughly relaxing environment.

Regardless of why candles are deemed attractive it still stands that people gravitate towards them. There is something inherently appealing about the candle that makes people purchase them when far more practical lighting solutions exist. The soft, warm glow of a candle’s light is a welcome sight for many. It may be that people simply enjoy the light given off by candles. It is quite ethereal seeing rows upon rows of candles burning in the dark. Crafting a specific mood is something a candle excels at.

Turn a Romantic Date into a Night to Remember with Floating Candles

Floating candles are the perfect embodiment of romance due to their prominent placement in pools and other ponds of water. They have been used time and time again to symbolize love and devotion in the films, which is why you may want to think about creating a romantic night by utilizing floating candles. While it may seem like pulling off the perfect ambience would be a hard task, setting up a romantic scene by using candles is a lot simpler than you may think.

For instance, if you have an outdoor area you may want to think about placing some floating candles in a pond or pool to illuminate the night. By setting up a dining area outside of the patio area you and your date will be able to watch the flames flicker off the water and illuminate the patio area creating a very unique ambience that your date will not forget. Even better, if you toss in some sand around the patio you can turn the area into a great beach area bringing the shore to your date even if you live inland and romantic walks on the beach are out.

Some people also use sand to hold floating candles as a stabilizer around outside areas to create a unique ambience. This is great if you do not have a patio but simply want to light up a garden area or your backyard. Given the fact that bugs and insects can be big pests during the summer months, you may want to consider getting bug candles so that you can romantically light up the backyard while keeping the pests away at the same time. Your date will be grateful that not only is the yard perfect, but there are no intruders on your special night.

Finally, if all else fails you may want to think about simply placing some candles on the table as a centerpiece. By placing floating candles in the water instead of simply in a vase you will add some elegance to the display which every girl loves.

Are Aromatherapy Candles Really Helpful?

Anytime you walk into a Body Shop or a Yankee Candle you cannot help but notice that the shelves are lined with aromatherapy candles. In fact, for a large part of the last decade many people touted the benefits of aromatherapy in any form. Therefore, if you have ever wondered past an aromatherapy candle display you may wonder if the candles are really able to do much more for you than the simple delight that watching a wax candle burn can.

The truth is that aromatherapy candles are able to help soothe and relax people due to the fact that the wax is infused with a combination of essential oils. When the wax candle starts to burn the oils are released into vapors that are breathable. Due to the fact that aromatherapy candles burn at a much hotter temperature than regular wax candles the oils are released into the air at a warmer temperature than normal candle vapors. Thus, your lungs easily are able to absorb the oil vapors and you breathe them into your body.

While this idea may sound frightening when put this way, the truth is that the smell and vapors help in a positive way by changing your mood making you generally much more relaxed and content in the same way that certain smells may relax you. The type of benefit that you receive depends of course on the type of aromatherapy oils are infused into the wax candles which is why there are many different types of aromatherapy candles.

Given the variety of aromatherapy candles on the market there are too many options to list them all, but a few examples include lavender, tangerine, ginger, and bergamot. Lavender and tangerine aromatherapy candles are both meant to relax those who use them by helping your body release its tension. Ginger candles on the other hand will help sharpen your memory and is great to use while studying. On the other hand, for soothing the body after a long day chamomile is a great choice and bergamot candles will increase your mood making them great to use as a power combination.

How to Turn a Crayon into a Beautiful Wax Candle

When it comes to making candles, most people do not realize that they may have the supplies sitting around their home. However, if you have an old set of crayons sitting anywhere in your home you can turn these left over coloring supplies into a stunning wax candle. Not only is this somewhat like recycling and thus great for the environment, but it’s a great rainy day activity and entertaining to boot. After all, how many people can claim that their wax candles came from crayons?

In order to turn your crayons into wax candles the first thing you need to do is collect all the old stubby crayons out of the crayon box. You will need at least a reasonable handful in order to create a candle. After you have a pile, separate them by color unless you want a solid brown wax candle which is what you will get if you blend and melt the crayons together.

Next you should get the other wax candle making supplies together which are all cheap and can be picked up easily at local craft store. Some of the items you will need include candle molds, wicks, and wax melting bags. At this point you will use the bags to melt down each color selection of crayons taking care of course to only place one color in each bag.

After the wax is melted pour the liquid into candle molds. You can stick to placing one color in each mold or pour different colors in separately to create swirled colors. Of course you are free to experiment a bit which is where the true stunning wax candle creations will stem from. Layering will often result in solid stacked colors, while pouring two colors in at once will result in swirled wax candles. The latter design is great for pillar candles.

Finally, while the wax is still a liquid make sure that you place a wick into the wax candle otherwise you will not be able to light it. From this point on all you have to do is wait for the wax to harden and then you can remove it from the mold and use it to light up your home.

The Soft Scent of Jasmine Inspires Romance

The effects that candlelight can have on your relationship are remarkable. No one will dispute that soft lighting promotes relaxation and the desire to unwind. When used in a living room at the end of the day, the evening becomes something magical for the two of you. Combine that soft light with the essential oils of Jasmine and you offer some remarkable possibilities to your evening.

Jasmine is one of the most costly of the essential oils because of the process by which is it removed and because it requires so many of the tiny petals to produce just a small amount of Jasmine oil. Jasmine has a sweet scent and is used to offer healing effects to the body in both the physical and emotional way. The Jasmine scented palm oil tealights candles can offer you those properties in a cost-effective way. You can have all of the healing effects of Jasmine with Jasmine scented tea lights. Imagine the warm scent of Jasmine pervading the room as you sit and talk. Jasmine scented candles offer you an atmosphere of romance and relaxation.

The warm and slightly heady scent of Jasmine actually reaches out to the brain, helping you to feel optimistic and in harmony with your surroundings and with each other. Jasmine is also known to encourage romance and relaxation. If you're in the mood for some quiet time with your significant other, a jasmine scented candle will give you both a mood lift and help you to relax and unwind together.

The next time you just need a break from the day, consider a little candlelight. To give the two of you a little quiet time away from it all, light a Jasmine scented tea light in your living room, turn on some low music, and spend time just reconnecting.

Chill Out from the Stresses with Lavender Tea Lights

Looking for a way to unwind from the stresses of the everyday world? Nothing says relaxation like a hot bath and the light scent of lavender.

Lavender is traditionally one of the scents that can be either calming or invigorating, depending on your use of the essential oils. Lavender, lemon, and vanilla tealight candles bring you a lightly scented way to unwind.

At the end of the day, the stresses have taken their toll. You need time to destress and you need a way to make that happen You're not always in the best frame of mind and sometimes sleep just doesn't happen immediately. That means that you're more stressed than ever when the night is too short.

Help your body and mind to relax with a warm bath accompanied by the light scent of relaxing lavender. One of the best ways to put the body and mind into a particular frame of mind is by the use of aroma therapy. Lavender is traditionally used in aroma therapy to relax the body and offer a sense of well being. These lightly scented lavender candles with just a hint of lemon and vanilla can offer you a sense of calming when combined with a warm bath tub.

The steam from the shower combines with the light scent of the candles to offer you a healing combination that simply can't be beaten. You feel better and in many cases you will actually sleep far more soundly.

The next time you settle in for a relaxing soak, or even a warm shower at the end of the day, light a lavender tea light candle in the room with you just prior to turning on the water. The gently calming scents will make your shower or bath so much more than just a bath. It becomes a calming interlude.

How to Use Ball Candles to Create the Perfect Room Decor

Bell candles are a great choice for adding to the decor of any room given the fact that they are not only decorative items but can also add a sweet scent to the room. Since ancient times candles have been used in rooms although their purpose has evolved from lighting rooms to lighting rooms, scenting rooms, and decorating rooms. With this in mind, adding ball candles to a room is a great idea.

As mentioned, ball candles have been in use for a great deal of time although they are most popular in Scandinavian countries. Keep in mind however that scented candles can leave off toxic oil fumes if the room is too small so consider how often you plan on lighting them and the size of the room when you are thinking about whether to choose scented or unscented candles. There are plenty of ball candles on the market that are quite beautiful and not scented allowing you the opportunity to enjoy candles without any worry.

There are also traditional bell candles as well thus making it possible to choose candles that match your already existing home decor without any problems. Whichever type you choose however you should bear in mind that to burn them safely more than just scented and unscented choices are involved. In order to contain the flame and the wax you must also purchase a candle holder for each candle. This add to the fun of decorating a room however since candle holders also come in many decorative varieties and can help to spice up a room so that the candles fit in perfectly.

You first need to match your ball candles to the room and then match the appropriate candle holders to the room. If you do not want to add candle holders to the mix then you may want to think about purchasing dripless taper candles instead because while they burn they do not drip allowing you to forgo the candle holders and instead allow the focus to be on the candles.

Touch Up your Home with Designer Candles

Once you are finished remodeling the physical aspects of your home the stunning part comes because now you can add the finishing touches to your new home design. One of the most popular finishing touches that interior designers add is candles because they add a glow and atmosphere that is both warm and inviting. The lighting effect is also unique because it is unlike any other lighting effect that electrical bulbs can provide. Adding a bit of classical ambience to your home, candles simply make a great decorating choice.

Of course, in order to create this ambience you need to know what type of candles will provide the best look. Most interior designers recommend that candles be placed into the home with staggering lengths and shapes because they become more a centerpiece this way instead of just candles placed between other eye drawing centerpieces. One popular way to arrange candles is to take a group of three that are placed in a tier down fashion.

Regardless of how you choose to arrange your candles you need to place something in the area that will help you control melting wax when they are lit. Candle stands are not going to do the job so it may be a great idea to purchase decorative trays. Thus, instead of simply placing candles individually on a mantelpiece you now have a tray that collects the candles and makes them look as if they are a feng shui like centerpiece.

Pillar candles are the best choice for this type of arrangement, but you can add your own twist or spin to the look based on your own tastes. For instance, ball candles or shaped candles that are stacked at different heights can also help create a great centerpiece that you can claim all of the credit for. You also may want to look at color schemes as well since candles come in all types of colors and can be carefully chosen to match your already existing décor. Thus you get the lighting effect, dramatic centerpiece, and creative effect all in one effort that blends perfectly into your home.

How to create a romantic candle arrangement

If you want to surprise your special someone with a candlelit dinner, you may want to consider going beyond lighting a candle in the center of the table and consider creating an arrangement that will take their breath away. Although it may seem like a lot more work to create a breathtaking arrangement of romantic candles, the truth is that there are many simple ways to turn a few candles into a work of art. The following are just a few romantic candle arrangements that you may want to try your hand out.

For an elegant candle arrangement that can serve as a centerpiece for a birthday or anniversary celebration, consider purchasing six or seven silver or blue pillar candles. (If it is an anniversary celebration you should purchase pillar candles in your wedding colors). Bunch the candles into a loose bundle and tie a sheer ribbon around them in a complimentary color. Place them inside a wide pillar vase and you have a piece of art that will illuminate the table perfectly.

If you are trying to capture romance in the bathroom or bedroom, you may want to consider creating an ecliptic arrangement by purchasing a variety of small container candles. Gold, clear, and bronze containers create a soft elegant ambience for the room and the different sizes and shapes of the containers will naturally attract the eye and radiate class. For an extra bonus, you can even toss in some ribbon around the containers or add a few decorative glass balls into the arrangement.

Another simple arrangement can take the place of flowers on the dining room table when your date walks in. This romantic arrangement is aptly named a candle bouquet and will surely take the breath away of your special guest. To create a candle bouquet, simply take a wide flower vase and fill the bottom of it with sand. This works best if the bottom of the vase is thin and the top is thick and wide. Place about ten to twelve pillar candles inside spread out like a fan and light for a stunning affect.

Top off a romantic evening with candles

Candles are widely known as mood setters, but when used uniquely candles can transfer an amazing evening into an enchanting evening that will never be forgotten. If you have romance on your mind and want to create the perfect evening, you may want to take a page from one guy’s romantic book in which he created an evening that not only charmed his girlfriend, but won her heart forever.

Ted knew that his girlfriend missed her home state of Hawaii widely, but due to the high prices of airfare she was not able to visit for several years. So instead, he decided to create a widely creative date in which he would bring Hawaii to her by transforming his backyard patio into the beach side.

Ted purchased a large amount of sand to place around his hot tub in a heart shape and then placed shells in a heart shape around the tub. Inside of each shell he placed tealight candles that he told her represented the energy and spirit of the seashore that she missed from home. He also told her that each flame was meant to symbolize the flickering waves that washed up on the shoreline.

He filled the hot tub with 365 red floating candles and stated they represented the days she would have to spend with him before she could go home. Then he asked her to slowly blow out each candle to symbolize how quickly the days would pass as long as they shared them together. When only one candle was left, he pulled out a ring box and stepped down on his knee in hot tub and told her that on the last day of the year, she would head home with him because they would be married along the shoreline of her home if she would have him. Needless to say, she quickly blew out the last candle, said yes, and jumped into his arms.

Now every year on their anniversary they light a candle for each year they have spent together and let them burn the entire night to symbolize their everlasting love.

Creating wax for soy candles

The use of soy candles is fairly new within the candle industry because not only is the material quite useful, but the use of soy offers a new way to craft candles that are all-natural and eco-friendly. The use of soy in candles became a theory in the middle of the 90’s when researchers started experimenting to narrow down the perfect balance between liquid and solid soy states in order to create a candle that will burn effectively.

The process was complicated because at room temperature soil oil is a liquid which of course does not work for candles. However, scientists found that if hydrogen was added to soy oil then the element will solidify making it possible to create candles out of the oil.

As you may or may not know, soil is a natural element that is made out of beans and due to fact that soy beans are a renewable resource they are a much better sustainable choice for the environment. As the push for greener products in the marketplace has occurred soy candles were met with a warm reception in the marketplace and sales of the product have continued to increase steadily over time.

Today soy candles are a staple in the market, but there is still a lot of work to be done as most soy candle wax is still not hard enough to be used for pillar candles or taper candles unless a great deal of additives are placed into the wax. On the other hand, container candles such as tealight candles can easily be made out of soy oil candle wax and fragrances can even be placed in these types of candles.

As a bonus, the soy wax is extremely good for the earth and burns much cleaner than traditional paraffin. An extra bonus for those who like to create their own candles is that soy wax can be popped into the microwave to melt and mold making it very easy to work with if you like to create your own unique decorative designs.

Why does a candle burn?

Most people do not wonder about the scientific theory behind a candle burning because it seems to be a simple concept. After all, all it takes to lit a candle is to put a fire near the wick and let it burn down through the wax. However, it is a little more complicated although there are only two factors that come into play in terms of explaining why a candle burns. In order to burn, a candle needs some type of fuel, which is the wax, and needs a wick which is usually made out of absorbent twine.

Focusing on the wick first, in order to actually burn it needs to pass two tests. First the wick must be made out of some type of absorbent fiber and has to have natural capillary action. Capillary action is the scientific principle that liquid will move against gravity upwards when placed in a thin tube or a material that is very porous such as glass fiber wick (generally used for oil lamps). Given capillary action is a little more expensive to create; most wicks are made out of absorbent fibers. In fact, if you touched a wick before it was waxed you would realize the material is actually quite soft.

Once the wick is lit, in order for any candle to stay lit regardless of it if is a standard candle, floating candle, or tealight candle it needs some type of fuel. In the case of a candle, the fuel is wax which is placed near where the wick is. The wax absorbs the wick into it and the heat from the flame starts to vaporize the wax which burns. This is why when a candle is first blown out a white smoke starts to float through the air which is not smoke at all, but actually the wax vapor condensing.

Throughout the process the candle does not catch on fire the wax does not reach a temperature high enough to ignite in the air. The only place that a candle is hot enough to reach this point is at the base of the flame but the wax is slowly burned at the flame base and only a small amount of wax turns to vapor. This is the exact reason that a candle burns down so gradually.