Practice Safe Scents: 10 Clean & Cleansing Candles for SAKARA

*IMG_2490 copy.JPG

Written for S-LIFE Mag 

So you’ve spring cleaned your closet, cleansed your diet and revamped your beauty regimen and you’re feeling pretty healthy. Yay you! But if you’re looking to detox from every angle, you should probably start with the air you breathe...

We’re all familiar with outdoor pollutants like car smog, but unfortunately there are a million surprising pollutants in indoor air as well. Everything from cleaning products to mattresses and rugs can contaminate the air we breathe. And what if that air is scented? Candles are a little luxury that many of us love, but it’s crucial to be as aware of their ingredients as you would if they were food. Common candles are often made with paraffin wax, a petroleum byproduct aka leftovers from oil-refining. Many fragrances release pthalates into the air, and the soot from paraffin wax contains carcinogens like toulene and benzene along with that lovely “clean” scent. Until 2003, many wicks even contained lead!

While it’s nearly impossible to eliminate all of the toxins in our home, we can do our best to cut the obvious ones like conventional candles (sorry Yankee!). Having house plants, Himalayan salt lamps and bamboo charcoal are all natural ways to detox the air in your home. But this doesn’t mean that we have to give up candles all together! In fact, beeswax candles actually release negative ions into the air that help eradicate toxic chemicals floating around. And for those who can’t give up home fragrance: soy or coconut wax, cotton wicks and organic botanical oils are safer alternatives to paraffin candles. Even cleaner still, essential oil diffusers go a step beyond just smelling good, they can offer powerful aromatherapy.