Toxic Aromatherapy Candles?

Toxic Aromatherapy Candles

The booming candle market, many feel, is a direct result of continued interest in Aromatherapy and essential oils. With the advance of safer electric light, the need for candles is no longer there. Hence why many makers point out their scented candles have health benefits. One recent commercial being played on American TV shows a bathroom filled with candles and the moderator saying something to the effect of your blood pressure will thank you for using the pictured floral scented candles. Can fragrance oils really help reduce your blood pressure? Can they counteract the harmful toxins released as the candles burn? Is it really safe to burn 20 candles, as pictured in commercials, in a small, enclosed room such as a bathroom? The answer to all of these questions is certainly no.

Like incense or anything that burns, the candle wax and wick emits toxins that are not harmful if enough air is allowed to circulate in a room. Fire, and specifically the smoke it produces, is the main cause of lung problems and increased mucus production in 3rd world countries. When ones lungs are unhealthy and compromised, infection and illness can creep in all the faster. Animals have been found to be especially susceptible to the toxins released from as little as one candle, which in addition to wax can contain a host of chemicals including colorants, solvents and fragrance. If you are looking for a healing effect from Aromatherapy and specifically essential oils, it is much safer to use a diffuser or pot of water on the stove. Here are some tips on avoiding a toxic experience with candles:

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- Don’t buy colored candles if you plan on burning them for extended periods of time indoors.
- Always buy candles made out of natural bees wax and not the cheap paraffin. One never knows what types of other chemicals have been thrown in to stretch the candle bathes.
- Be careful buying candles from countries that do not have laws that monitor the safety of products.
- Don’t buy cheaply scented candles. If you want an aromatheraputic effect, buy candles made with 100% real essential oils, natural bees wax and nothing else!
- Don’t try to emulate commercials on TV or ads in magazines which romantically show an excess of candles burning in small, enclosed rooms such as a bathroom. This is dangerous and highly toxic. A few tealights or one or two large candles should be fine enough and make sure, no matter what, that there is enough ventilation in the room.

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