Shopping for Candles

I was out shopping for candles the other day and to my surprise there were no Candle Specialty stores in two of my favorite malls. What I did find was that every store regardless of its size sold candles. Scented candles, unscented candles, jars, tins, tumblers all kinds of candles from all over the world starting at $2.00 and going all the way up to $89.00 at one of the "high-end" stores for a 3x6 pillar signed by Joe something or other. That's all fine and dandy; I am all for free enterprise, but let me tell you about what I found appalling.

First of all, where are all these candles coming from? What are they made of? Most of the candles I saw did not even disclose a single ingredient. It has been documented that paraffin wax, which is made from petroleum by products, is harmful. Yet in looking at these candles I really have no idea if they are made of paraffin on not. Soy and palm wax are known to be safe for the environment, but some of the labels on these candles said a soy blend or a vegetable oil blend. What is a blend? How much soy is really in a blend? Most of them were made either in China, India or somewhere in Turkey and they do not clearly label their ingredients. Yes, they are inexpensive but what are we lighting up in our homes? Worst than that is what are we allowing our children to breath when we light one of these candles? When they say "Soy blend" do discount stores ask what is in the blend? I don't think so. All they want to do is put a $5 candle on their shelves which includes their hefty mark up and leave the breathing to us. In times where we have all become so conscientious of what we put in our bodies and more and more people are having healthier meals does it make sense to breathe in an undisclosed chemical?

What makes candle buying even more confusing is that the containers that are being used are not disclosing the quantity of wax it contains. What they do is give us a "burn time". Because this burn time is unregulated, it is probably based on the fact that they are hoping we don't remember how many times we've lit the candle and of course, how many hours for each burn. This kind of reminds me of the "miles per gallon" section on the MSRP sticker of a new car. You have to be going downhill with a 20 mile per hour wind at your back on Sunday morning in order to achieve the same miles per gallon they claim the vehicle gets.

Why am I so picky when it comes to buying candles? Well it's simple. I want to know what is burning in my house. I prefer the 100% soy or palm wax candles with a cotton wick and most of all it must be clearly marked. It must tell me exactly what the ingredients are and labeled here in the good old USA. Yes call me finicky, but my trust level for someone working in a sweat shop on the other side of the world is next to zero.

The next time you walk into one of those stores and find cheap scented candles that are not clearly marked just walk over to the manager and ask him/her what the candles are made of and then get ready to enjoy one of the greatest song and dance numbers you will ever witness. My advice to you is to buy a candle that is either 100% soy or palm and is clearly marked. You will be paying more than $5.00 for your candle but you will be assured of a quality that will not be polluting the air you breathe. Remember you get what you pay for.

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