We don’t only make seasonings and blends at Zoitsa Homely Produce. We make a variety of things, and I will slowly start to introduce all things homely.
I love candles! I was known to have a candle or ten burning in our home at one time. I love the smells that radiate throughout our home when candles are lit. They lift my mood. They calm me. I noticed that when I am experiencing some anxiety the scents from the candle have always managed to relax me a little bit. Don’t know if this would work, or does work for anyone else, but I know it works for me.
Sadly 2022 saw my asthma come back with a vengeance (I can thank Covid for that). I have been struggling a lot with my breathing and shortness of breath. I found that when I started to burn my candles, I was gasping for air and rushing to grab my asthma inhaler. Candles were setting my asthma off. I was devastated.
So, I started to dabble in candle making and making different scented candles and playing around with scents. I found that my candles didn’t “trigger” me.
I played around with different types of wax, and some were awful for me. That is until I found… pure soy wax. Pure. Unadulterated. Soy wax. Our soy wax of choice is as natural as it can be and there are absolutely no additives think your paraffin in sight. Paraffin is a MASSIVE trigger for me!
Our soy wax of choice is both natural, kosher, and vegan friendly. There is no GMO material, NO paraffin, and NO unnatural additives. The beauty of pure soy wax is that it makes our candles burn longer and cleaner and there is a significant amount of less soot, smoke and afterburn, which commonly occurs with paraffin based waxes/candles.
I also found that by using fragrance oils, that are naturally made, didn’t trigger me. Essential oils (as much as I love them) were really difficult and challenging to work with as they are volatile. They have a lower boiling point and tend to evaporate when exposed to heat.
We source non-toxic wicks that are organic premium cotton, along with organic bamboo wicks that are made from native sappy fruit trees that are sourced from Forest Stewardship Council certified mills from the USA. I have been searching for months to find an Australian alternative, but I have been unsuccessful in doing so. Bamboo wicks throw a lovely wide flame which also produces a natural “crackling” sound when burning.
We use no parabens, no bleach, no synthetic dyes. My aim is to try and keep our candles as “non-toxic” and natural as a I can. We also use less “aggressive” scents. Our wax of choice as mentioned earlier is 100% plant based. I love that soy wax is both renewable and biodegradable, which makes our candles a green-friendly resource.
The best way to describe our Himalayan Bamboo Candle is that it is such a soothing and comforting aroma. It has hints of orange and cucumber with notes of honeysuckle, jasmine, and geranium.
The beauty of our candles is that they are all hand made in small batches and are individually hand poured. We don’t do mass production (of anything for that matter!). Hand poured candles are individually created and checked by a real person…that being ME. There is no machinery in sight, it’s all made by my bare hands. When a human is making candles, it allows a more focused eye on the product being made and when handling materials you can be guaranteed that we won’t be using toxic chemicals.
Most mass produced candles are created using petroleum based paraffin wax which releases stored carbon into the atmosphere in turn furthering our greenhouse effect, and not to forget the release of toxic chemicals into your home.
Lastly, and most importantly, this is NOT to say that our candles wont trigger asthma attacks but the candles we produce, as tested on US, so far have not caused US any issues. You must remember each individual is different. I hope that our candles smell great and work well in your home.
Our Himalayan Bamboo Candle is such a gorgeously soft scented candle, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Happy New Year to you all!
Irene
