Truly Scented Candles

Truly scented candles. 

Nineteen years ago my best friend gave to me, as a wedding gift, a faceted crystal candleholder.  We had no heavily scented candles then, certainly no soy, and burned simple tea candles.  The candleholder has been in continuous use since then, even when we travel.  The soft light and fragrance of scented candles makes an iffy mood good, and a great mood better!  

Truly scented candles add warmth to rooms and enhance holidays and rituals.  Placed in a window for no special reason, our neighbors know that they are always welcome in our home.

Now we can afford the truly scented candles of soy and palm wax, with the fragrance of essential oils and without the sooting of paraffin.

Companies that make truly scented candles include 100 Candles. Truly scented candles are also available from sellers with many choices.

Candle-making goes back at least 5000 years. Ancient Egyptians and Cretans used beeswax in the 3rd millennium BC.  Romans, in the first century AD, used tallow and the spongy material inside rushes.  (Think baby Moses!) 

Whale oil was used in the 18th century. Later colza and rapeseed oils became cheaper substitutes.  Paraffin came into use in 1830. It makes a high-quality, odorless, inexpensive product. 

Up to that time, candles were the primary source of light around the world.  When kerosene was distilled later in the 19th century, lamps came into use.  Candles were relegated to decorative purposes.

Some makers of truly scented candles believe that soy candles hold the scent better than paraffin.  Soy candles have been shown to burn clean, without the "sooting" common with other candles.  They also burn more slowly.

Palm wax is now also used for truly scented candles.  The wax is taken from the oil of the palm nut tree, or the "oil palm."  It looks like a coconut tree except that it has clusters of palm nuts instead of the larger coconuts we see more often.  Palm wax has many of the features of soy wax--minimal soot, high fragrance.  Also, palm wax gives a natural faceted appearance to the candle.

The science of aromatherapy is thousands of years old.  It has fed the demand for truly scented candles.  Products include fragances like chocolate, vanilla, coconut, pine, leather, baby powder, bakery, coffee, and gardenia. 

Chakra candles are among the truly scented candles for aromatherapy, and include a metaphysical focus using blended oils.  Makers of truly scented candles for aromatherapy link specific oils to mood states: tranquility, meditation, romance, vitality, passion, inner peace, spirit, ambiance, serenity. 

Some aromatherapists offer truly scented candles for mild illnesses, such as the common cold.  I don't know about the science, but when I'm under the weather I burn a candle truly scented with citrus oils.

Candles have enriched our lives for thousands of years.  They continue to do so with new candle-making methods and materials.  truly scented candles are a logical choice for personal use and for gifts.