Essential oils instead of candles are a better option for your home. Not only are they more fragrant and last longer, but they're also a healthier option for you and your family. Essential oils can be used to scent your home, improve your mood, and even kill bacteria and viruses. So why choose essential oils instead of candles?
Our sense of smell is one of the most powerful senses, which is why many of us like to light candles or spray essential oils. The powerful effect of the scent can instantly create the desired atmosphere or mood. For thousands of years, we have lit candles first for light and warmth, then for the transition to smell.
Our demand for scented candles has surged, and many popular stores sell scented candles every season, festival, and mood. But are candles the best way to make your home smell good?
Aromatherapy has continued to gain popularity over the past few decades, leading many people to choose essential oils over scented candles.
Therefore, this article is to figure out the reasons why choosing essential oils instead of candles and different ways for you to use essential oils.
An Introduction To Essential Oils
Essential oils have been around for centuries and were used for a variety of purposes. In recent years, essential oils have made a comeback as people are looking for more natural ways to improve their health and well-being.
Essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove.
Essential oil is essential in the sense that it contains the essence of the plant's fragrance—the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived. The term "essential" used here does not mean indispensable or usable by the human body, as with the terms essential amino acid or essential fatty acid, which are so called because they are nutritionally required by a living organism
Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation, often by using steam. Other processes include expression, solvent extraction, sfumatura, absolute oil extraction, resin tapping, wax embedding, and cold pressing. They are used in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps, air fresheners and other products, for flavoring food and drink, and for adding scents to incense and household cleaning products.
Essential oils are often used for aromatherapy, a form of alternative medicine in which healing effects are ascribed to aromatic compounds. Aromatherapy may be useful to induce relaxation, but there is not sufficient evidence that essential oils can effectively treat any condition.
Improper use of essential oils may cause harm including allergic reactions, inflammation and skin irritation. Children may be particularly susceptible to the toxic effects of improper use essential oils can be poisonous if ingested or absorbed through the skin.
An Introduction To Candles
Candles, on the other hand, are typically made with synthetic fragrances and petroleum-based waxes.
Scented candles have been around for a long time – almost as long as the candle itself, and are said to date back to 500 BC. Before the invention of electric lights, candles were a necessity, but they were usually made from animal fat and didn't smell very good! Over time, many methods were invented to eliminate this unpleasant odor, including adding incense to wax.
Candles have been an important source of lighting for thousands of years, but with the invention of kerosene lamps and the electric light bulb in the 19th century, candles were all but eliminated. Once it was no longer necessary to light the way home after dark, the popularity of candles dropped significantly, and it was not until the 80s of the 20th century that the popularity of candles began to rise again.
After a long period of obscurity, candles slowly became luxuries, and candles designed with colored wax and decorative jars began to appear. Hybrid waxes like paraffin wax no longer require the addition of fragrance to mask the unpleasant smell of animal fat.
However, scented candles are beginning to appear, providing therapeutic effects for more discerning consumers. The presence of scents can help us relax, lift our spirits and create a comfortable home environment.
On top of that, home fragrances evoke emotions so strongly that millions of discerning families now buy luxury scented candles and home fragrance products from handmade manufacturers to create the perfect mood in their homes.
A scented candle, made with fragrant oils mixed into the wax, gives off a pleasant aroma when burning. A scented candle is a nice touch in a bathroom, especially when guests are over, in a bedroom, or any room of the house. A scented candle can create an ambiance of healthfulness and well-being. Unlike incense, scented candles do not add smoke to the air.
5 Reasons Why Choosing Essential Oils Instead Of Candles
Essential oils instead of candles are more concentrated, so they last longer and can be more potent. They also don't contain any harmful chemicals as many candles do. In addition, essential oils instead of candles can provide numerous health benefits, such as reducing stress, boosting energy levels, and even killing bacteria and viruses.
Toxin
Scented products, including candles, will certainly make your home smell great, but these delicious scents also have many drawbacks. Perfume has been linked to many health risks, including allergens, hormone disruptors, and asthma triggers. When you light a candle, these toxins or volatile organic compounds are released and inhaled into your lungs.
Diffusion 100% pure essential oils not only allow you to enjoy the smell you want without health risks, but they also offer many health-enhancing benefits! Not all essential oils are created equal. Make sure only 100% pure essential oils are diffused and adulterated.
Longevity
While we agree that candles can provide some beauty, wax items cannot be used for long. An 8-ounce candle will burn out in about 40 to 50 hours.
On the other hand, our essential oils instead of candles come in bottles of 5 ml to 15 ml and contain 83 to 250 drops per bottle. Using an average diffuser with a "continuous use" running time of approximately 8 hours, 8 drops from our 5ml pumpkin spice latte mix will last more than 10 full diffusion sessions.
To do some simple calculations, this means that a 5ml basic bottle has a total of about 83 hours of running time, which has broken the running time record for an ordinary candle.
Practical advice: Want to make your favorite scent last longer? Set your diffuser to "interval use" and enjoy 10-14 hours of running time without additional oil droplets.
Cost
It is easy to think that buying candles is a cheaper option. There are many prices for candles, some as much as $1 (look at your target dollar spot!) The average price of most candles is around $25, and while it may seem cheap, each candle has only one scent to choose from. This quickly increases when you buy a different scent and replace your candles.
Although choosing a diffuser and essential oil instead of candles may seem more expensive; It's the best deal! A diffuser can last for years, the aroma of essential oils can be further extended, and you can combine any of your essential oils instead of candles with custom scents.
Safe
While an open flame can create a certain atmosphere, it is not the safest idea. If you have children or pets, you may worry about the fire itself, the heat of the flame, or even the glass of the jar if it were to break. An open flame also means that candles are unsafe without paying attention, and we can only blow them out before going to bed.
Diffusion essential oils instead of candles do not require heating, you can leave it without worry. This also allows you to experience the benefits of aromatherapy while you sleep!
Flexibility Of Odors
There are many candles that smell good. But when you buy a candle, it only offers one scent of your choice. If you want another scent, you need to buy another candle. Also, another thing to consider is that your candle will never smell the same as when it was first lit.
This is because when you light the candle, the scent burns, and when you blow it out, what remains is odorless wax. When you relight the candle, the unscented wax must be mixed with the scented wax, and you will never smell the same strong smell again.
Essential oils instead of candles allow you to create any scent you want inside. Just a few different essential oils instead of candles are needed to produce many different scents! You are in control. If you create something you don't particularly like, you won't be stuck with that smell forever, and you can simply start over and create something else.
Applying essential oils instead of candles also means you'll never lose the potency of that amazing fragrance again!
How To Use Essential Oils Instead Of Candles In Your Home?
Essential oils instead of candles can be used in a diffuser, added to homemade cleaning products, or even diluted and applied topically. If you're new to using essential oils, start with a milder oil like lavender or chamomile. You can also mix different essential oils instead of candles together to create your own custom scent.
Add Fragrance To The Dried Balls
One of my favorite ways to use essential oils instead of candles is to add a few drops to my wool drying balls because it gives the clothes a beautiful fresh smell. When I run the dryer, I always use drying balls because they help the laundry dry faster and with fewer wrinkles. Then, when I folded my dry-cleaned clothes on the bed, my room was filled with the same lovely smell that also lingered over the clothes. It's a victory, a victory, a victory!
Linen Cabinet Deodorant
Add some of your favorite essential oils instead of candles to the container with baking soda and keep this jar in your cupboard as a deodorant. Baking soda is a natural deodorant and odor eliminator, and essential oils add a lovely pleasing smell.
Toilet Paper Diffuser
Add a few drops of essential oil instead of candles to the cardboard of the toilet paper. As long as toilet paper still works, it will add an enticing scent to your bathroom.
Shower Decongestants
Before taking a hot bath, add a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil instead of candles to the corner of the bathroom to help relieve nasal congestion. The combination of the bactericidal and expectorant properties of hot water, steam and eucalyptus oil will produce magical results!
Wardrobe And Drawer Magic
Put a few drops of your favorite essential oils instead of candles on some cotton wool balls and place them in a clothes drawer or on a closet shelf. This will add a lovely scent to your wardrobe and clothes. Make opening your socks and lingerie drawer fun!
Natural Fabric Softener
I've been using white vinegar as an affordable laundry softener for a long time because I don't like the artificial chemical softeners sold in stores. Just add some of your favorite essential oils to the vinegar and you'll have a lovely scent.
Diffuser
One of the easiest and fastest ways to enjoy essential oils instead of candles at home or at work is to use a diffuser. Spraying essential oils to enjoy their aromatherapy properties has many benefits and can also add a lovely scent to your home. I use my diffuser every day.
I spray essential oils for many different reasons: as a soothing sleep aid, to help me feel more energetic, to add therapeutic oils such as eucalyptus oil to the air when I'm sick, to relieve stress, to help me focus at work, and even to improve my mood.
Conclusion
Finally, just like most other consumer products, scented candles and essential oil diffusers have pros and cons. But for budget options that are both safe and wholesome, an essential oil diffuser is the right choice.
Essential oils instead of candles are a safer, more natural option, and they offer many additional benefits. If you're looking for a way to improve your home's scent and atmosphere, essential oils instead of candles are a great choice.