Beeswax candles

Smooth, silky, almost velvety—when you light a beeswax candle, it burns with a golden bright light and releases a warm, cozy honey scent. Lighting a beeswax candle instantly adds ambiance, calmness and serenity to your home—and is a clean-burning, healthy alternative to paraffin candles.

Beeswax is produced by honey bees from nectar they collect from flowers. Bees transform this nectar into honey and beeswax. There are definite health advantages to using natural beeswax candles rather than paraffin candles.

Paraffin candles

Paraffin wax is part of the organic material in petroleum sludge left over from oil and gas production. This sludge is treated, bleached and processed into a solid and used to make a variety of things, including candles.

Dangers

Unfortunately, the residues from the sludge and the refinement processes contain a lot of nasty stuff. When paraffin candles are burned, chemical pollutants such as acrolein, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, toluene, benzene, acetone and many other dangerous chemicals are released into the air.

A 2009 study confirmed that even unscented, non-pigmented paraffin candles that used no dyes release dangerous pollutants into the air. Researchers warn that frequent exposure to paraffin candles may lead to health risks such as allergies, asthma and even cancer.

Other studies have found that scented candles release even more chemical pollutants into the air than unscented candles.

Paraffin candles produce smoke and soot, which can blacken walls and coat surfaces in the home. Soot is a product of the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels such as petroleum-based paraffin wax. Complete combustion produces practically no soot. Not all candles are created equal—a research project found that some paraffin candles produce 100 times more soot than others. 

Compare paraffin candles to the clean alternative, beeswax.

Beeswax candles

Benefits

Beeswax allows for complete combustion of the wax and the wick for an even burn. This is due to the higher melting point and hotter flame of beeswax, which produces a slow, clean burn that is virtually smoke- and soot-free. Slow, evenly burning beeswax candles will not drip wax.

To ensure even burning, keep the wick trimmed and sheltered from drafts. To prevent smoke when extinguishing a candle, use a snuffer or, with a toothpick, bend the wick slightly into the wax until the flame is out, then bring it upright.

Carbon neutral

Beeswax is natural, sustainable and renewable. Earth Hour (which is taking place on March 26 at 8.30 pm) and the World Wildlife Fund recommend choosing beeswax candles as they are gentler to our planet and are carbon-neutral. The CO₂ they emit has already been sequestered from the atmosphere to produce the wax.

Another positive attribute of beeswax candles is that they are believed to produce negative ions when they burn. Negative ions purify the air of odours, allergens and pollutants. Research on negative ions suggests they may improve our mood and physical health.

For those with chemical sensitivities and allergies, burning unscented 100 per cent beeswax candles is a natural choice.

8 candle safety tips

1. Never leave a burning candle unattended.
2. Always place lighted candles in a safe place away from children and pets.
3. Don’t place candles on a windowsill, as drafts can blow candles over, causing curtains or blinds to ignite.
4. Don’t place burning candles near flammable liquids or combustible materials.
5. Keep the wick trimmed to prevent a high flame.
6. Use a safe, suitable, sturdy candle holder.
7. Avoid candles with multiple wicks that are close together.
8. Avoid candles with lead core wicks; they can lead to dangerous concentrations of lead in the air.

Safe wicks

Natural fibre wicks are the safest choice. While candles with lead wick cores are banned in Australia due to health risks, occasionally imported candles containing lead wicks slip through the net. To be on the safe side, avoid burning any wick that has a metal core, as it may contain lead. When the wick burns, lead vapour and dust are emitted into the air.

Lead test

Test candle wicks in your home by removing wax from the tip of the wick and separating the fibre strands to see if the wick has a metal core. Rub the metallic core on white paper. If it leaves a grey mark on the paper, it probably contains lead. Do not use this candle—even low levels of lead are harmful to your health.

Soy candles

Clean-burning soy candles are another healthy alternative to paraffin wax candles. Like beeswax, soy is a non-petroleum-based wax that burns much cleaner than paraffin and doesn’t increase CO₂ levels in the air.

Tips

• Allow soy candles to cool and harden before relighting them.
• Trim wicks before lighting to lower the burning rate of the candles by as much as 30 per cent.
• Avoid placing candles in direct sunlight as it may fade their colours.