About Scented Candles

They make our homes smell fresh and wonderful, it's true -- and that reason alone is enough to choose scented candles. But why choose candles instead of an air freshener or a plug-in scent?

Candles fill a decorative place in our homes. Whether they are plain white taper candles in holders, or whether they are beautifully decorated pillars, they fill a decorative niche.

Sometimes elegant, sometimes fun, candles bring us light and atmosphere. Isn't a room lit with candles much more romantic than table lamps? And when the candles are scented...ahh, that adds even more!

Now that you're thinking of a scented candle, there's not just the aroma for you to consider. There are many sizes and shapes of candles, and some are better than others for surrounding you with fragrance!

Triple-scented jar candles are the best for scenting your home. The fact that they are enclosed in a container means that precious scent doesn't "leak oiut" between candle burnings. As a result, your candle lasts much longer!

Votives are nice for scenting small places. The trick is to choose the right votive candle holder, to maximize your fragrance. Choose a votive holder than fits closely around your candle. Why? Because the melted wax stays closer to the flame, releasing scent better.

Pillar candles can be very nice, but unfortunately, they tend to run out of scent relatively quickly due to "scent leak". On the other hand, large pillar candles can be additionally decorated using items with a scent of their own (like cinnamon sticks). So, pillars are a good choice when you want decorative as well as at least a little scent.

Taper candles are elegant, but with the exception of bayberry and beeswax, they don't have as much of a use when it comes to scenting a home. Tapers are, however, wonderful to use for atmosphere! Candlelit dinner anyone?

What exactly are natural candles? Generally speaking, they are candles made from waxes that are plant or animal based. This includes soy, palm, bayberry, beeswax and tallow.

However, tallow candles are both hard to obtain and aren't very gentle on the nose, so they are normally excluded from a list of natural candle wax.

Why should you consider candles made from a natural wax? Primarily because they are a renewable resource. For example, soybeans are a great form of candle wax that is totally renewable. Palm waxes are also great picks when it comes to choosing a natural wax.

Bayberry and beeswax are more expensive choices for a natural candle, but they have something soy and palm don't. Bayberry and beeswax smell wonderful just as they are -- no additional scents are needed! But both of these waxes are in limited supply, so prepare to pay more on a per-candle basis.

Natural candles also tend to be less "sooty" than petroleum-based candles. And while all candles produce soot (from the scents and even the wick itself), natural candles are almost soot-free. That is good news for your lungs!

If you would like to learn more about natural candles, here's a resource for you:

http://www.the-richly-scented-candle.com/natural-candles.html