Its true. I was a candle addict, as I think most of us are/were, especially this time of year. I could not have enough. I would have multiples burning in every single room all day long. But I had no idea what I was actually burning and what it was doing to my body, no clue. After educating myself, the smells of some of my favourites, now repulse me. Immediate headache.
Truth About Candles?
Have you ever walked into a store full of scented candles? At first, they smell amazing, but a few minutes later, your nose starts to itch and you are starting to get a headache, which shortly after leads to feeling light-headed, making you want to grab your candle and quickly leave, feeling better as soon as you walk out the door. A few days later, the smell of your new candle is on everything: your coat, your car, the living room – even when it’s not lit. And the headache just won’t go away and you start to feel worn down and tired.
Traditional candles are made of paraffin wax. Paraffin is petroleum waste product. When burned, paraffin gives off highly toxic benzene and toluene (yes, the stuff found in diesel fuel fumes). Wicks in North America are ‘suppose’ to be made of paper or cotton, but many contain dangerous chemicals such as lead. Add in all the fragrance and you’ve got yourself a bad combination!
Why is Fragrance so bad?
The term “fragrance” may seem harmless, you might not even think much about it or realize how many of your products have this term on its ingredients list, but we are here to tell you otherwise. Synthetic fragrance is the new secondhand smoke. Why? Because it’s definition is vague. The words “fragrance” or “perfume” on an ingredient list are essentially code for “chemical cocktail of ingredients we don’t have to disclose to you.”
More than 95% of the chemicals in synthetic fragrances are derived from petrochemicals. These chemicals include: benzene derivatives, aldehydes, phthalates, and a ton of other toxins that are known to be causing cancer, birth defects, nervous-system disorders and allergies (some of are actually cited on the EPA’s hazardous waste list).
The term “fragrance” acts as a loophole on the FDA’s regulation of personal care products. The FDA allows companies to omit some of their ingredients so the formula cannot be replicated (this is known as the “trade secret” thanks to the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1966).
What’s the government trying to protect? Manufacturers who have a license to poison the American public with more than 3,000 chemicals that are being absorbed, inhaled, and ingested daily. It gets worse. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) found more than 75% of products listing the ingredient “fragrance” contained phthalates. Phthalates are carcinogens which have been shown to disrupt hormone activity, reduce sperm counts, cause reproductive malformation, and have been linked to liver and breast cancer, diabetes, and obesity.
According to the EWG, the average”Fragrant” contains about 14 secret chemicals that aren’t listed on the label, but that number can go up to 4,000 (yes, you read that right, there could be 4,000 secret chemicals in that product you’re using). Some of them have never even been tested for human safety!
Why essential oils over a candle?
In 2015 it was reported that burning a candle for one hour is equal to smoking one cigarette
Synthetic fragrances inside the candle can cause hormone disruption
Candles can contribute to asthma and allergies amongst other more serious things we shall not name… and don’t even get me started on air fresheners
I don’t know about you, but once I read these stats, I no longer wanted to have this junk in my house, near my family and especially near our pets or the little one who just soak all this stuff up. No wonder I used to get so many headaches/migraines -- which might I add, have only had maybe 10 in the past decade since removing the toxins in my life -- those 10 headaches we're caused by chemical sensitivities in others homes and or public spaces.
Start making baby steps now (or a radical change) and you and your family will reap the benefits for generations to come. I found that oils smell 1000 times better, do not harm me or my family and instead benefit our health in SO many ways. Plus, you can customize your diffuser blends based on the season, how you feel or what your body needs.
How to make the switch? We should be checking our labels and then choose to only use products that offer full disclosure and are free of ALL toxins! Young Living chooses to lead by example and embrace full transparency with their products and ingredients. They are also committed to only using 100% natural, organic ingredients, so we can feel confident with what we put on our skin.
Benefits of Diffusing
Our mind is powerful and it can create connections between scent and our emotions, surroundings, and memories within the limbic region of our brain. Did you know our sense of smell is the only one of our five senses which is directly related to emotion? So cool.
Diffusing essential oils is a simple, but effective way to connect and build new and positive memories and experiences. Diffusion is one of the best ways to utilize your oils daily, and everyone in the room will benefit.
Diffusing can benefit your home by:
+ Eliminating harmful pollutants + odours
+ Relieve tension + stress
+ Help to maintain a healthy immune system
+ Improves memory + concentration
+ Purify the air we breath
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