Is it okay to light scented candles often? Is it harmful to the human body?

• November 24, 2022

It depends on which candle you buy and whether you use it correctly. Unless you choose the right candle and use the wrong method, you shouldn't light it often. If this continues, bad results will follow.

Aromatherapy candles are mixed with essence when the wax is melted, inserted into the wick and become aromatherapy candles after it has cooled and hardened. They can be used anywhere in the house. Even if the wax crack is not ignited, the fragrance can be released slowly. It can give people a warm and comfortable atmosphere, and it is a romantic and warm style aromatherapy product.

Judging by the quality of scented candles, whether they can be used for a long time, the following four points are mainly considered: candle wick, wax, essence and container, each of which is closely related to human health.

1. Detailed description of the candle wick

Wicks for aromatherapy candles are generally three types: cotton wicks, wood wicks, and eco-friendly wicks. Cotton wicks are most commonly used. Foreign original imported candles mainly use environmentally friendly wicks, and wooden wicks are produced by some brands (such as Wood Wick) The main advantages and popular trends of recent years.

Cotton wick: A cotton wick is a pure cotton candle wick that is woven into twisted twisted flowers. It can be divided into thick and thin according to the number of threads and density. However, the cotton wick has the distinct disadvantage that it is soft in general. It must be skipped before use. Paraffin wax stabilizes the hardness so that the candle is not maximally tipped and tilted when using the candle, so that the candle burns unevenly from left to right. Therefore, cotton wicks are usually used only for candles with a diameter less than 10 cm. Generally speaking, they can burn evenly without trimming.

Eco-friendly core: The environmentally friendly core has long been referred to as "smoke-free core". In fact, the cotton core is also smokeless. Calling her so prejudiced. The eco-friendly core is actually a blend of cotton core and paper core. , Compared with cotton wicks, it can be more environmentally friendly and harder than cotton wicks, but it has the disadvantage of being easy to burn. After the formation of charcoal, it is easy to burn insufficient, black smoke, mushroom heads, etc., so the candle wick needs to be repaired frequently.

Wooden core: More and more consumers prefer wood core because it can make a subtle crackling sound when burning and has a warm atmosphere. There are gaps to absorb more paraffin liquidto stabilize the combustion effect. Generally, cherry wood imported from overseas is the best wood, but at present, domestically produced wood with low density is most commonly used in China. If the manufacturer does not capture the thickness when cutting, poor wood selection will lead to insufficient adsorption and influence burning effect.

The above understanding of candle wicks comes from a candle maker friend who shared that he does not play Zhihu, but occasionally plays Xiaohongshu (Luo Dai incense candle)

Video on placing a cotton wick for aromatherapy candles

2. The harm of the wrong wick

(1) Insufficient combustion results in the formation of harmful substances: Insufficient combustion results in the formation of PM2.5 and paraffin gas. These substances have a great impact on the human body, especially on the human respiratory tract. If you want to order it often, you need to be careful;

(2) Candle wick oblique burning: results in uneven burning of the wax surface, one side is higher and the other is lower, which not only affects the appearance, but also makes subsequent candles unusable normally;

(3) Burnout: This is very easy to see in candles with wood wicks, mainly due to insufficient adsorption of the material. Interruption of combustion;

(4) The flame is weak and not bright: it mainly affects the user experience, it depends on the person;

(5) Unsightly Craters: If the wick is too thin and the container diameter is too large, this will result in unsightly craters on the candle, which will affect the appearance and subsequent use. This cannot be solved with external aids. such as smart covers.

1. Detailed description of the wax

The wax of scented candles mainly consists of wax of animal and vegetable origin. Animal and vegetable waxes do not leave residues after normal burning, which is relatively more environmentally friendly and healthy. Common vegetable waxes are coconut wax, soy wax, palm wax, and animal waxes are beeswax. But a good wax base for scented candles is not one kind of animal and vegetable wax, it is usually a mixed wax, so the advantages and disadvantages can complement each other to ensure stable burning of the candle.

Branded candles on the market can usually be found directly in foundries. Candle foundries have their own wax bases that customers can choose from. Usually some internet bloggers and craft workshops, catOthers we see are purchased directly. Wax base manufacturer foundry can provide 100% pure vegetable mixed wax or animal and vegetable mixed wax according to customer's requirements, or animal and vegetable mixed paraffin wax. My country is a large candle manufacturing country, and many domestic and foreign brands are actually in these OEM treatments (inconvenient to reveal specific brands), the four most famous giants are King King, Darent, MITONG and Questyle.

2. A detailed explanation of the most controversial paraffin

Actually, paraffin is the most controversial, because paraffin is extracted from oil:

Paraffin preparation process

Because of this item, paraffin has been directly beaten to death by many Internet celebrity bloggers. We can say that there is no place for him. There are still many people who believe in it. Many times we will see words like this:< /p>

"Scented paraffin candles are not good, do not buy them, they are harmful to the body"

"Paraffin is a chemical product of oil, its use is harmful to the body"

"Paraffin contains carcinogens that cause cancer when used"

"Paraffin contains benzene, which can cause cancer"

"Using scented paraffin candles has a PM2.5 equivalent to poisoning"

I want to be a little more responsible before I say and do things, do not follow other people's opinions, take other people's cards and go my own way, the cards are all wrong, the road is even more wrong, paraffin is also classified and strict national standards:

Classification of paraffin wax

Classification of paraffin wax

The wax used in scented candles is food grade wax, and there are national standards for countries with food grade wax:

Details of national standards for food grade paraffin

The scented candle in charge of its own brand will strictly select food-grade paraffin for production, and some unknown, including some handmade candles in small workshops, cannot guarantee their paraffin, so please be sure to buy regular brands. Don't be greedy for the little things.

Actually, I published an article on this subject a long time ago. If you are interested, you can read further:

Are paraffin scented candles really harmful to the human body? Where is the harm?

3. The Dangers of Poor Quality Wax

Animal and vegetable wax scented candles are generally harmless, but if merchants are self-serving and have no commercial conscience, they need to be very careful when making industrial wax scented candles, especially for girls and children. not like food paraffin. It is a highly refined product, and the PAH and PAH contained in it cannot reach the amount harmless to the human body. Burning a candle easily releases toxic and harmful gases after melting. Long-term use may cause cancer , teratogenic effects, etc., especially scented candles are often used in relatively enclosed spaces.

Many people think that scented candles add essential oils, and many businesses also use this to actively advertise, such as "pure herbal essential oil ingredients that mothers and children can use." Do it yourself, we can say that any ready-made candle you buy is filled with aroma.

Many people always talk about changing the color of the essence, thinking that the essence is a chemical product and artificially synthesized, so it is called unsafe and unhealthy, but it is not. Our modern life can be called living essentials such as shower gel, facial cleanser, toothpaste, skin care products, detergent, washing powder, perfume, aromatherapy...for foodstuffs such as candy, tobacco and wine, drinks, children's medicines, meat products, condiments. , coffee... All flavors without exception, and the list of ingredients will also clearly indicate the words "food flavor", "food flavor", "daily flavor", "flavor", etc., you can get up now and go to home to take any of the above. Item to check.

1. What is an entity?

Essence = a mixture of various spices, spices can be divided into the following categories:

Classification of spices

In the above table, besides artificial spices that are not found in nature, other spices can be found in nature, but the methods of artificial production are different, and some are extracted from roots, leaves, fruits and other parts of plants (animal and vegetable flavors + isolated flavors), some are synthesized by physical or chemical methods in the laboratory (natural equivalents).

Therefore, it cannot be said that artificial synthesis is bad. which is the main source of musk fragrance. Musk is very expensive. These artificial fragrances solve the scarcity and expensive problems of raw materials.

Then the mixture synthesized from these spices is the essence. It can be said that the quality of the essence depends entirely on these spices.

2. How to ensure the preservation of taste?

If they are food spices, they must strictly comply with the provisions of the national standard GB 2760-2014, as well as food additives. However, there is currently no national standard for scented candles in my country, which must be self-implemented. discipline within the industry. The principle should be regulated and controlled by some authoritative non-governmental organizations. Among them, the most influential are IFRA (International Fragrance Association) and RIFM (American Institute of Fragrance Research). to you his Essence is prepared in strict accordance with the requirements of these two organizations, therefore it is relatively safe.

You will find that the slogans of many vendors are not based on IFRA standards, but on the words of a particular fragrance manufacturer. They apply to some high-end luxury brands (with their own fragrance team) and the top ten fragrance companies such as Givaudan, Synergy, Mans, IFF, Firmenich, Takasago and Wisconsin have nearly monopolized the global fragrance and fragrance market, these companies have old qualifications, and the flavors they produce are relatively compliant.

IFRA official website

3. Harm of bad taste

Besides these reliable everyday fragrances, how can unreliable ones be unreliable? They may use spices that are strictly prohibited by organizations such as IFRA, or overuse of certain spices, overuse of new spices that have not been tested on the market, industrial waste, etc., all with the primary goal of reducing costs. such as sunflower musk, banned by IFRA, has been shown to be phototoxic to human skin, and xylene musk "accumulates" in humans and animals.

Therefore, if you buy scented candles whose fragrance ingredients are not up to standard, then you should be careful not to light them often and keep them away from you.

Container security threats are mainly ceramic and glass containers. If these two containers are not taken care of, and the candle wick burns for a long time, it is easy to break or even burst. This is why many scented candles require at least 4. The reason why candles are extinguished every hour is to avoid this danger as much as possible. Some people who do not pay attention to metal containers can get seriously burned if they burn candles in for a long time, which is also a security risk.

You should not only know how to buy aromatherapy candles, but also know how to burn them. The correct way of burning not only makes the candle more beautiful, but also prolongs its service life.

For specific recording methods, please refer to my article below:

Scented candles must not only be able to buy, but also know how to burn them!

To learn more about aromatherapy fragrances, pay attention to the candle, share extensive professional aromatherapy knowledge, and select high-quality aromatherapy products at home and abroad...

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