A move to another city, Edinburgh, has given me time to make candles whilst I set up my new business here as an Aromatherapist giving treatments and helping people feel better through massage.
I have been wanting to make candles for at least 3 years, as I burn candles in our home every day and have done for for as long as I can remember. I only learnt about using non parrafin wax candles about 5 years ago when my son became ill and we had to look at and re-assess everything we used in our home and on our bodies. Knowing what we put into our bodies ( food and drink) was thankfully something I had been on top of and super interested in since I was a
teenager.
So I then learnt about candle ingredients and settled on beeswax candles as they enhance air quality and are as natural as it gets, as well as giving off such a beautiful delicate scent and warm light. However pure bees wax candles are expensive to burn daily and so I only use them in my gift boxes or at home for special occasions. Also bees wax candles are not considered to be vegan friendly, so I then knew I needed to start experimenting with other waxes such as soy, rapeseed and coconut.
For me, burning a candle is a ritual within the home (and even on holidays I pack them,) that signifies my down time. Time to relax the mood and the lighting. Time to gaze into the flame and let my thoughts drift, if even for a few moments. The long matches, the lighting of the wick, the smell of the first burn and then the aroma and light filling the space are heavenly rituals that I never tire of. Even the extinguishing of the flame is a part of the bed-time ritual that has allowed me to slip with ease into that healing space of sleep time.
After many months of research, participating in candle making workshops and personal tuition from candle makers already in the business – with the beautiful Clara @yellowcaramelo – I am now ready to start producing my candles for sale.
All my candles will only use sustainably sourced soy wax or be a soy wax and coconut blend. Without exception I will be using purely therapeutic grade essential oils. No fragrance oils for me, however tempting it is to get that stronger scent and unusual scents (such as pomegranate or tobacco or ocean air, ) I just know it doesn’t fit with my beliefs and training, so it’s health and environmental concerns from start to finish for The OilChemist. I have decided on wooden wicks as I love the crackle and the consistency of the burn to the very end of the wax, no losing of the wick and leaving a great ball of wax that is too difficult to light in the bottom.
You can rely on the fact that the quality and sourcing of the best ingredients is my priority. I have been working on getting blends that translate well into healing therapeutic candles and give as strong a “throw” (scent range) as possible from natural essential oils, all whilst maintaining a competitive price point. There will be a variety of packaging too so that optional container styles and price points are catered for, all using my be-spoke blends.
The wicks, the packaging and all of my “vintage collection”, are from re-cycled, up-cycled, or re-purposed materials.
These aromatherapy candles will stand alongside my essential oil inhalers, essential oil roll-on scents and health journals as items to make you be the best version of you mentally, physically and emotionally. All will be for sale once again as of May 2022 on my website.
A warm hug and glow from the heart,
Kay the Oilchemist