Incendia

Has anyone tried adding 10% beeswax to soy wax to help 'smooth' it out? You'd still be able to call it '100% natural' (whatever 'natural' means) and not be lying. The Catholic Church requires that their candles be made of beeswax. Yet their candles can be a mix - but as long as they are just over half beeswax, that is OK. Not sure if the percent used has any bearing on being able to call a candle 'soy' if there is also a small % of paraffin mixed in. Who determines the naming rules anyway?

From an article a few years old. In China, it's worse than I thought. (Bold text mine) Candybee nailed it - it's cheap and versatile. And not recognized as a threat. http://www.purelivingchina.com/residential/learning-center/lead-exposure/

In addition, the names of the fragrances are often things from benign to wonderful in real life - things we've lived with and loved our entire lives. Things we are relaxed around and that bring up pleasant memories and/or feelings of comfort and love. Things or memories we are seeking to enhance or repeat. 'Christmas tree', 'Orange blossom', 'Pumpkin pie', 'lavender', 'toasted marshmallow', 'love spell', 'baby powder'.... But what are they really? With true EOs the exception, the FOs most of us use are nothing more than chemicals chosen to remind us of things in real life that we treasure. They are illusions. Pleasant illusions to be sure. But I think their very names help give us a false sense of safety. How could something called 'Christmas tree' or 'Orange blossom' hurt us? .

Nice pun.

I was just trying to wade through a long Wikipedia article on 'certified organic' cuz I just didn't know the process, and found a few interesting tidbits. Sellers don't necessarily have to be certified to legally label their produce as 'organic'. If you are a small grower (less than $5K per year), such as many at our local small Farmers markets, you are exempt from having to be certified. Also, it costs between $400 and 2,000 annually to retain certification. And there are lots of steps involved to get it. And many organic foods are imported. Apparently a significant amount comes from china, or used to. To further complicate what can be called 'organic', each country sets their own rules.... There are many countries I do not trust. Like the word 'natural', the word 'organic' is often either misunderstood, or misused (sometimes intentionally) by some people. I used to think it meant no pesticides, but it doesn't. It means any pesticides used must be organic. And there are some really toxic ones that are used. I'm not against either products that are truly 'organic' or 'natural'. Quite the contrary, and am very picky about what I grow, buy or use. But I think these words are over-used or misused in order to get us to part with our money. And there is very little we can do about it when someone is not telling the truth either accidentally or on purpose. It comes down to trust. Know your sellers and stick with the good ones.

I fortunately heard about the phenomenon (maybe 60 minutes?) when I was much younger and just thought I had a really wimpy palette. It was very helpful to know the reason for it. Over the years, I've met a good number of other 'super tasters' and we compare lists of what we don't like - often over a lighter fruity drink, lol. Here is one of the better lists from Wikipedia of 'our' dislikes: (I changed the format to condense it) There are a few of the above I don't mind at all... but it is a rather long list. edit to add: my mom, in retrospect also a supertaster, had an incredibly acute sense of smell. We used to marvel at it. She could pick up scents in the air long before anyone else.. both pleasant and unpleasant ones. .

Some of these new (to me) CS scents that you mention are really nice. As for the orange blossom, I did have it in my cart, but it is a fragrance that requires more expensive shipping, so I removed it. I've had mixed results with orange type FOs. Half of the time, my nose picks up a grapefruit aspect that is a turn-off, so I am less likely to take a risk with them. That's too bad because I love the scent of real orange blossoms. I did order one from Peaks that was spot-on however. I love that one. I know people have different senses of smell. And that our taste and olfactory senses influence one another. About 25% of the population are 'super tasters' because of more taste buds per unit area on their tongues. I am one. We are the people who hate dislike the taste of arugula, Brussel sprouts, coffee, beer, grapefruit, black licorice, hard liquor etc. We also prefer milk to dark chocolate, and white wine over red. It's not a fool-proof list, of course. I wonder how much this affects which FO people like me like/dislike. Since I can pick up an 'unpleasant' grapefruit scent in some scents sold as 'orange', I wonder what else is influenced because of this.

But they get away with it. Who is going to call them on it? And what would the penalty be? Many would just deny they arent' selling what they say they are selling, and be back the next week. Most consumers would never know... A while back, someone went to a Farmer's Market and purchased various products labeled 'organic' and tested them. I don't remember all the particulars, but many of the samples came back as not organic. That is another example of people trying to cash in on the 'natural' market. As for vegetables, unless I grow them myself, I tend to be skeptical of produce sold as organic. Just too much temptation to ask for higher prices to not be truthful. To me, the word 'natural' as a sales tool, has become pretty meaningless.

Sadly too many people have learned that these days there are few, if any, negative consequences to either ignorance or lying.

Here are some of my impressions of FO samples received today from CS. I ordered 23 of them. Some are scents I already have, and just adding to the stash. Some are scents I had no clue about, and was just curious. (What is a Vetiver anyway?) Out of the Bottle impressions of CS scents new to me, in no particular order: -Vetiver. People like this scent. lol? It must be a mixer. mildly acrid. -Plumeria. OK. There must be something better out there. Only vaguely like any real life Plumeria I've smelled. -Egyptian Amber. I've smelled that scent before. I like it. Nice. -Lemon verbena. Smells more like those lemon drop hard candies. Flamings is much better. -Very vanilla. Very good. Right near the top of my favorite vanilla scents. Would buy again. -Fraser fir. Nice conifer scent. Not quite like our western Christmas trees which I'm looking for, but a real tree scent. -Pine cones. OK conifer scent. Nothing off about it. Maybe a little sweetness to it. -Christmas tree. Not horrible. Not great. It will get used. -Blue spruce. Really like this one. To my nose, it edges out the Fraser fir. But they are the two winners in the conifer throw-down. -Cinnamon vanilla. Quite nice. More cinnamon than vanilla. Would make a nice 'cinnamon toast'. -Nag Champa. The adventure continues. Smells like hotel soap -Fireside. more like 'after the fire is out'. Not unpleasant, but not very strong. I think it might get lost mixed with other scents. -Vanilla hazelnut. I really like this one. Best of these samples. Nice nutty scent, plus good vanilla. OOB of course. -Lavender chamomile. Plain lavender is much better. This will probably get mixed with other lavender sample orphans. -Jamaica Me Crazy. I had no clue about his one. Over-riding grapefruit scent, which is not my favorite. -Caramelized Pralines. Quite yummy. Thumbs up. -Cedarwood vanilla. Smells more like wet cedar ashes. Darn... that was the last of the new ones. I want more... In general, I'm quite pleased with my order of never before tried samples. Very few real stinkers.

This is a tidbit about the real tree - Fraser Fir. I was thinking my new sample from Candle Science smelled like a fir that grows in our Sierra Nevada, and it turns out it's in the same genus. Ours is Abies concolor, and scent is one of the identifying characteristics. No wonder they smelled similar. We do not have the real Frasier fir in Cali however. Unless cut on a Christmas tree lot in December. From Wikipedia, if anyone is interested in RL trees:

This might be a safer thread to discuss our impressions of the scents we just got.

Will this thread be deleted too? If so, no reason to write down my impressions of the CS scents I got... Just asking.

Thanks for the reminder. I don't always pay attention to what section I'm in when clicking 'unread content'. And then later I can't figure out where I had been. I also got Frasier Fir and Blue Spruce. I like both of them. The Frasier Fir smells very much like a fir that grows in the Sierra Nevada. I also got Christmas Tree, which is very nice too. I love conifer scents. A bit later, maybe after a glass of bubbly, I'll give them all another OOB go-round.

Why would they do that? Was it more commercial than other threads about specific suppliers? Just curious. My samples arrived today too. I literally walked out to meet the mailman. It was fun opening and sniffing them, though it took me much less time than you. As you say, some winners, and some losers. My favorite out of the bottle is Vanilla Hazelnut. (or is it Hazelnut Vanilla). A couple others are not appealing at all. But it was an experiment. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

That's not quite what I meant. And I know I'm clipping your comment out of context, so forgive me. But after reading more 'out there' on the possible dangers of burning candles, I'm of the opinion that unbiased, competent research is exactly what is needed to put the question to bed. Not the click-bait opinion piece initially linked, nor the candle associations 'vested interests' reassurances. Unfortunately there is likely to be very little interest in funding a study like this. These days there are many dangers surrounding us as others have mentioned. Many we cant escape like air pollution or exhaust fumes, others we can, like more carefully choosing our foods. When possible, it's up to us to pick and choose which things we are willing to have in our lives, with the corresponding risks that come with some of them. To do this most effectively, accurate information is important to help us make better choices. It's just not always easy to find. I'd rather err on the side of 'more' information, than 'less' and then make up my own mind. We all make many such decisions daily. I have two cats. In spite of their reputation for cleanliness, they are not, lol. I choose to keep them however because they bring me joy. But I choose not to smoke, or drive too fast. It's a matter of finding a comfortable balance in life between the two extremes of absolute perfection in health considerations, vs total obliviousness.

LOL, I'm just small potatoes, and I can't keep track of the ones I have. Just got more today, too. - Indeed.

OMG - this already exists. But I think they are using an alternate meaning for the word 'kindle'. https://s7d1.scene7.com/is/image/BedBathandBeyond/30858913103402p?$478$

I wonder how long it will take before someone comes out with a Laptop, iPad, or Kindle scent.

My samples are supposed to arrive today. As I may have mentioned in the other 'CS sale' thread that disappeared (maybe storm Stella ate it), I ordered 23 of them. Just at the cut-off on next highest postage. Someone else in that thread had impressively ordered 120. (!) About half of mine are of scents I've never remotely tried. Now to go outside and wait by the mailbox, lol. I think the sale goes through today (Friday, 3/17)

I did not know for sure what a 'portion cup' with wax looked like, so did a google image search and found this. These are not oval, and may not be similar to yours at all, .... but if I saw something like this in a display, I'd definitely be drawn to look closer at the neat stacks of pretty wax.

Belinda, your knowledge of FOs and suppliers is simply amazing. Do you have any idea how many FOs you've sampled over the years? And being able to keep track of them! Kudos.

I don't order much, but when I did, I looked for a place in SoCal, where I live. It cost $17 shipping for 50 pounds. Definitely not worth the drive into 'the big city' to pick it up myself.

Hi bathaway, welcome to the board. Not sure how your candles work, but they are very creative.

Of course there is a difference between burning and making candles. And a difference in the affects of concentrations between straight FOs and the lesser amounts in candles.. But do we really know how "huge" that difference is? I don't think so (unless someone can share a link to some legit research). There are many variables. Not only concentrations of these chemicals, but personal candle burning practices might be considerations. How many candles does one burn at a time. In how many rooms. All day or just part of the day. In closed rooms with little/no air circulation, or on the patio. Highly scented and dyed candles, vs tighty-whities. And does one have asthma or allergies or other respiratory considerations. I choose to burn candles, as well as make them because I like them. Mine are mostly paraffin, but with some soy blended, and with dyes and scents. Most commonly I burn 3 at a time. But I am aware of keeping fresh air in the house because I know I can have a reaction. Call me a 'crunchy' (I also used to eat granola and still hug trees), but I think there are some health-related things to consider when burning candles. The woman's article was obviously over the top.. but that does not mean burning complex compounds (either soy or petroleum based) in a house poses zero risk. Man has burned candles over time. But the very nature of candles has evolved. Not only waxes and additives used, but also more recently the highly scented wax products.