outlawsfh

Yes, it was for us too - we were really worried - that is why she went to her Dr. first, then the neurologist and had the scan. Scan turned out ok. She doesn’t take any medications (no prescriptions), if her headache is real bad she will take some Excedrin. Even the migraine medicine the Dr. gave her, she didn’t take (don’t know why) she just doesn’t like to take meds. There were a few things the Dr. was worried about, namely an increase in stress at work (she manages a lot of people, with a significant increase in workload), lack of sleep (we have three children all under 5) and some mild depression - so the Dr. suggested she do her best to eliminate some stress at work, go out with friends and get like 10 hours of deep uninterrupted sleep. And that was the one time she actually felt better. It only lasted a day though, back to the grind and the symptoms came back. We're optimistic though

Thanks EricofAZ & Coconut, Sorry to hear about your pancreatitus . I too had learned about the dangers of Soy - for me the jury is still out. And so many say it is a wonder food, and so many others say it isnt fit for human consumption... Still a vegetarian, but went sans soy years ago... Coconut, we have a new house - just built it a little over two years ago so probably not drafty like an older house - but ventilation may not be good enough to make them inside. She does leave for work all day, and her headaches were consistent all day everyday. If I had to guess, it was probably the "making" of them - having the FO's out, cooking them, curing them all in the kitchen. Even though I made them on the weekends, I left a couple "Bird of Paradise" candles out over the week that was pretty intense. Everything has been sealed up and put away, windows open and fans running - will wait it out to see how she feels - If I continue, will make them in the garage, and keep/store the FOs out of the way... (a lot of exposure to strong/multiple/concentrated FOs may just be it). Oh, and we did a CT scan - all was good - thanks for suggesting... And thank you so much for the offer for the paraffin - I appreciate it! My first candle was paraffin, I bought a kit from hobby lobby to try it all out and it came with a paraffin block. It actually looked/burned very nice - the body of the candle had a nicer glow becuase it allowed more light through than the soy wax. The more I have learned about soy and paraffin, the less apprehensive I am to using praffin or sold on using soy (black soot still has me worried). The guy I get my supplies frm reccomended I do a 80/20 blend - he said it would help with the consistency and scent throw. What kind of paraffin do you use? As a sales point, I see people say "food grade paraffin" which sounds much nicer! :-) Thanks again all...

Thanks Shessuchatart... Yes, it is elimination diet. Remove all, and gradually add a single thing back in one at a time... Kinda like Stella mentioned, my wife's well being is obviously what's most important and I will do everything I can to make sure she doesnt get headaches. She is ok with me adding a single thing back in the mix to see how she reacts - until we can nail down something concrete (not me pulling out the big box of FOs and other stuff - and making a whole batch in the kitchen, etc...). So far I have removed everything that could be the culprit. Before I even think about what that one thing is - I need to make sure her headache goes away while she is not on headache medicine. If/when that happens - I will introduce only one thing at first - an unscented soy candle. I guess I mentioned that I would make it and burn it, but to clarify I will probably make it real quickly in the garage on Sat, and burn it on Sunday. If no problems, I will re-introduce one more thing - a premade scented candle and see how that goes... As you mentioned, this is quite common - a dr. or dietician will do the same thing. I had really bad headaches for a long time, but I went through the elimination steps and after quite a while I determined it was Splenda. I cant touch the stuff. About 90% of the candles we burn are Yankee. The other 10% would be some off-brands for Target or something... These I had always assumed were pure paraffin - and they never bothered either of us. Also, Stella mentioned "all things being equal" - but there are a few things else going on that I didnt mention (things that the dr. was more concerned about than candles), and it hasnt been exactly 4 weeks. I have been making the candles for closer to 6 weeks (and only on the weekends), and her headaches being about 4 weeks - every day (during the week as well). I think the most imporant thing is to get all the stuff out of the way, and slowly introduce them back in - in very small doses and one at a time...

Hmmm... Well it was her suggestion to try it (to narrow down the culprit). Together we burn candles all the time, and if burning a scented candle - whether it be soy, paraffin or palm *doesnt* cause issues, then we both will probably continue to do so - she buys/burns them all the time. What if switching one thing changes things? If that is the case, if it is the exposure to the raw materials or cooking them that is the problem, she suggested I make them in the garage - to see if that is a solution that works for us (solution meaning she no longer gets headaches at all). If that it is not the case - meaning it is soy itself (either cooking or burning) - then I would switch to something that didnt cause issues - either paraffin or palm to see how that worked. Once again - all suggested by her. I am a vegetarian going on 11 years now and for a while I bought a lot of soy-based imitation meat products - and she has always eaten a lot of them with me - she drowns her edamame (soy beans) and sushi in soy sauce and has never had a problem with ingesting soy - so I am unsure... It is not a no-brainer to either of us to just stop without investigating in more detail or trying to find an alternative solution that works. But it is a no-brainer that if it is the issue and it cannot be fixed completely to her satisfaction (switching to paraffin or making them outside in the garage with the door open or both) - then yes we will stop... As far as the other choices: To me, yes. When it comes to palm wax, I was more concerned with deforestation I dont believe that my choice not to use palm wax will make any real difference, but it is about me being comfortable with the choices I make. As far as paraffin, I was concerned with soot buildup on my walls (among other things). I am one of those who is under the impression that soy (vegetable wax) burns cleaner (just a belief). Anyways... I apprciate your comments.

Thanks all! Last night I boxed up and sealed all candle supplies and equip... opened the windows and ran the fans... Will continue to air out the house tonight as well... On Saturday, I will make a couple non-scented candles and burn them through Tuesday. Wednesday, I will burn a scented one that I had already made... Thursday I will make some more scented ones and see if any of those days cause issues. I appreciate the feedback.

Thanks Candybee! Sorry to hear that... Is the Glass Glow what you work with these days as a result of the headaches? I will look and see if I can find it local to Dallas. Wanted to avoid shipping fees and wait times :-). I am going to expiriment with the way I make, cure and burn the candles - to see if/what triggers it for her... Once again - thanks for your help! Take care...

Greetings all... I am new to this forum. I have been lurking without posting for the last couple of weeks… thought I would just jump in with this question/concern: I have been making soy candles now for about 4 weeks. Unfortunately, for about this amount of time my wife has had really bad migraines. My first thought was that the FO’s could have been doing it – I know many people are sensitive to such things... so... I put them away for a few days (didn’t make or burn them) to see if that helped her out. It didn’t, but now I am thinking I should give it a couple weeks. Especially in light of what has happened: She wet to the neurologist and she (the doctor) put her on a strict diet to exclude many things that are known triggers to migraines – and soy was on there. The Dr. mentioned that soy is a major cause of many headaches and allergic reactions for a lot of people. Of course she was talking about food – but I am sure that burning soy wax that we breathe in would fall into this category in some way, shape or form... My question to all you seasoned “soy” candle makers out there – have you heard of either soy candles causing headaches – or scented candles in general being a major cause of them – either just burning them or making them? I did a Google search on “soy” and “headache” – and the results were different – a lot of sales “bullet points” saying that ex-paraffin people switched to soy because it “helped” them with headaches – as opposed to burning paraffin? Also in the results were people selling soy based headache cure candles – candles that had EOs that would help with headaches. I was more inclined to make soy because it seems to be in demand due to the “image/belief” that they are cleaner burning (I don’t know – and don’t want to start a debate with this thread :smiley2:). Prior to making candles my wife and I would burn candles all the time – but store bought paraffin candles like Yankee or Circle-E without any problems. Starting today I will completely put away all candles, candle making equip and supplies to see if that alleviates her symptoms – and next weekend I may make a few unscented soy candles and let them sit out and towards the end of the weekend burn them. I hate to have to give them up, but obviously – the wife comes first :smiley2:. I would rather not do a pure paraffin, so I will probably try Palm wax. Does anyone know if RobNat 1226 is part of the “Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil”? (And is this the company that makes it: http://www.cjrobinson.com/?) If not, can anyone make a suggestion on a great container palm wax that is sold at a supply store in Dallas? I like and have been going to TayloredConcepts, and the RobNat is what they sell... Thanks all for your help! - Scott

Greetings all, I am new to this forum... You can do this (if it is cost effective and that important to you). Get one of these: http://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4400-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1285178651&sr=1-1 or http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Conserve-Insight-F7C005q-Monitor/dp/B003P2UMP8/ref=sr_1_15?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1285178651&sr=1-15 or http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3025184 It measures usage. You plug it into the wall, and plug your device into it and you can watch the usage (consumption by kilowatt hour). They have two models. The second one is nicer in that you can plug in your energy providers watts per hour fee or whatever, and it will actually show you in dollars - what the device is taking up. I was gonna buy one and go through the devices in my house, but never got around to it. Good luck! I came across this thread to see if people were using Presto pots for melting wax and if they were reccoemnded - I guess people are using them!