I LOVE candles. I love the way they look, how they create a relaxing atmosphere, and of course, the way they smell. I was pretty disappointed when I discovered that my favorite candle contained toxic chemicals. My favorite candle contains the following ingredients: paraffin, hydrogenated soybean oil, fragrance, two different stabilizers for preserving color that I can't pronounce, and 3 different dyes. Sounds pretty innocent, right? Not so much.
Paraffin is a waxy, whitish, flammable substance made by distilling petroleum or shale. Petroleum is a rock oil most commonly used for gasoline. Yes, like the gasoline you put in your car to make it run. I don’t know about you but I’m not trying to breath in a gasoline byproduct while I’m relaxing at home with my family. When burning a candle, we’re exposing ourselves to chemicals like formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein. If you haven’t guessed yet, these chemicals are known carcinogens and may also be linked reproductive and developmental issues. Acrolein in particular is found in cigarette smoke. We all know how that turns out. Now let’s not forget the famous word “fragrance” that is listed on so many things besides candles. The FDA requires companies to list ingredients on their products BUT companies are not required to give up their “trade secrets”. So, the ingredients used to make Hawaiian Breeze may contain toxic chemicals but it’s a trade secret so it can be masked as “fragrance” in the ingredients list. Most companies have trade secrets and are hiding behind “fragrance”. So, we have NO clue what chemicals we are exposing ourselves to. This isn’t just limited to candles. We’re talking lotions, makeup, soaps, laundry soap, etc. We are just expected to trust that these companies are creating products that are safe and won’t compromise our health. I think not. If you are like millions of other people in the world, you LOVE candles. They offer a relaxing environment, can be soothing, and they are pretty to look at. So, what is one to do when they discover their favorite candle is poisoning them? They start diffusing essential oils! Huh? What's diffusing? What are essential oils? Diffusing is device that disperses essential oils into the air. Essential oils are the immune system of a plant. Shrubs, trees, roots, bushes, fruits, fruit rinds, resins, and herbs can be distilled, cold pressed, or tapped to extract their aromatic liquids. The extracted oils are highly concentrated and are far more potent than dried botanicals. Essential oils are a great way to support your families’ wellness because they are fast acting, effective, and versatile. In fact, research shows that it takes only 3 seconds for an oil to reach the heart, liver, and thyroid when inhaled. When oils are applied to the skin, it only takes 26 seconds to be found in the bloodstream AND they last. Expulsion of the oils in a normal healthy body is typically around 3 to 6 hours. Essential oils are versatile too. One single oil can help support the body in multiple ways. They are convenient too. The bottles are small so they can easily be taken anywhere. Lastly, essential oils are affordable. I know you’re probably rolling your eyes right now because the initial price tag does seem steep but hear me out. Since essential oils are so potent, a little bit really does go a long way. There are approximately 250-300 drops of oil in a 15ml bottle of oil. When you diffuse you typically use 3 to 6 drops each time. A bottle of organic therapeutic grade lavender essential oil (therapeutic grade is the only kind you want to use, I’ll explain further in a moment) costs about $21, so that’s only $0.42 each time you diffuse! Wanna break it down further? Diffusers can diffuse anywhere from 2 to 8 hours. That’s $0.05 per hour if your diffuser goes for 8 hours! Best part, you are breathing in PURE plant. No carcinogens, no embalming fluid, and you are supporting your wellness! Anyone can afford that! I mentioned therapeutic grade is the only kind of oil you want to use. That’s because not all oils are created equally. If you have ever used a $4 bottle of essential oil from the grocery store or online, you may not have noticed a significant effect on your body. In the United States, the FDA only requires an essential oil to contain 5% essential oil to be labeled “pure” or “therapeutic grade. There are 4 grades of oils: therapeutic, food, perfume, and floral water. Therapeutic oils come from organically grown plants, are steam distilled at low temperatures and are completely unadulterated. Food grade oils may contain synthetics, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical extenders, or carrier oils. Why would companies want to use fillers, etc.? Because if you spray crops with pesticides you have larger crops to distill. If you use a solvent to extract oil, you’ll pull more oil, and if you dilute the oil with cheaper oils or a carrier oil, you stretch the oil you distilled. Next is perfume grade. This grade contains adulterating chemicals. They usually contain solvents like hexane - similar to food grade, they can yield larger crops. These solvents can be cancerous and may also be diluted with 80-95% alcohol. There are no beneficial qualities in this grade; it’s for perfume purposes. Lastly is floral water. Floral water is for aromatics only and is usually a byproduct of therapeutic grade distillation. It’s the trash water leftover after the oil is pulled out. The water is sold to companies which in turn fill 5% of the bottle with leftover trash water and then fill the rest with carrier oil and then label it pure. My friends, would you pour a glass of orange juice and then fill 95%with water? Probably not as it wouldn’t offer you any benefit; not to mention it would taste terrible! It’s important to understand there aren’t really any parameter to the use of the word “natural”. We have to do our research to ensure we are getting the real thing. Personally, I believe in Young Living Essential Oils because their Seed to Seal process is untouchable. Young Living was founded by Gary Young almost 25 years ago. Young Living is the oldest and largest essential oils company in the world. They own their own farms, grow their own plants, and control the entire process from the planting of the seed to the sealing of the bottle. Pesticides, pollution, and previously farmed land can all affect the quality of an oil. What is the point of using an oil to get away from chemicals if you then use an oil laden with chemicals? There isn’t a point. What most impressed me about Young Living is their commitment to quality. Each plant is hand weeded! That is insane and extremely impressive. No pesticides, chemicals, or weed killers are used. The plants are harvested at their peak and then put through a rigorous testing process. Once oils have passed their strict testing, it is only then that the oils are deemed ready to ship directly from the farm to you. Seed to Seal is not a slogan, it is a promise of integrity. Are you ready to start diffusing? Click here to find out how you can get started with Young Living Essential Oils.
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